Math Course Pathways and Placement Criteria

 Math Course Pathways and Placement Criteria 

Policy Statement

SECTION I:  MATH PATHWAYS

1. The Colorado Math Pathways Task Force has established the following two mathematics pathways for students:
   1. Calculus pathway, for STEM majors;
   2. Quantitative Thinking and Statistics pathway, for arts, business, humanities, and early childhood/elementary education and social science majors.

2. Fort Lewis College will determine initial mathematics placements for each new or returning student prior registration.

3. The math pathway for each major is detailed in the four-year and transfer maps to graduation and the Liberal Arts Core section of the Catalog of Courses (beginning with the 2017 – 2018 catalog). 

4. All students who wish to enroll in a math course, including those not seeking a baccalaureate degree, must meet published placement criteria.

SECTION II:  PLACEMENT CRITERIA

1.  Placement criteria will be based on institutional research on student success and will comply with Colorado Commission on Higher Education Statewide Developmental Education and Supplemental Academic Instruction policies.
   1. Placement criteria are published as an Appendix to this policy and are subject to approval by the Dean of Arts and Sciences (or designee) and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Chair of the Department of Mathematics may recommend revision of the math placement criteria at any time.
2. Initial placements are based on:
   1. ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer Mathematics test scores no more than three calendar years old, or remedial/developmental or transfer coursework with grades of C- or higher, or Fort Lewis College coursework with grades of D- or higher, or coursework through credit by examination that is no more than five calendar years old.
   2. If a student does not have ACT, SAT or Accuplacer math scores, other exams can be used for placement if minimum scores for those exams have been published in the Colorado’s Developmental Education and there are published concordances between that exam and ACT or SAT scores.
   3. If a student has multiple test scores that can be used for placement, their placement will be determined by the highest of those scores.
   4. If a student has both an eligible test score and eligible coursework, their placement will be determined by the higher of the two.
   5. If a student does not have eligible test scores or coursework, the student will receive default placement. If they would like to challenge this placement, they may take an Accuplacer test and ask that their placement be reassessed.
   6. Other criteria predictive of student success, such as grade point average, can also be used in determining placement.
3. Individual petitions for exceptions to the placement criteria may be made to the chair of the Department of Mathematics.

4. Placements based on exams are updated regularly to account for expired test scores. Placements can also be updated upon request to account for new test scores.

5. Initial placement based on coursework will stay valid while the student is enrolled at Fort Lewis College, and will not change as that coursework ages. After initial coursework-based placement, prerequisites will be used determine eligibility for the next level of math coursework.

Responsibilities 

For following the policy:  All undergraduate students

For enforcement of the policy:  Registrar

For determination of placement criteria:  Chair of the Department of Mathematics

For oversight of the policy:  Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

For procedures implementing the policy:  Registrar

For notification of the policy:  Policy Librarian

Appendix 

Placement_Mathematics_Chart - updated May 15, 2019