TO: The Senate

FROM: The Educational Policy Committee

SUBJ: Basic Skills Expectations

DATE: 30 January 1991

DISPOSITION: To the Presiding Officer for Implementation

Students applying for admission to IPFW should have attained the following basic-skill levels in reading, writing, and mathematics:

As readers, they should be able to identify the main and supporting ideas in moderately complex texts. They should be able to identify the authors' purposes and to evaluate the logic, accuracy, and value of their writing. They should able to recognize implications, inferences, and assumptions and to integrate information from their experience or reading with new information. When they encounter difficulties, they should be able to specify them and take steps to resolve them.

 

They should be able to write short (500-750 word) argumentative and expository essays and should have some familiarity with research and documentation. Their essays should be clearly organized and should demonstrate the ability to develop a thesis through argumentation and evidence. They should display no major errors in spelling, syntax, punctuation, and usage.

 

They should be able to demonstrate arithmetic numeracy and mastery of the content of a substantial first-year high-school algebra course and a high-school geometry course. They should be able to use problem-solving strategies and translate word problems into mathematical expressions; to recognize relationships between variables in graphs; and to identify one-, two-, and three-dimensional figures and use the formulas that yield the dimensions, area, or volume of the figures.