In a Haze

TASP is gone. Let the confusion begin.
As of Sept. 1, the TASP was revised. In the process, many questions are still unanswered.
TASP was the test used by Texas colleges and universities to assess entering students. With a bill called the TSI, the Legislature renamed TASP as THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment). The content of the test has not changed.

Colleges and universities can only assess and advise the student according to the TSI law. Students who need developmental classes can start them when they choose, but they still have to have them. There will be a remedial block put on the student’s account if he or she is not eligible for the college-level courses. Therefore, the student will not be allowed to register.

Before the TSI bill was passed, either a student needed developmental classes or he didn’t. With the TASP changing to THEA, there is a point system in effect to place you in the correct level of developmental classes.

“Not all students have to retest after failure,” Director of Academic Advising Deena Reeve said.
The upside to the point system is even if a student does not pass, he or she may be one of the students who will be told to retest. It will depend on what subject requirements the student failed to meet.

If students decide on the developmental class option, they will start on the level that the test scores indicate. As always, students are required to earn a C or higher to move forward.

“You have to demonstrate that you have the college-level skills through test scores or completion of developmental sequence,” Reeve said. “Students need to have the accurate information to move forward.”

With THEA the student now has another option besides developmental classes. They will have a chance once every term to retake the test. The official Web site: http://www.thea.nesinc.com, offers a practice test and an option to order a book to study for the test. Testing is also offered through the state as well. THEA is offered numerous times a year and costs $29.

The TSI law follows the prerequisites in the catalog. Those prerequisites are passing the highest level developmental class with a C or better, or passing the Accuplacer (North Lake College’s version of THEA) to continue to college-level courses. Reeve said the Accuplacer can be taken once every term.

At this time, there is talk of charging for the Accuplacer. Possibly, there will be a charge after two or more times. All incoming freshmen will still be required to take it. No price has been discussed yet.

“The coordinating board will be meeting in April to finalize all plans,” said Velma Hargis, district director of student programs.

This semester nearly 10 developmental reading classes and 10 developmental writing classes got canceled. Interim Liberal Arts Dean D’Ann Madewell said the number of reading and writing classes that did not make were in direct correlation with the confusion of students believing that they didn’t have to take the remedial classes.
“If you need them, you need them,” she said.

The TSI law has set very loose rules for colleges and universities to follow in Texas so they can set their own guidelines. This means that schools may now require different classes or only accept particular classes. It will make transferring more difficult, so the academic advising relationship is more important.

In the end, “more responsibility will be put on students,” Reeve said.

For more information on the TSI bill and THEA call Student Advising at (972) 273 – 3120.