REGENTS’ READING AND WRITING SKILLS REQUIREMENTS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

Regents' Reading and Writing Skills Requirements
Students enrolled in undergraduate programs leading to the baccalaureate degree shall pass the Regents’ Reading Skills (RGTR 0198) and Regents’ Writing Skills (RGTR 0199) courses as a requirement for graduation. These courses are offered for institutional credit. Students may exempt these courses through examination by passing the Regents’ Test or an approved alternative test in reading comprehension and in writing. Those required to enroll in a Regents’ Skills course must pass the corresponding Regents’ Test in order to receive a passing grade for the course.

The following are the specific implementation procedures:
1. With a few exceptions, every student must take each part of the Regents' Test not previously passed or exempted every semester of enrollment in a University System institution.
2. Students who perform at a very low level when taking the test for the first time should get immediate assistance and will be required to enroll in the Regents' skills course or courses in their next semester of enrollment and each semester thereafter until the requirement is satisfied.
3. Students with 0-11 hours of previous college credit who do not pass but score above the low-failure level may take the test again in their next semester without taking the skills courses. If they are not successful in their second attempt, they must enroll in RGTR 0198 and/or RGTE 0199 in their third semester of enrollment and each semester thereafter until the requirement is satisfied.
4. Students transferring 12 or more hours from an institution outside the University System of Georgia may test in their first semester of enrollment without taking the skills courses. If they are not successful, they must enroll in RGTR 0198 and/or RGTE 0199 in their next semester of enrollment and each semester thereafter until the requirement is satisfied. (Students transferring from Georgia Military College who have taken but not passed the Regents' Test must enroll in the skills course or courses in their first semester of enrollment.) Because the Regents' Test policy applies to all institutions in the University System, students transferring from another system institution must enroll in the skills course or courses if they have not satisfied the requirement by their third semester in the system, including their previous school and GCSU and excluding any semesters in which they were enrolled in Learning Support English or Reading, and each semester thereafter until it is satisfied.
5. Students who have earned 90 hours of college credit and who are required to enroll in one or both of the Regents' skills courses are permitted to enroll in no more than 12 credit hours per semester, including the skills course or courses, until the Regents' Test is passed. Students who do not take the test are treated the same as those who do not pass the test for the purpose of required enrollment in RGTR 0198 and/or RGTE 0199.
6. Students may exempt RGTR 0198 by scoring at or above specified scores on the following examinations:
  Regents’ Reading Test exemption score: 61
  
  SAT Reasoning Test, Reading Section exemption score 510
  
  ACT Reading exemption score: 23
  
  (SAT or ACT scores must be from a national administration. Scores from institutional SAT or residual ACT tests will not be acceptable for this purpose.)
7. Students may exempt RGTE 0199 by scoring at or above specified scores on the following examinations:
  Regents’ Essay Test exemption score: 2
  
  College Board Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition exemption score: 3
  
  College Board Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition exemption score: 3
  
  International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level English exemption score: 4
  
  SAT II English Writing exemption score: 650
  
  SAT Reasoning Test, Writing Section exemption score: 560 (effective Spring 2007)
  
  SAT Reasoning Test, Reading Section exemption score: 510 and SAT Reasoning Test, Writing section exemption score: 500 (effective Summer 2008)
  
  ACT Combined English/Writing exemption score: 24 (effective Summer 2008)
  
  ACT Reading exemption score: 23 and ACT Combined English/Writing exemption score: 22 (effective Summer 2008)
8. Additional standardized test scores may be specified by the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs for use in exempting RGTR 0198 and RGTE 0199. Such scores must be from a national test administration and must indicate a very high probability (at least .95) of passing one of the courses or the associated component of the Regents’ Test. Tests used to exempt the writing requirement must include an externally-graded writing sample.
Guidelines for Regents’ Reading Skills and Regents’ Writing Skills Courses
1. Students enrolled in a Regents’ skills course must pass the corresponding Regents’ Test in order to receive a passing grade for the course.
2. Students must meet all criteria regarding attendance and performance in the course to be eligible to take the corresponding Regents’ Test. Students who do not attend a required Regents’ course may be administratively withdrawn from all courses for the term and/or restricted to enrolling only in the Regents’ course in the next term.
3. Students not passing the course receive a “U” and must repeat the course until they pass. Those passing receive a grade of “S.”
4. The Regents' skills courses carry institutional credit, which may not be applied towards a degree, or accepted for transfer credit to another institution.
Special Categories of Students
1. A student holding a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education will not be required to complete the Regents’ Writing and Reading Skills requirement in order to receive a degree from Georgia College & State University.
2. Students whose native language is not English are given the option of taking the standard Regents’ Test or of following special local procedures. Under the special procedures students are allowed extended time and may use a translation dictionary that they supply. The essay test is locally developed and uses topics not requiring knowledge specific to American culture. The essays are evaluated locally by three raters selected from Georgia College & State University faculty and staff who use scoring procedures comparable to those used for the standard test. All other procedures for the Regents’ Writing and Reading Skills requirement apply to this group.
3. Georgia College & State University follows the approved procedures for special administration of the Regents’ Test for students with test anxiety, learning disability, or other documented need. In most cases, a student with visual, hearing, or motor impairment takes the Regents’ Test with appropriate accommodations based on the student's needs. If any accommodations in the test administration are to be made because a student has a disability, the student must contact the Center for Testing as early in the semester as possible to discuss necessary arrangements. Students with a learning disorder must be determined to be eligible for accommodations by the Committee on Learning Accommodations. The Regents’ Reading and Writing Skills courses may not be waived for students with disabilities; however, appropriate accommodations will be provided.
4. Students who live out of state may be permitted to have the Regents’ Tests administered out of state if they have fulfilled course requirements and follow the procedures outlined in the Regents’ Testing Program Administration Manual.
Essay Review
A student may request a formal review of his or her Regents’ Essay Test if that student’s essay received at least one passing score among the three scores awarded. The review procedures shall be as follows:
1. A student must initiate the review procedure with the Center for Testing by mid-term of his/her first semester of enrollment after the semester in which the essay was failed or within one calendar year from the semester in which the failure occurred, whichever comes first.
2. Students whose essays are under review and who have earned 45 credit hours must enroll in the Regents’ Writing Skills course.
3. The on-campus review will be conducted by the three faculty members designated as a review panel. The on-campus review panel may (1) sustain, by majority opinion, the essay’s failing score, thus terminating the review process, or (2) recommend, by majority opinion, there-scoring of the essay by the Regents’ Testing Program Office. The student will be notified concerning the results of the on-campus review. The on-campus review panel decision to terminate the review process is final.
4. If the on-campus panel recommends re-scoring of the essay, that recommendation will be transmitted in writing, along with the essay, to the office of the System Director of the Regents’ Testing Program. The Director will utilize the services of three experienced Regents’ essay scorers other than those involved in the original scoring of the essay to review the essay, following normal scoring procedures for the Regents’ Essay Test. The decision of the panel on the merits of the essay will be final, thus terminating the review process. The student will be notified through the institution concerning the results of the review.
Guidelines for Test Registration
Students should register for the Regents' Test through PAWS. There is a Register for Regents’ Test link on the Student Services & Financial Aid menu. After selecting the appropriate term, students will see the available test sessions, and they will select the one they prefer. International students whose first language is not English or students who qualify for testing accommodations should register for extended time sessions through the Center for Testing instead of using the online process. Students with a Regents’ Test hold (Must take RGTE 0199 or Must take RGTR 0198) must contact the Center for Testing to determine their eligibility to test. It is recommended that students take the test in their first semester of enrollment.