School of Nursing
Nursing Student Handbook
General Policies
Assessments
Credit by Assessment - General Curriculum
Clayton State University offers to its students a broad program of Credit by Assessment. Credit may be earned in a number of courses by successful completion of assessments designed to measure achievement. There is no limit placed on the number of hours of credit a student may earn by assessment. Credit earned by assessment is recorded on the transcript by use of the symbol "K" and is transferable to any other unit of the University System of Georgia. Credits earned by assessment do not affect student's grade point averages.
Assessment tests for credit include Advanced Placement and College-Level Examinations of the College Entrance Examination Board, Nursing certification examinations, and special examinations developed by the faculty of the College. Assessments are administered by the Learning Center and several instructional areas. Decisions to grant credit are based on acceptable scores achieved on the assessments. These scores are set by the faculty of the College. The scores are reviewed and updated annually and are available in the Learning Center. The types of tests, subject areas, test form, and minimum acceptable scores are subject to revision by appropriate action of the College.
Credit by Assessment - Nursing Curriculum
RN-BSN completion track students may receive up to 3 semester credit hours of examination for certification in a nationally recognized nursing specialty upon completion of the requirements for that certification. In order to receive credit by examination, the student must meet the following requirements:
- Must have met practice and educational requirements for selected certification program.
- Must take the desired certification exam at their own expense.
- Achieve a minimum of the passing score set by the certifying body.
- Petition the School of Nursing for credit by examination for a 3 hour nursing elective.
- Official copies of the passing scores and the current certification card must be submitted to the Associate Dean of Nursing.
- Request the Associate Dean to initiate a course substitution request.
The following general rules apply to the program:
- Copies of the certification card, scores and substitution request will be maintained in the student's records in the School of Nursing and the Registrar's office.
- No more than 3 hours of elective credit by examination may be used to meet the requirements for graduation.
- Residency requirements are not waived for students electing credit by examination.
Examinations
Students are expected to take examinations and quizzes on the dates and times scheduled. In case of an emergency, students should notify the instructor or secretary of the School of Nursing of their absence as early as possible. Notify us via telephone (678) 466-4900; office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Monday – Thursday), 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Friday).
- A student who is absent from a test for any reason may receive a grade of zero "0" for that test. Permission to take a make-up test is ordinarily granted if the student missed the test due to circumstances beyond their control. The instructor retains the right to refuse the student's request for a make-up test.
- When scantron forms are used, no points will be given for answers marked incorrectly or if an erasure is present or suspected.
- Test papers must be relinquished at the end of the allotted time. Tests administered by the School of Nursing are not returned to the student as these tests are the property of the School of Nursing.
- In compliance with provisions of the Family Privacy Act, test grades are not posted outside of a secure environment nor are test grades given out over the telephone.
- The manner of review and discussion of tests is at the discretion of the course instructor.
Writing Assessments
Students in the BSN program must complete a series of writing assessments at both the program and University level.
- For Basic Licensure track, writing proficiency will be tracked in NURS 3301, NURS 3501 and NURS 3601. Post assessment of the Clayton State University writing outcome will be done as part of the portfolio criteria in NURS 4500. Students unsuccessful in writing assessment on their first junior level paper will be referred to the Center for Academic Assistance. Faculty will complete the referral form for the student to take to the Center for Academic Assistance for help on identified areas. Students unsuccessful in writing assessment on their second junior level paper will be required to take WLAB 2999 during the summer semester between their junior and senior year.
- For RN-BSN Completion track, writing proficiency will be tracked in NURS 3101, NURS 3301 and NURS 4100. Post assessment of the Clayton State University writing outcome will be done as part of the portfolio criteria in NURS 4602. Students unsuccessful in writing assessment on their first paper in NURS 3101 will be referred to the Center for Academic Assistance and required to take WLAB 2999 in their next semester of enrollment.
Writing effectiveness will be evaluated using the performance ratings for the School of Nursing. To satisfactorily meet the writing criteria, students must achieve a minimum performance rating of '14', with no rating less than '2' in any of the criteria except for "Sentence Structure" which requires a minimum score of '3'
Students unsuccessful in writing assessment for any course, other than the first course in which writing effectiveness is tracked, will have the assignment returned to re-write and will receive a maximum grade of 'C'. Failure to satisfactorily re-write an assignment will result in a grade of zero '0' for that assignment. Refer to course syllabi for specific grading criteria.