Assessment and Placement Benchmarks

English Composition Benchmarks

To enroll in the standard version of first-year writing (the first course in a two-course composition sequence), a student must score at or above the minimum score provided in the table below on at least one of the following benchmarks:

• English section of the American College Testing Program’s Test (ACT)
• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the University Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
• Writing portion of the University Board’s ACCUPLACER testing system (ACCUPLACER)
• Cumulative high school grade point average on a 4.0 scale (HS GPA)

To enroll in an accelerated version of first-year writing that will complete their general studies composition requirement, a student must score at or above the minimum scores listed in the table below on at least one of the following benchmarks:

• English section of the American College Testing Program’s Test (ACT)
• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the University Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
• The University Board’s Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Exam (AP)

Mathematics Benchmarks

Students enrolling in mathematics courses at West Liberty University may be required to demonstrate appropriate mathematical readiness through standardized test scores, placement assessments, or successful completion of prerequisite coursework.

MATH 102
No test score or co-requisite required.

MATH 160
No test score or co-requisites required.

MATH 130
Students enrolling in MATH 130 are not required to meet a mathematics benchmark for admission to the course. However, all students enrolled in MATH 130 are required to participate in the course's designated recitation, MATH 129.

MATH 145 (Pre-Calculus)
Students seeking enrollment in MATH 145 (Pre-Calculus) must meet at least one of the following benchmarks:

• ACT Mathematics score of 22 or higher;
• SAT Mathematics score of 540 or higher;
• ASSET Elementary Algebra score of 47 or higher;
• COMPASS Algebra score of 73 or higher;
• ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra score of 116 or higher;
• Successful completion of MATH 130 or MATH 140 with a grade of C or better.

Students who do not satisfy one of the above benchmarks must successfully complete the appropriate prerequisite mathematics coursework before enrolling in MATH 145.

Reading Benchmarks

• Students scoring 17 or above on the reading section of the ACT, 420 or above on the verbal section of the Recentered SAT, 36 or above on the reading skills test of the ASSET, or 30 percentile or above on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test will be considered to have met minimal reading skills requirements.
• Students who do not meet the reading comprehension standard may petition the WLU Student Success Center for assistance in a reading comprehension program.