Student Services

Services and programs to help students perform academically to the best of their ability are available at the Charlotte, Collier and Lee Campuses and the Hendry/Glades Center. Services include academic advising, placement testing, orientation and retention guidance.

Assessment Services

Assessment testing is considered an essential part of the College program. Placement testing or exemption is required for all degree seeking students, specific certificate seeking students, high school students in accelerated programs and veterans. Non-degree seeking students planning to enroll in English, mathematics or entry-level foreign language courses must also be tested or exempted.

FCELPT - Placement Testing

The Florida College Entry Level Placement Test (FCELPT) is used to determine placement in English, mathematics and reading courses. Students can access a study guide with helpful resources and practice tests at www.EdisonState.edu/assessment/FCELPT_Study_Guide.pdf.

• Students must complete and turn in an application for admissions to the Office of the Registrar prior to testing. Processing time for applications is 24 hours.
• Students are required to take the FCELPT or submit a full set of ACT-E or SAT-R scores or college transcripts.
• Edison State accepts scores for the SAT-R and ACT-E tests taken within the previous two years.
• Students that previously attended another college or university may also bring in an official or unofficial transcript for evaluation.
• The FCELPT is administered at all campuses and sites. Contact local campus or www.EdisonState.edu for additional information.

Students who do not achieve the minimum scores on FCELPT will be placed in, and required to satisfactorily complete, appropriate college preparatory instruction. Florida State Board of Education Administrative Rule 6A-10.0315(20) mandates that students complete their remedial coursework by the time they have accumulated twelve (12) hours of college credit classes or they must maintain continuous enrollment in college preparatory coursework each semester until the requirements are completed while performing satisfactorily in the degree earning classes. A hold may be placed on student records requiring on-campus registration until college preparatory coursework is completed.

Florida Statute 1007.263 mandates that every student at Edison State College who scores below college level in any area on the common placement test be informed of alternative remedial options. A student who selects a private provider for remedial instruction is entitled to enroll in college-level courses in skill areas other than those for which the student is being remediated. Once the student has successfully completed a private provider remediation program, he or she must be retested and achieve a score above the cut-off score in the appropriate section(s) of the common placement test.

Degree-seeking students who desire to enroll in a course higher than MAC 1105 will be advised to take the College Level Math (CLM) portion of the Placement Test.

Students are referred to the Office of Counseling and Advising or SOAR (Student Opportunities for Achievement and Rewards) after completing testing or evaluation of ACTE/SAT-R scores and college transcripts.

Students who are placed in multiple areas of college preparatory courses are referred to the SOAR program (see Student Information and Policies ). SOAR offers workshops and individual support to develop student skills, time management, goal setting and test taking strategies.

Testing Locations

Testing is available by appointment. For more information please contact:

Charlotte Campus at (941) 637-5632
Collier Campus at (239) 732-3789
Hendry/Glades Services at (863) 674-0408
Lee Campus at (239) 489-9237

Other testing services provided by the Assessment Center, Lee Campus, include:

1. College Level Examination Program (CLEP), a nationally developed program for acquiring college credit by examination.
2. College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), a test of college-level communication and computation skills. This may be taken after completing ENC 1101 and ENC 1102, one college-level math class, and 18 credit hours.
3. eLearning (distance learning) testing services are available on all campuses and at the Hendry/Glades Center. Testing locations, hours and procedures are posted at www.Edison.edu/elearning/testing/php.

Students may get more information about testing requirements by contacting the Assessment Center on each campus or at the Hendry/Glades Services.

Orientation

All degree seeking students who are attending college for the first time are required to attend an on-campus orientation. During the orientation, students will meet with college staff from various departments. This orientation is designed to provide useful information to students as they begin their journey toward successful completion of their academic goals. Times and dates for orientation can be found on the Edison State College Web site at www.Edison.edu/orientation.

Academic Advising Services

Degree seeking student will be assisted in the following:

1. Interpreting placement test scores
2. Understanding degree options at Edison State: Bachelor’s, Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Arts (AA), and certificate programs
3. Understanding educational programs and transfer requirements for universities and colleges
4. Developing an educational plan to accomplish the objective desired by the student
5. Monitoring the student’s progress towards educational goals. This includes 45-credit-hour graduation course check and 90-credit-hour course check.
6. Completing the graduation check verification during the last semester of the degree
7. Assisting the student in registration for graduation

Academic advising is available by appointment or on a walk-in basis. Students are encouraged to pursue advising during non-peak registration times.

Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures Relating to Students  page for Standards of Academic Progress.

Counseling Services

The Counseling staff at the Lee County Campus are professional personnel who provide short term counseling for students who find their academic or vocational progress hindered by concerns of a personal, social or emotional nature. Individual and group assistance is available directly or by referral to responsible on-campus or off-campus resources.

The Counseling staff is available to assist students with a variety of concerns including academic advisement, choice of major, career options, transfer to four-year institutions, general education requirements, catalog interpretation, withdrawal from College, and test interpretation.

Retention/Student Success

To ensure students’ success at Edison State, students on academic probation and/or returning students from suspension and/or dismissal are closely monitored. SLS 1107 Achieving Academic Success is required for students returning after academic suspension or dismissal. First time students undecided about their career goals, returning students and students in multiple college preparatory courses are referred to SLS 1101 College Success Skills to enhance their college survival skills.

REA 1605 Study Skills for College Students is recommended for students needing to improve their reading speed, comprehension and vocabulary.

College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST)

The state of Florida Legislature has repealed the requirement to pass the “College level communication and mathematics skills examination” (CLAST) in order to be awarded an Associate in Arts degree effective July 1, 2009.

In order to demonstrate continuing concern for institutional accountability and effectiveness, as well as performance standards for student learning outcomes, the Legislature maintained the current CLAST exemptions as degree requirements.

For students who graduate after July 1, 2009, the following alternatives will fulfill the competency requirements in addition to other current requirements for the Associate in Arts degree:

1. Exemption via American college Testing Program (ACT)
   1. Math: Achieve 21 or above on the enhanced ACT in Math or on the original ACT
   2. Reading: Achieve 22 or above on the enhanced ACT in Reading or a score of 20 or above on the Composite of the original ACT
   3. English Language Skills and Essay: Achieve 21 or above on the enhanced ACT in English or a score of 20 or above on the original ACT.
2. Exemption via Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT-I)
   1. Math: Achieve 500 or above on the recentered score scale, or its equivalent on the original score scale, meets Computation requirements
   2. Verbal: Achieve 500 or above on the recentered score scale, or its equivalent on the original score scale, meets Reading, English Language Skills and Essay requirements
3. Exemption via Grade Point Average
   1. English Language Skills: Achieve a 2.5 GPA in 2 courses for a minimum of 6 hours of credit from ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 or equivalent college-level English courses
   2. Math skills: Achieve a 2.5 GPA in 2 courses for a minimum of 6 hours of credit from any of the following math courses 
      1. MAC 1105 and any other MAC course with the last three digits higher than 105
      2. MGF1106 and any other MGF course with the last three digits higher than 106
      3. STA or equivalent statistics course
4. Exemption via College Level Exam Program (CLEP): Achieve minimum acceptable scores as required on English or Math exams to be transferred in for degree credit.
5. Exemption via waiver by committee for students with documented specific learning disabilities and other extenuating circumstances.

CLAST Waiver Requests

In keeping with State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.0311, the following circumstances have been identified that allow a student to request a waiver of the CLAST.

In order to initiate the CLAST waiver process a petition must be filed with the ITA requesting such a waiver. After reviewing the petition, the ITA provides the paperwork to the CLAST Waiver Committee chairperson who then convenes a committee appointed by the District Dean of Student Services, Lee Campus, to review the student’s case. This committee is responsible to the District Dean of Student Services and has four members: a member of the mathematics department, a member of the English department, the ITA, and a fourth faculty member from a department other than English or mathematics. Other nonvoting faculty or staff may be invited to attend and offer the benefit of their expertise as it relates to the student’s inability to pass the subtest(s). The CLAST Waiver Committee meetings are scheduled for the last Friday in March and October. (See College Calendar  for registration deadlines.)

The committee will consider the student’s proficiency in the subject area(s) and the student’s educational records as well as other evidence as to whether the student should be able to pass the subtest(s). A waiver of the subtest(s) in question may be recommended upon a majority vote of the committee. When a waiver from a subtest(s) is approved the student’s transcript will be noted accordingly. A state-approved code will be used to indicate that the student did meet the requirements of the above-mentioned state statute and that a waiver was granted.

Once waivers are approved, notification is mailed to the student from the District Dean of Student Services’ office and the ITA submits a written report to the Department of Education. The report outlines the following: name and social security number of the student, gender and ethnic background, type of waiver granted, and the subtest(s) for which the waiver was granted.

There are two criteria for approving waivers from the CLAST:

1. Any student who has a documented, specific learning disability such that he/she cannot successfully complete one or more subtests of the CLAST may request a waiver through the ITA.
2. Any student who has taken a subtest of the CLAST at least four times and has not been able to achieve a passing score, but has otherwise demonstrated proficiency in coursework in the same subject area, may request a waiver from that particular subtest. Waivers may be considered only after the student has been provided with test adaptations or other administrative adjustments to permit the accurate measurement of the student’s proficiency in the subject area.