13 KAR 2:020. Guidelines for Admission to State-Supported - PDF document

Council on Postsecondary Education June 22, 2018 13 KAR 2:020. Guidelines for Admission to State-Supported Postsecondary Institutions ACTION : Staff recommends that the Council approve the revised Kentucky Administrative Regulation 13 KAR 2:020, which sets guidelines for admission and course placement at public postsecondary institutions. The action would authorize staff to file the proposed administrative regulation amendment and the General Counsel, pursuant to KRS 13A.290(4) and KRS 13A.320(1)(b), to make such changes on behalf of the Council as necessary to comply with KRS Chapter 13A and obtain adoption of the amended regulation by the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee and the Interim Joint Committee on Education. KRS 164.020(8) requires that the Council on Postsecondary Education set minimum admission standards for students who wish to enroll at public postsecondary education institutions. 13 KAR 2:020 fulfills this obligation and advises prospective students, local school districts, and public postsecondary institutions on the minimum requirements for admission and course placement to facilitate transition into postsecondary education. This amendment simplifies the current structure for minimum admission criteria and related course placement by focusing on core state-level policy objectives. It requires that traditional high school graduates admitted to a public university have a high school GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Students with a 2.0 to 2.49 may enroll after signing a learning contract with the institution that specifies the advising, mentoring, tutoring and support services expectations for both the student and the institution, student learning goals and expectations, student participation requirements in a financial literacy program, the process by which student progress will be monitored, and the specified length of the learning contract. The amendment also mandates the implementation of the corequisite model for students needing remediation in core content areas. A corequisite course is a credit- bearing course that includes enhanced academic supports, such as additional hours of instruction, tutoring, mentoring, or advising. Moving toward the corequisite model of remediation will assist students in progressing to a degree more quickly outside the traditional developmental model, which is often more costly and ineffective in progressing students toward degree completion.

COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION 1 (Amendment) 2 13 KAR 2:020. Guidelines for admission to the state-supported postsecondary education 3 institutions 4 RELATES TO: KRS 156.160, 158.6451, 158.6453, 164.001, 164.020(5), (8), 5 164.030 6 STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 164.020(8) 7 NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 164.020(8) requires the 8 Council on Postsecondary Education [council] to set the minimum qualifications for admis- 9 sion to the state-supported postsecondary education institutions. KRS 164.020(29) re- 10 quires the council to promulgate administrative regulations governing its powers, duties, 11 and responsibilities as described in KRS 164.020. [It is the intent of the council that all pro- 12 spective students have available to them an opportunity for postsecondary education ap- 13 propriate to their interests and abilities.] This administrative regulation establishes the min- 14 imum qualifications related to admission at state-supported postsecondary education insti- 15 tutions. 16 Section 1. Definitions. (1) “Academic Readiness” means the student has demon- 17 strated the requisite ability to succeed in credit-bearing coursework by meeting or exceed- 18 ing the college readiness benchmarks adopted by the Council. An institution shall not de- 19 termine academic readiness using scores received from exams taken more than four (4) 20 years prior. 21

(2) “Accelerated pathway” means a high school program of study that is designed 1 for students to be able to graduate in (3) three years or less from high school, before age 2 eighteen (18) and prepare for transition to college. 3 (3) “Certified, non -public school" means a Kentucky non-public school that has been 4 granted certification by the Kentucky Board of Education. 5 (4) "Corequisite course" means a course that includes enhanced academic sup- 6 ports, such as additional hours of instruction, tutoring, mentoring, or advising that awards 7 credit toward a credential or degree. 8 (5) "Council" is defined by KRS 164.001(8). 9 (6) “Credit for prior learning” means college credit for the college -level knowledge 10 and skills gained from non-college instructional programs or life experiences: 11 (a) Such as credit awarded pursuant to 13 KAR 2:025 and KRS 164.2951(2)(e), 12 employment, military experience, civic activities, and volunteer service; and 13 (b) That is evaluated through nationally standardized exams in specific disciplines, 14 challenge exams for specific courses at individual institutions, evaluations of non-college 15 training programs, and individualized assessments. 16 (7) “Curriculum pathway” means a specified seri es of courses or competencies 17 needed to complete a credential or degree. 18 (8) "Developmental course" means a course that prepares a student for college- 19 level study and does not award credit toward a credential or degree. 20 (9) “Dual credit course” is def ined by KRS 164.002(5) and does not include devel- 21 opmental education courses. 22 (10) "Institution" means a state-supported postsecondary education institution as 23

defined in KRS 164.001(12). 1 (11) "KCTCS" means the Kentucky Community and Technical College System as 2 defined in KRS 164.001(13). 3 (12) “Learning contract” means a student success document signed by the student 4 and a designated institution representative after a personal consultation that sets forth the: 5 (a) Advising, mentoring, tutoring and support services expectations for both the stu- 6 dent and the institution; 7 (b) Student learning goals and expectations; 8 (c) Student participation requirements in a financial literacy program; 9 (d) Process by which student progress will be monitored; and 10 (e) Specified length of the learning contract. 11 (13) "Pre-college curriculum" means completion of: 12 (a)1. The Kentucky minimum high school graduation requirements; or 13 2. Other approved course of study established in 704 KAR 3:305; and 14 (b)1. Two (2) units of a single world language; or 15 2. Demonstration of a world language proficiency. 16 Section 2. Admission Requirements for All Institutions. (1) Each institution shall de- 17 velop and publish in its catalog or other appropriate publications specific policy and proce- 18 dures for admission of students into programs or courses with enrollment limitations or 19 specialized curricula. 20 (2) An institution shall not determine academic readiness using scores received from 21 exams taken more than four (4) years prior to the application. 22 Section 3. Minimum Requirements for Undergraduate Admission to a Degree Pro- 23

gram at Kentucky Public Universities. (1) Graduates of a public or certified non-public Ken- 1 tucky high school applying for admission shall: 2 (a) Meet the Kentucky Minimum High School Graduation Requirements related to 3 704 KAR 3:305; 4 (b) 1. Meet the precollege curriculum requirements; and 5 2. If an applicant has not met the pre-college curriculum requirements, as defined in 6 Section 1(13)(b), complete the world language requirements established by the institution 7 as part of their college curriculum; 8 (c) Take the established college admission or academic readiness assessments es- 9 tablished by the Kentucky Department of Education; and 10 (d) Have a minimum unweighted high school GPA of: 11 1. 2.5 on a 4.00 scale; or 12 2. a. 2.0 to 2.49 on a 4.0 scale; and 13 b. Enter into a learning contract with the university prior to enrollment. 14 (2) Graduates of public or certified non-public non-Kentucky high schools applying 15 for admission shall meet criteria for admission established by the institution that is com- 16 mensurate with the minimum criteria established in Section 3(1). 17 (3) Applicants with Nonimmigrant Visas not graduating from a public or certified non- 18 public high school shall meet admission criteria established by the institution that include 19 requirements that meet national best practice for the admission of these student and as- 20 sure academic readiness commensurate to the pre-college curriculum requirements. 21 (4) Applicants who have earned a state issued high school equivalency diploma or 22 are graduates of a Kentucky based non-certified non-public high school, including a home 23