STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
   The College is responsible for publishing all rules and regulations affecting your educational opportunities. As mature students responsible for your own conduct, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with these rules and regulations. Written rules and regulations in effect at the time are binding.
   The material in this catalog is published to provide information on rules and regulations in effect at the time of publication; however, we reserve the right to make changes to course offerings, curricula, academic policies, and other rules and regulations effective at a time determined by the College. These changes govern currently and formerly enrolled students.
   Copies of all official Board of Trustees rules are available for inspection in the libraries. Read all official notices posted on campus bulletin boards and published in PCC's official publication for students, the "Orange & Green." Ignorance of duly published rules and regulations is not considered a valid excuse for failing to comply.

EMPHASIS ON COMPETENCY
   The 1979 Florida Legislature enacted the Postsecondary Education Act (CS/HB 1689). The major emphasis of this legislation is improving the quality of higher education in Florida. Major goals of the competency movement include:

• assuring students entering their freshman year are placed correctly in courses allowing them to acquire the essential college-level communications and computation skills
• assuring students entering their junior year acquired those communications and computation skills essential to succeeding in the upper division.

   The competency movement caused many changes in public higher education in Florida. The essential communications and computation skills are now identified. As a result, there is greater emphasis statewide on placement testing and advising, standards of academic progress for currently enrolled students, and exit testing proving mastery of essential skills.
   At PCC, the competency movement means a greater emphasis on students' selection of their educational programs, placement testing, and admissions and academic advising. It also means students are required to make definite progress toward their educational goals. Finally, the competency movement means the quality of education is measured to determine the mastery of essential skills. 

TESTING

• Placement Assessment
     Polk Community College provides a comprehensive placement assessment program in accordance with Florida law. We use the Florida College Entry Level Placement Test (FCELPT or CPT) provided by the College Board to test for proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics. Although frequently referred to as "testing," the CPT is not a pass-fail examination, but is an assessment tool determining the proper placement in college credit courses. The CPT does not determine admission eligibility.
     All students applying to take credit courses are required to take the CPT prior to course registration. Exceptions may include students who provide scores on other state-approved instruments, and those transferring from other colleges with appropriate English and math
  credit. Students not pursuing a degree or certificate (non-program students) also may be exempt from placement testing, but, unless they provide evidence of previous college credit in English and math, are limited to enrollment in courses not requiring communications or computation skills
     College preparatory (college prep) courses in English, reading, and math are required for students who score below state-mandated cut offs. Students are required to begin enrollment in all required college prep courses during their first twelve credit hours at PCC; however,
  students enrolled in college prep also may take courses concurrently in other curriculum areas for which they qualify. College prep course do not apply toward graduation requirements.

•   College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST)
      All students expecting to graduate with an A.A. degree, or who expect to transfer as a junior to any state university in Florida, are required to take the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). Students must score at or above the state minimums, or meet the CLAST alternative.
     Students seeking A.S. or A.A.S. degrees are not required to take CLAST unless they expect to transfer to a Florida university as a junior

   To be eligible to take the CLAST, you must be registered at Polk Community College as a degree-seeking student and have earned at least 18 semester credit hours. CLAST registration and information forms are available in Student Services on both campuses. 

• Clast Alternatives

The student may earn alternatives to the CLAST English and Essay subtests by meeting one of the following:

• Presenting an official SAT-I verbal score of five hundred   (500) or above;
• Presenting an official E-ACT English score of twenty-one (21) or above; or
• Earning a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in ENC1101, College Composition and ENC1102, College Composition II.

The student may earn alternatives to the CLAST Reading subtest by meeting one of the following:

• Presenting an official SAT-I verbal score of five hundred (500) or above;
•   Presenting an official E-ACT Reading score of twenty-two (22) or above; or
• Earning a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in ENC1101, College Composition and ENC1102, College Composition II.

The student may earn alternatives to the CLAST Computation subtest by meeting one of the following:

• Presenting an official SAT-I quantitative score of five hundred (500) or above;
• Presenting an official E-ACT Mathematics score of twenty-one (21) or above; or
• Earning a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in two courses in college level mathematics from the courses that meet the A.A. general education requirement.

NOTES: (1) Attempting the CLAST is not required to earn the alternatives. (2) The student may request CLAST alternatives be posted to their record from an academic advisor or from the Coordinator of Testing. (3) The CLAST alternatives apply to all Associate of Arts degrees except Education. Education majors are required to pass all subtests of the CLAST in order to receive a teaching certificate in the state of Florida. (4) Credits earned through accelerated mechanisms, such as College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB), are calculated as a grade of "B" for this purpose.

GORDON RULE
  The "Gordon Rule," State Rule 6A-10.30, requires A.A. program students to complete 24,000 words of written composition and complete six semester hours of mathematics at the level of college algebra or higher. The mathematics portion of the requirement is satisfied by taking the appropriate mathematics courses. Because PCC uses a "Writing Across the Curriculum" approach to meeting the writing requirement, a wide variety of general education courses, each with its own specific word count requirement, can be used to meet the 24,000 word mandate. Confer with an Advisor and refer to the course syllabus and/or course description for questions regarding word counts for specific courses. A minimum grade of "C" is required in all courses fulfilling the communications and mathematics of the Gordon Rule.

CREDITS
   Credit hours are the units by which PCC measures its course work. The number of credit hours assigned to a course usually corresponds with the number of hours per week a class meets.
   PCC uses a semester plan. A semester credit hour is based on classes meeting one hour per week during the length of a 15 week term; therefore, a three semester hour class usually meets three hours each week during a 15 week term. Summer terms, or other periods shorter than 15 weeks, require additional hours per week to meet the minimum state-mandated hours necessary for generating semester hour credit.
   Transfer credits earned from institutions using quarter plans are converted to semester hours: