SDP Policies

General Requirements:
Students applying to state-supported Institutions of Higher learning in Mississippi will be eligible for the Summer Developmental program if they fail to meet one of the four admission criteria.

Course Credits:
Students participating in the Summer Developmental Program will enroll in four (4) three-hour courses, for total of 12 semester’s hours. The courses will not count toward graduation at any of the eight institutions. The summer developmental courses are the following:

• Developmental English
• Developmental Reading
• Developmental mathematics
• Learning Skills Laboratory

The Curriculum:
IHL adopted texts and syllabi will be used for the reading, English, and Mathematics courses. The learning skills laboratory will focus on academic skills development in reading, English, Mathematics and other college readiness areas, such as study skills, test taking, learning resources and time management. Computer-assisted tutorials and learning skills development will be used for laboratory sections, consistent with academic support programs.

Academic Support:
Academic support for the summer program will consist of academic advising, personal and career counseling, tutorials, assistance with learning strategies and study skills.

Summer Term and Dates:
The summer term will be nine weeks. The session will begin in the week of Memorial Day. Students must be enrolled for the entire term to receive credit. Exceptions will be made for Mississippi students whose high school spring term is completed after the beginning of the summer term. The program will close after the first week to both in-state and out-of-state students; the decision to admit beyond this point is not academically sound.

Contact Minutes:
A minimum of 2250 contact minutes is required for each three-hour based course. The Learning Skills Laboratory will require 4,500 minutes. Each course will be in session for the entire term. Students will be allowed one day only in observance of Independence Day holiday(Fourth of July).

Student Capacity:
Student capacity will be determined by the institution concerned in relationship to faculty and skills laboratory resources. However, there shall be a maximum enrollment of 25 students per class section.

Classroom assessment:
Classroom assessment shall consist of a combination of several measures of learning such as active class participation, written papers, and graded class assignments. Students will be required to write a common examination at the end of the summer. Questions for the examination will be generated by faculty for each discipline: English, Mathematics and reading. The examination is designed to evaluate program effectiveness as well as student learning. Results on the common examination will determine 50% of the student’s final grade in each course.

Laboratory Assessment:
Learning Skills laboratory assessment shall include progress toward goals, active participation, completion of tasks, and accuracy of work.

Program Expectations:
Program expectations shall include academic honesty, daily attendance, full participation, completion of assignments, and appropriate classroom conduct. Students having three unexcused absences in the Summer Developmental Program or in the Year- Long Academic Support Program will be dismissed from the university immediately. Students will be brought in for counseling immediately following each of the first two unexcused absences and dismissed from the university after the third.

Passing grades, Meaning of Grades and Grading scale:
A grade of D or above will be a passing grade. The standard for the passing grade (D) should mean that the student is ready for intermediate level algebra, intermediate-level reading, and intermediate-level English in the fall term with continued academic support.

Grading scale:

A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69

Eligibility of Enrollment in Fall Semester Courses:
Students required to participate in the Summer developmental Program who pass all four courses are eligible to enroll in an IHL university in the fall term.

Certificates:
Students admitted to one institution and entering another should provide certificate of admission and original admission code.

Accuplacer Scores as part of statewide database:
Scores on the Accuplacer tests at all the eight universities will become part of a statewide database and distributed to all eight IHL institutions. Students will be tracked according to summer grades and ACCUPLACER scores.

Intermediate Courses:

1. All entering freshmen enrolled at an IHL university with an ACT Mathematics subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take Intermediate Algebra during their first semester of enrollment. Students whose Mathematics subtest score is 17, 18 or 19 should be strongly encouraged to take Intermediate Algebra.
2. All entering freshmen enrolled at an IHL university with an ACT English subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take Intermediate English during their first semester of enrollment. Students whose English subset score is 17, 18 or 19 should be strongly encouraged to take Intermediate English.
3. All entering freshmen with an ACT reading subtest score of 16 or less will be required to take Intermediate Reading during their first semester of enrollment. Students whose reading subtest score is 17, 18 or 19 should be strongly encouraged to take Intermediate reading. Students taking Intermediate Reading should not be permitted to take reading intensive courses, such as History.
4. Students taking two or more intermediate courses must enroll in the Year-Long Academic Support Program and will not be permitted to take more than 17 semester hours, including intermediate courses and the Academic Support Program.

Year Long Academic Support:
This program is designed to assist those students admitted with academic deficiencies, as well as other volunteer students, with their freshman courses. All students successfully completing the Summer Developmental Program must enroll in the academic support course for the fall and spring semesters. The course, entitled Academic support Laboratory I and II, will carry three credit hours per semester. The Year-Long Academic Support Program will consist of computer-assisted learning in reading, English and Mathematics; peer tutoring and counseling; learning skills development; and faculty instruction. The program carries institutional credit.