Placement Testing

Placement Testing

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and Framingham State University require ALL students to complete “common core courses” in writing and math. We review adjusted high school GPA, standardized test scores (if provided), and any college credits already earned (AP credit, dual enrollment, and college level courses taken prior to enrollment at FSU) to determine which course level a student is eligible to register for. Students are also required to take a language course or demonstrate proficiency in a language (other than English) to complete degree requirements

Not every student will need placement testing. We review each student and will contact students when placement testing is appropriate.

WRITING

All students must complete ENWR110 (Composition II) to fulfill the common core writing requirement. Students with an adjusted high school GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to enroll in this course without a writing placement test.

Students with a GPA that is less than 3.0 are asked to take a writing placement test. The test is used to determine which level of writing is most appropriate. The Director of the First Year Writing program will contact students with a GPA of less than a 3.0 by e-mail (student’s Framingham State e-mail account) with instructions on how to access the test online.

For an explanation for how students are placed click here.

MATH

Students in the STEM majors (Biology; Chemistry and Food Science; Computer Science; Environment, Society and Sustainability; Mathematics; Nursing; Nutrition and Health Studies) as well as AEF (Accounting, Economics and Finance) will take several math courses based on their specific field of study. STEM and AEF students are required to take a math assessment to determine the most appropriate math course to begin the math sequence. Students who are undeclared or have declared a major that is not a STEM or AEF major, are also strongly encouraged to take math assessment. Why?

  • Students whose overall high school gpa is below 3.0 must enroll in a math class with additional support called “recitation.” However, if they complete math assessment and earn a qualifying score, they will not need the additional support.
  • Students with an overall high school gpa of 3.0 are not required to enroll in a math recitation section, and math assessment is not required. However, any student considering a major in STEM or AEF areas should take math assessment.

If you are a new student beginning Fall 2023, you have been enrolled automatically in the Math Placement Canvas site which may be accessed here.

Questions? Please email placement@framingham.edu. We are here to help!

LANGUAGE

The World Language requirement can be fulfilled by taking one semester of a language or by demonstrating proficiency in a language other than English.

Language courses offered at FSU include American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Students who plan to take a course in one of these languages will be asked to take a placement test if they have academic and/or heritage experience with that same language. It is important to assess fluency and comprehension to determine appropriate course level. Students who do not have any experience with the language course they plan to take do not need to take a placement test.

Students who speak a language other than English will have the opportunity to be assessed for a waiver through a standardized test or an assessment with a member of the World Language Department. The method of assessment depends on the language. A waiver does not give course credit, however, it allows the student to choose from a selection of other courses to fulfill the domain requirement. Please e-mail placement@framingham.edu if you have any questions to register for a language placement test.