Placement into English and Mathematics Courses
Composition Sequence Placement (ENGL 1101, ENGL 1101P, ENGL 1102)
Because Objective 1 courses advance acquisition of writing skills important for academic success, students are encouraged to complete them in a timely fashion. Accordingly, ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101P should normally be completed during the first year at ISU. ENGL 1102 should be completed by the conclusion of the second full year at ISU.
The Write Class™ is the primary placement tool for Objective 1 courses, ENGL 1101, ENGL 1101P, and ENGL 1102. With the exception of students listed below, students must complete The Write Class at isu.thewriteclass.org for placement into ENGL 1101, ENGL 1101P, and 1102.
SAT and ACT Scores, High School GPA, and GED:
Please note: Although standardized test scores and high school GPA are considered as components of The Write Class™, SAT and ACT scores are no longer used for direct placement into ENGL 1101, 1101P, and 1102. High School GPA is also no longer used for placement into ENGL 1101, 1101P, and ENGL 1102. GED scores are also not used for placement in Objective 1 courses. Unless students meet one of the exceptions below, they will need to be placed into a composition course using The Write Class™.
Dual Enrollment and Early College Students:
Students interested in taking ISU ENGL 1101 through the ISU dual enrollment and early college programs must use The Write Class™ to determine if they qualify for placement into ENGL 1101.
Exceptions
Some specific groups of students do not need to take The Write Class™. These exceptions are noted below.
1) International Students:
A. Those students who score below 8.0 on the IELTS or below 110 (iBT) on the TOEFL: These students will enroll in either ENGL 1122 or ENGL 1123 before moving on to ENGL 1101 or 1101P. Students must earn at least a C- in ENGL 1123 to advance into ENGL 1101 or 1101P. See additional information for ENGL 1122 and 1123 below.
B. Those students admitted to the university without IELTS or TOEFL scores, or without IEI completion: These students must consult the Chair, Department of English and Philosophy, for placement.
2) ISU Intensive English Institute (IEI) Students:
Students with an average grade of B+ or lower in the final session of the Institute’s prescribed course of study: These students will enroll in either ENGL 1122 or ENGL 1123 before moving on to ENGL 1101 or 1101P. See specific placement information for ENGL 1122 and 1123 below.
3) Students who have completed ENGL 1101 or 1101P:
Students who have completed ENGL 1101 or 1101P (or an equivalent course at another university) with a C- or better may enroll directly in ENGL 1102.
4) Students who have earned credit for ENGL 1101 through an Alternative Credit Opportunity, such as Credit by Exam (AP, CLEP, International Baccalaureate). These students may enroll directly in ENGL 1102.
ENGL 1122 Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers of English, Part I
Placement: IELTS* 5.0 – 5.5 or TOEFL 35-59
Placement for Intensive English Institute (IEI) students only: Recommendation from the IEI; equivalent of average grade of C-, C, or C+ in the final session of the Institute’s prescribed course of study.
ENGL 1123 Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers of English, Part II
Placement: IELTS 6.0 – 6.5, or TOEFL 60-93, or Duolingo English 95 – 110, or completion of ENGL 1122 with C- or better
Placement for IEI students only: Recommendation from the IEI; equivalent of average grade of B-, B, or B+ in the final session of the Institute’s prescribed course of study.
- *
Overall IELTS band score of 5.5 or at least 5.0 on each of the subtests; and so forth for each level.
Students admitted to the university without IELTS, TOEFL, ACT, or SAT scores or without having IEI completion grades must consult the Chair, Department of English and Philosophy, for placement.
ENGL 1101P Writing and Rhetoric I Plus
Placement: The Write Class™
ENGL 1101 Writing and Rhetoric I
Placement: The Write Class™
ENGL 1102 Writing and Rhetoric II
Placement: The Write Class™
Advanced Placement Options
- Transfer students who have taken a three-credit freshman-level course in expository or argumentative writing which is equivalent to Idaho State University’s ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101P course may proceed to ENGL 1102.
- Please see https://isu.edu/registrar/credit-by-exam/ for credit by exam opportunities.
Mathematics
All mathematics courses except MATH 0015, MATH 0090, MATH 1123P, and MATH 1153P have prerequisites. Students place into a course either by completing the prerequisite courses with a grade of C- or better or by achieving appropriate scores on the ACT exam, SAT exam, or ALEKS exam. For placement purposes, prerequisite coursework or placement examinations must have been taken within the last seven years.
MATH 0090 is intended for students with some math background where a student needs to fill in mathematical gaps. It is a self-paced alternative to any subsequence of MATH 0015, MATH 0025, MATH 1108, MATH 1143, and MATH 1144. Starting with MATH 0015, students sequentially complete modules and then take a mastery exam for each course. Scoring 90% or above on each exam earns placement equivalent to having passed the corresponding course. MATH 0090 is intended for students with enough mathematics background to work independently. Credits earned do not count toward graduation credits. The course is intended to be used as an alternate pathway to the traditional math sequence shown below.
The following diagram shows the chain of prerequisites for basic mathematics courses.
Objective 3 Prerequisite Tree
Courses that fulfill Objective 3 are underlined. The dotted lines indicate that MATH 1147 also fulfills the prerequisite for any course that has MATH 1143 as a prerequisite. Students should plan their mathematics coursework according to their intended majors. Some majors, for instance, require MATH 1153, and others require MATH 1160. Students who will take calculus must be especially careful to determine whether MATH 1160, Applied Calculus, or MATH 1170, Calculus I, is appropriate. Taking one after the other counts as a repeat and provides no further credit toward graduation. Students place into courses higher than MATH 0015 by achieving any one of the following scores on their ACT, SAT, or ALEKS placement examinations (Objective 3 courses are bolded):
| MATH | ACT | SAT (old) | SAT (new) | ALEKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00151 | --- | --- | --- | 0-13 |
| 1108P, 00252 | 16-18 | 390-450 | 430-490 | 14-29 |
| 11083 | 19 | 460 | 500 | 30-100 |
| 1123P, 1153P1 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1123, 11274 | 19 | 460 | 500 | 30-100 |
| 1143P | 19-22 | 460-530 | 500-550 | 30-45 |
| 1130, 1143, 11535 | 23 | 540 | 560 | 46-100 |
| 1147 | 23 | 540 | 560 | 50-100 |
| 1144, 1160, 2256, 22576 | 27 | 620 | 640 | 61-100 |
| 11707 | 29 | 650 | 680 | 76-100 |
- 1
There is no prerequisite course for MATH 0015, MATH 1123P, or MATH 1153P and no scores are necessary.
- 2
A student must pass MATH 0015 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 0025 or MATH 1108P.
- 3
A student must pass MATH 0025 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 1108.
- 4
A student must pass MATH 0025 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 1123 or MATH 1127.
- 5
A student must pass MATH 1108 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 1130, MATH 1143, MATH 1147, or MATH 1153.
- 6
A student must pass MATH 1143 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 1144, MATH 1160, MATH 2256, or MATH 2257.
- 7
A student must pass MATH 1144 or MATH 1147 or achieve one of the listed test scores to take MATH 1170.
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