ESL Institute Policies and Standards
Admission/Placement
All international students who have official TOEFL scores below 550 and all international students who have not taken the official TOEFL exam will be tested by the ESL Institute via the La Crosse Battery of Exams during registration week prior to formal registration in classes. Students who submit TOEFL scores of 550 or above will not be tested by the ESL Institute, will be exempt from the ESL classes, and will be granted full admission status. Graduate program directors may require graduate students with 550 or above to take the Placement Exam.
Students who receive a score of 80 or above on the La Crosse Battery will be granted exemption from ESL classes and will receive full admission status. Students who receive a score of 79 or below on the La Crosse Battery will be given limited university status and will be placed in the appropriate ESL class-levels.
Note: Students who score a 79 or below on the La Crosse Battery placement exam are allowed to submit an official TOEFL score of 550 PBT (or equivalent on IBT or other UW-L recognized standardized exam) for unrestricted admission to the University. Students who achieve a 550 TOEFL (or equivalent) while enrolled in ESL courses will be required to wait until the beginning of the next term before being released from the ESL program. Comparable score: 73 on the internet-based TOEFL exam for undergraduate students. Graduate students are required to have a 79 on the internet-based exam. In lieu of a TOEFL score, a band score of 6.0, with no subscore less than 5.5, is acceptable (for undergraduate study) on the International English Language Testing system (IELTS) exam.
The La Crosse
Battery
The La Crosse Battery consists of three tests: Test of Aural Comprehension, Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension), and the La Crosse Composition Test. The La Crosse Battery takes approximately three hours to complete. These tests, which demonstrate a student's proficiency in each language skill, will determine the placement level per skill.
Students will be placed in levels that are appropriate with their placement score (see below). Students will progress through the program until they have earned at least a C in courses at the 250 level. Students will be required to complete courses at the 250 level before being released from the ESL program and being granted unrestricted access to degree programs at UW-La Crosse. Once students reach the 200 level ESL courses, they will be allowed to take ESL courses and 1-4 credits of UW-L courses outside of ESL. Once students reach the 250 level ESL courses, they will be allowed to take ESL courses and 1-6 credits of UW-L courses outside of ESL. Note: If students do not earn at least a C in their ESL courses at the 250 level, they will be required to retake the ESL courses during the next term. Students, who fail courses at the 200 level and/or earn below a C at the 250 level, will only be allowed to take university courses outside of ESL based on the decision of the director of the ESL program.
|
Total Average Score |
Courses/ESL Levels |
|
49 or below – Limited university admission |
050 sections of 100 series of courses 16 credits of ESL required (Full-time ESL) |
|
50-59 -- Limited university admission |
100 series of courses 16 credits of ESL required
(Full-time ESL) |
|
60-66 – Limited university admission |
110 series of courses 16 credits of ESL required (Full-time ESL) |
|
67-73 – Limited university admission |
150 series of courses 16 credits of ESL required (Full-time ESL) |
|
74-76 – Limited university admission |
200 series of courses Minimum of 12 credits of ESL required (allowed to take 1-4 university credits outside of ESL) |
|
77-79 – Limited university admission |
250 series of courses Minimum of 8 credits of ESL required (allowed to take 1-6 university credits outside of ESL) |
|
80 or above -- Full university admission |
Exempt from ESL (ESL courses optional) |
Intersession Periods
Students who have not met the university's English language proficiency requirement will not be allowed to enroll in university courses during intersession periods (J-term and summer term sessions). Appeals to this policy will be handled on an individual basis.
ESL Retention and
Probation Standards
The academic status of a student enrolled in Pass/Fail ESL courses is determined by successful completion of courses with a grade of Pass. Note: Performance at 80% is required for a grade of pass in ESL transcript credit only courses.
If a student receives an F grade in all coursework during any semester, the student is declared ineligible to continue.*
The first semester a student receives an F grade in 1-3 courses the student is placed on Probation I.
The second semester a student receives an F
grade in 1-3 courses the student is declared ineligible to
continue.*
The third semester a student receives an F
grade in 1-3 courses the student is declared ineligible to
continue.*
The fourth semester a student receives an F grade in 1-3 courses the student is declared ineligible to continue and may not appeal for reinstatement to this university.
Definitions of academic status as
reported on students' records:
Good Standing – never been on probation I or II or declared
ineligible
Good standing I – previously placed on Probation I
Good Standing II – previously placed on Probation II
Probation I – Placed on probation the first time
Probation II – Placed on probation the second time or reinstated
(see below) after having been declared ineligible to return
*A student can choose to appeal an
ineligible status to an ESL appeals committee (representation
from
Note: If a student has been declared ineligible 3 times, the student may not appeal for reinstatement to this university.
Contact Information:
ESL Institute
Centennial Hall, Room 1209
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
1725 State Street
La Crosse, WI 54601 U.S.A.
eslinstitute@uwlax.edu
Phone: 608-785-8315