Learning Support General Information Sheet 1


Learning Support English Policy and General Information Sheet

  1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Purpose: Students required to enroll in Learning Support English Classesat Middle Georgia State University to satisfy English and/or Reading requirements based on placement scores are not eligible for certain college level courses until they have successfully completed these Learning Support requirements. These courses are designed to prepare students for college-level work. Students may exit Learning Support courses when they meet specified requirements. (See Learning Support Syllabus Supplements for ENGL 0999 and ENGL 0989.)

Required Textbooks:

ENGL 0999 – A developmental level college readeror comparable text to be determined by the instructor.

ENGL 0989 – A developmental level college reader to be determined by the instructor

Suggested materials for both courses:Online Writing Lab (OWL), college handbook

Learning Support Syllabus Supplements for English 0989 and 0999: All Learning Support English syllabi, both ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999, should include the “Syllabus Supplement” appropriate to the course. These supplements contain departmental and college policy statements required for all Learning Support English courses, the department’s approved definition of plagiarism, and other important information for Learning Support English students and should be incorporated directly into individual course syllabi as a unified document.

Learning Support ENGLISH Essay and Writing Requirements: Writing should include both in-class and out-of-class experiences and may include both formal and informal contexts.

ENGL 0999 classes should include weekly writing experiences that parallel work in 1101.These writing experiences may include prewriting activities, paragraphs, and short essays that focus on pre-writing, writing, structure, editing, and revision practice. These experiences also should include at least one formal essay, an exemplification essay that will be used for assessment.Teaching 0999, the co-requisite portion, will encompass these general types of activities:

  1. Class time activities
  2. Grammar sessions will be taught, and the lecture will be compact, efficient, and basic.
  3. Parallel work in ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 is important. Essay-writing strategies may be based on ideas from 1101 but will use different methods for reinforcing the concepts, such as writing paragraphs in 0999 that parallel the patterns (comparison/contrast, for instance) being taught in 1101. Topic samples should be different in 0999 and 1101, but the process taught will be the same. It is not necessary for students to write fully developed essays in 0999. The goal is for the students to understand and produce writing that reflects the teaching in 1101.
  4. Readings that are assigned in ENGL 1101 may be used as the basis for quizzes in ENGL 0999.
  5. Essay conferencing is recommended, at least once, but is not expected to constitute the bulk of the course.
  6. Writing Center tutoring should be offered to all, both 0999 and 1101 students.
  7. Computer lab type activities may be offered at the discretion of the instructor.

Weighting of grades for ENGL 0999

25%Writing (pre-writing experiences, paragraphs, and essays)

25%Grammar(quizzes, other assignments)

25%Reading (quizzes, other assignments)

10%Final exam

15%Participation/Attendance/Improvement

  • This course will include one Writing Assessment (formal essay) towards the end of semester, an exemplification essay. Topics will be decided upon by committee. This essay will be graded according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in Learning Support English used for assessment purposes. These standards are posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: (See Writing Assessment below for full description.)
  • This course will include one reading assessment (annotation exercise) called Achieving Rich Annotation. This assessment is based on a prior class assignment. This assignment is posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: (See Reading Assessment below for full description.)

ENGL 0989classes should include weekly writing experiences that may include prewriting activities, paragraphs, and short essays that focus on pre-writing, writing, structure, editing, and revision practice. This course will include a combination of formal paragraphs, grammar quizzes and tests, and three (3) formal essays.

One of the formal essays will be an exemplification essay and will be used for assessment.

Weighting of grades for ENGL 0989

15%Informal writing (pre-writing experiences, paragraphs)

20%3 formal essays

20%Grammar(quizzes, other assignments)

20%Reading (quizzes, other assignments)

10%Final exam

15%Participation/Attendance/Improvement

  • This course will include one Writing Assessment (formal essay) towards the end of semester, an exemplification essay. Topics will be decided upon by committee. This essay will be graded according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in Learning Support English used for assessment purposes. These standards are posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: (See Writing Assessment below for full description.)
  • This course will include one reading assessment (annotation exercise) called Achieving Rich Annotation. This assessment is based on a prior class assignment. This assignment is posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: (See Reading Assessment below for full description.)

Allessays are to be filed for one full semester. After one semester, students may pick up their papers.

Assessments:

1)Writing Assessment (exemplification essay): An in-class Writing Assessment in the form of an exemplification formal essay will be assigned towards the end of semester. The Writing Assessment for Learning Support English shall be administered and evaluated according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in Learning Support English and can be found on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: The Learning Support English Writing Topics Committee is responsible for developing and choosing the slate of topics for the Writing Assessment essay in a manner that ensures consistency and fairness. This committee will develop and select new exemplification topics each semester and disseminate the list to all faculty teaching Learning Support English. Individual faculty may then select five topics for each class from the list.

  • the Writing Assessment essay is an essay written towards the end of the semester
  • faculty members are responsible for administering the Writing Assessment essay to their own classes
  • faculty members should choose essay topics from the list provided by the Learning Support English Writing Topics Committee and follow the accompanying instructions for administration
  • faculty members should evaluate each essay using Standards for Grading Written Work in Learning Support English to assess levels of competence. These guidelines are posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
  • This assessment data will be reported at the end of the semester using Survey Monkey to collect Writing Assessment success rates for both the Foundations and the co-requisite course models (ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999).

2)Reading Assessment (Achieving Rich Annotation – activity and assessment):

An in-class Reading Assessment in the form of an annotation assignment (Achieving Rich Annotation) will be assigned. The Reading Assessment may be administered at any time during the course of the semester at the discretion of the faculty member but preferably after some exposure to the concepts listed under course expectations above and certainly after the course activity that precedes the assessment. This assessment, along with directions for the course activity, is posted to the English Dept.’s space on the MGA website (direct link:

  • the Reading Assessment is administered during an appropriate point during the semester
  • faculty members are responsible for administering the Reading Assessment essay to their own classes
  • faculty members should use the Achieving Rich Annotation handout and guidelines posted on the department’s webspace and follow the guidelines
  • faculty members should evaluate the Reading Assessment using Achieving Rich Annotations – Faculty Assessment. These guidelines are posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
  • This assessment data will be reported at the end of the semester using Survey Monkey to collect Reading Assessment success rates for both the Foundations and the co-requisite course models (ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999).
  1. LEARNING SUPPORT POLICY for FOUNDATIONS and CO-REQUISITE COURSES

30-Hour Rule: In accordance with Board of Regents policy, students must complete ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 before earning thirty hours of course credit.

Learning Support attempts: Because of the 30-hour rule (above), students with Learning Support requirements who are enrolled in ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 will have unlimited attempts to exit Learning Support English and may continue to enroll until they reach the 30-hour limit. Upon reaching the 30-hour limit, however, this rule will apply. However, students enrolled in ENGL 0989, the Foundations course, must successfully complete this course in no more than two attempts or be subject to Learning Support exclusion for one year.

Learning Support English Exit Requirements: Students may exit Learning Support English courses when they meet specified requirements. Depending on placement scores, students may place into either an entry level course (ENGL 0989) or an exit level course (ENGL 0999). Students may exit Learning Support English from the exit-level co-requisite courses only. (See Learning Support Syllabus Supplements for ENGL 0999 and ENGL 0989.)

ENTRY LEVEL:Students placed into ENGL 0989 must first earn at least a C in ENGL 0989. With a grade of at least a C in ENGL 0989, students will be eligible to enroll inthe exit level Learning Support co-requisite courses: ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101.

EXIT LEVEL:Students enrolled in ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 may exit Learning Support English when they satisfy the following requirements:

1)Learning Support English requirements will be satisfied, and students may progress to English 1102 under the following conditions:

  • Students who pass ENGL 1101 with at least a C and pass ENGL 0999 will satisfy Learning Support requirements and progress to English 1102.
  • Students who pass ENGL 1101 with at least a C but fail* ENGL 0999 will satisfy Learning Support requirements and progress to English 1102.

*Please note that passing ENGL 1101 with a grade of C or higher satisfies the Learning Support English requirement, regardless of the grade received in the co-requisite support course. As such, it will be possible to earn an F% or an IP% in ENGL 0999 yet still exit Learning Support English and enroll in English 1102.

2)Students will remain in Learning Support and will need to repeat courses under the following conditions:

  • Students who fail ENGL 1101 but pass ENGL 0999 will remain in Learning Support and will need to retake both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 as co-requisites.
  • Students who fail both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 will remain in Learning Support and will need to retake both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 as co-requisites.

Withdrawal Policies: Students are allowed to withdraw from any Learning Support English course and may remain enrolled in other collegiate courses with this exception: Students may not withdraw from ENGL 0999 without withdrawing from ENGL 1101 and vice versa.

Withdrawal from ENGL 0999: Students who choose to withdraw from ENGL 0999 must also withdraw from ENGL 1101 and vice versa. Students who withdraw from both courses may earn grades of “W” if they withdraw before and including the midterm date. After midterm, students who withdraw must withdraw from both ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 and will receive a grade of “WF” for both courses.

Withdrawal from ENGL 0989: Students may withdraw from ENGL 0989 and remain enrolled in other collegiate courses; however, students in ENGL 0989, the Foundations course, must successfully complete this course in no more than two attempts or be subject to Learning Support exclusion for one year. Students may withdraw from the course and earn a grade of “W” up to and including the midterm date. After midterm, students who withdraw will receive a grade of “WF.”

When withdrawing from either ENGL 0999/ENGL 1101 or ENGL 0989 after the midterm date, students will receive a grade of WF. A WF is calculated in the GPA as an “F.” Instructors may assign “W” grades for students with excessive absences (beyond the number of absences permitted by the instructor’s stated attendance policy). Students may withdraw from a maximum of five courses throughout their enrollment at Middle Georgia State. Beyond the five-course limit, withdrawals result in “F” grades.NOTE: Withdrawal from LS courses may affect students’ financial aid and residence hall status.

  1. OTHER POLICIES

Faculty-initiated student withdrawals: Faculty may initiate a course withdrawal for a student who has excessive absences as defined by the University’s Attendance Policy. Each faculty member should provide a statement on the course syllabus regarding his or her practice related to students who have excessive absences. Faculty who elect to withdraw a student for attendance reasons should complete the Instructor-Initiated Class Withdrawal Form (available on the Registrar’s Office webpage), including the last Date of Attendance, and submit it to the Registrar’s Office for processing. NOTE: Faculty should attempt to contact the student since financial aid and residence hall status may be affected.

Plagiarism Policy:

Each instructor must develop and include a plagiarism statement in his or her syllabus that aligns with the English Department policy regarding academic dishonesty. This policy must explicitly announce the instructor’s penalty for students found guilty of plagiarism in the class.

There are two specific offenses against the academic community: plagiarism and cheating. All academic work, written or otherwise submitted by any student, must be that student’s own thinking, research, and/or self-expression. Cheating is generally thought to be the unauthorized giving or receiving of information in any fashion on an examination. When a student submits individual work that borrows ideas, organization, wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgement, the student is guilty of plagiarism. In any case in which a student feels unsure about a question of cheating or plagiarism, that student is obliged to consult the instructor on the matter before proceeding. Academic dishonesty is regarded by all instructors as a serious institutional violation.

The penalty for plagiarism or cheating is addressed in the Middle Georgia State University Student Handbook under the heading, Special Procedures for Adjudicating Cases of Academic Misconduct, which may be accessed on the web at plagiarized assignments receive a zero, and a student may also fail the class.

Middle Georgia State University Syllabus Checklist: Syllabi for Learning Support English courses must include all of the items and information enumerated and explained in the Middle Georgia State University Syllabus Checklist and can be found posted on the departmental space on the MGA website (direct link:

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on English Learning Support classes at Middle Georgia State University, please contact the English Department Learning Support Coordinator, Susan Phillips, at or 478-471-2098.

Updated August 9, 2016