College Academic Standards: Pace Requirement for Introductory Composition and Math
Drafted: 3-12-14
Approved: 4-2-14
Effective: 16-18 catalog
Revised:
1. Purpose
This policy ensures that all bachelor’s degree candidates complete introductory level
composition and math courses in a timely manner.
2. Reasons
2.01 Institutional goal: Fort Lewis strives to offer rigorous courses. Rigor is associated, among
other things, with student success and retention. However, rigor presupposes that all students
in advanced courses be proficient in basic academic skills.
2.02 Institutional goal: Fort Lewis strives to retain and graduate its students in a timely manner.
Successful early completion of basic courses in composition and math has been shown to
improve both retention and graduation rates (e.g. data collected by Complete College America
shows a positive correlation between both retention and graduation rates with the completion
of English and math courses in the first year).
3. Policy
All bachelor’s degree candidates must successfully meet the CO1 and MA1 requirements of the
liberal arts core before earning 45 credits at Fort Lewis College in courses numbered 100-499.
4. Sanction
Failure to successfully meet any of the policy requirements will result in a registration block that
(a) drops students from registered classes and (b) prohibits a student from registering for nonremedial, non-SAI, non-introductory composition and non-introductory mathematics courses
until the policy requirements have been met.
5. Definitions
5.01 Bachelor’s Degree Candidates: Undergraduate students pursuing their first bachelor’s
degree and post-baccalaureate students pursuing a second or subsequent, non-duplicative,
bachelor’s degree who are attending less than half time, half time, three quarters time, or full
time.
5.02 Successful Completion: successful completion of both CO1 and MA1 requirements requires
earning credit by exam (e.g. a CLEP test), earning a grade of C- or better in a CO1 course (with or
without SAI), earning a grade of D- or better in an MA1 course (with or without SAI), or
transferring the equivalent CO1 or MA1 course from another institution.
5.03 CO1 course: those courses designated in the current catalog as CO1.
5.04 MA1 course: those courses designated in the current catalog as MA1.
6. Implications
6.01 Because the policy requires that students successfully meet the CO1 and MA1
requirements of the liberal arts core before earning 45 credits at Fort Lewis College in courses
numbered 100-499, this policy has no impact on transfer students. The “clock” starts only after
transfers arrive on campus. (This is a non-implication.)
6.02 Since the sanction for this policy does not academically disqualify students, there is no
confusion with academic standings. (This is a non-implication.)
7. Procedures
[Enrollment management has procedural responsibility for this policy and will propose a full
procedure within 60 days of policy approval]
There are no appeals for the decision to block registration for failure to meet any of the policy
requirements.