Navigating the Bergen Community College Placement Landscape: A Comprehensive Guide to English Skills Development
Bergen Community College employs a structured approach to ensure students are appropriately placed in English courses that foster academic success. This involves a series of assessments and support programs, with the English Basic Skills (EBS) Program and the Academic Intervention and Monitoring System (AIMS) playing pivotal roles. Understanding these systems is crucial for new students embarking on their college journey.
The Purpose and Effectiveness of the EBS Program
The English Basic Skills (EBS) Program at Bergen Community College is fundamentally designed to equip students with the essential skills needed to thrive in a collegiate environment. Its core mission is to enhance students' proficiency in reading, writing, and critical thinking. Beyond these foundational academic competencies, the EBS Program also imparts vital academic survival skills. These include effective study strategies, techniques for successful test-taking, methods for efficient note-taking, and the adept utilization of library resources. The program aims to build a robust academic toolkit that empowers students to navigate the challenges of higher education.
The efficacy of the EBS Program is supported by empirical evidence. Research indicates a clear correlation between enrollment in EBS courses and improved academic outcomes. Specifically, students who participate in EBS courses demonstrate a higher likelihood of passing English Composition I compared to their peers who do not engage with the program. Furthermore, students who successfully complete the entire EBS Program exhibit a greater propensity to achieve their degree aspirations than those who bypass the program. This suggests that the foundational skills cultivated within EBS are instrumental in fostering long-term academic persistence and achievement.
Structure and Levels of the EBS Program
The EBS Program is structured into distinct levels, each tailored to students' assessed English proficiency. Placement into these levels is determined by scores achieved on the Accuplacer, a computerized placement test. Students are mandated to enroll in EBS courses during their first semester and must continue their enrollment in a sequential manner until they successfully exit the program.
The program comprises three main levels, differentiated by the credit hours and specific courses required:
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- Level 1: This level is designated for students who score between 0 and 199 on the Accuplacer. These students are required to complete 10 credit hours of Developmental English Skills, spread across two semesters. This typically involves courses such as EBS-011 and EBS-012. During their first semester, students in this level are restricted to a maximum of 14 total credit hours to ensure adequate focus on foundational skills.
- Level 2: Students who achieve a score between 200 and 234 on the Accuplacer are placed in this level. They are required to complete 5 credit hours of English Skills within a single semester, usually through a course like EBS-021.
- Level 3: For students scoring between 235 and 239 on the Accuplacer, this level requires the completion of two credit hours of Directed Studies in Writing II (EBS-033) concurrently with English Composition I.
It is important to note that all courses offered by the EBS Program award "non-degree" credits. While these credits are essential for building foundational skills and progressing through the program, they do not count towards the total number of credits required for graduation. However, EBS courses are factored into a student's cumulative grade point average (GPA), underscoring the importance of academic performance within the program.
Exiting the EBS Program and Faculty Involvement
Successful completion of the EBS Program signifies a student's readiness for college-level English coursework. Students exit the program by successfully completing their assigned EBS courses and achieving a passing score on the English Basic Skills Mastery Exit Test. This comprehensive essay test is administered in the final weeks of each semester and is holistically evaluated by members of the EBS faculty.
The EBS courses are primarily taught by a dedicated core of full-time English department faculty. These instructors are specifically tasked with teaching EBS courses, ensuring a consistent and high-quality educational experience for students. For any inquiries regarding the EBS Program, students are directed to contact Michael Berkowitz, the EBS Department Chair, who serves as the primary point of contact for program-related questions and guidance.
The AIMS Program: A Safety Net for At-Risk Students
Complementing the EBS Program is the Academic Intervention and Monitoring System (AIMS). This program serves as a crucial academic and instructional support system specifically designed for students who may be at a higher risk of academic challenges within the college environment. These students often present with deficiencies in fundamental skills, including reading, writing, critical thinking, and mathematical abilities. The AIMS program is a collaborative effort involving the School of Arts and Humanities, the School of Business, Mathematics, and Social Sciences, the School of Student Services, and the Office of the Academic Vice President. It is currently directed by a Professor, signifying its integral role in student success.
The AIMS program is proactively created by Bergen Community College to assist serious, motivated, yet underprepared students in achieving academic success during their crucial first semester at the college. The program aims to provide a supportive structure that mitigates the initial hurdles of higher education.
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The Role of Placement Testing and Challenge Examinations
Upon admission to Bergen Community College, all students are required to take the Accuplacer, a basic skills assessment test. This test is pivotal in determining the appropriate entry-level English and mathematics courses for each student. The Accuplacer is a computerized test designed to gauge fundamental academic proficiencies.
In instances where students believe their Accuplacer scores do not accurately reflect their true abilities, the college offers a recourse through challenge examinations. These challenge tests allow students to demonstrate their skills in English, mathematics, and algebra before formal course registration begins. It is important for students to understand that the results of these challenge tests are final and will dictate their course placement. Additional testing may also be conducted to ensure that students have been appropriately placed in their academic pathways.
Directed Self-Placement (DSP): A Modern Approach to English Placement
Bergen Community College has introduced Directed Self-Placement (DSP) as its innovative assessment tool for guiding students into suitable English courses. This online assessment is specifically designed to help students ascertain which English course best aligns with their current reading and writing capabilities. Importantly, DSP applies exclusively to English placement.
All new full-time and part-time degree-seeking students who do not provide the college with high school transcripts and/or evidence of prior earned credit in College English or appropriate test scores are required to utilize DSP. Before commencing the Directed Self-Placement process, students are strongly encouraged to verify if they qualify for a placement waiver. Information regarding this waiver can typically be found within the student portal. Upon completion of the DSP, students will receive a placement recommendation for an appropriate English course.
Course Requirements and Support within AIMS
Students enrolled in the AIMS program have specific course requirements designed to bolster their foundational skills. In their first semester, these students are mandated to take a 14-credit schedule, comprising 12 non-degree credits and 2 degree credits. This structure ensures a concentrated focus on developmental learning.
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The curriculum for AIMS students typically includes:
- Developmental Skills I (EBS-014/015): This course forms the initial part of a two-course basic skills sequence. It is meticulously crafted to enhance fundamental academic skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking.
- Basic Mathematics (MAT-011): This course provides a study of the fundamental operations of arithmetic, ensuring a solid grounding in mathematical concepts.
- Basic Communications (SPE-005): This practical course is specifically designed to improve general communication skills, encompassing verbal and non-verbal aspects of interaction.
To facilitate a structured learning experience, the required courses for AIMS students are often patterned into four-day schedules whenever feasible. Furthermore, counseling is an integral component of the AIMS program, with counseling sessions scheduled into each pattern through the "Introduction to the College Experience" class. This ensures that students receive holistic support, addressing both academic and personal adjustment aspects of college life.
The effectiveness of the AIMS program is rigorously evaluated through a multifaceted approach. This includes the analysis of academic success reports, retention studies, student evaluations, and valuable feedback from faculty comments. This continuous assessment process allows for ongoing program refinement and ensures its responsiveness to student needs.
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