USF 1999-2000 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 38 - 39

College Level Academic Skills Test

The College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is a part of Florida's system of educational accountability. CLAST is a state-mandated achievement test that measures attainment of communication and mathematics skills expected of students completing their sophomore year in college.These skills were identified by the faculties of community colleges and state universities and adopted by the State Board of Education. A student must pass the CLASTor achieve alternate criteria to receive an Associate in Arts or a baccalaureate degree from any Florida public institution.

Students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution are exempt from the CLAST requirement at USF.

The State Board of Education has established minimum CLAST score standards for awarding the Associate in Arts degree and for the baccalaureate degree from October 1, 1992 as follows: Reading, 295; English Language Skills, 295; Mathematics, 295; and Essay, 6.

CLAST may be taken by undergraduate, degree-seeking students who have earned 18 semester hours or the equivalent and who apply to take the test on or before the deadline established for registration. Students at USF are required to take the CLAST by the time they complete 45 semester hours. First-time-in-college and lower-level transfer students are encouraged to take the CLAST as early as possible. Transfer students should take the CLAST the first semester they are enrolled as degree-seeking students if they have already exceeded the 45 hours from previous institutions.

If one or more subtests of the CLAST have not been passed or exemptions have not been awarded by the time a student completes 70 semester hours, the student may not register for classes until he/she has met with the appropriate college CLAST advisor. A course or method of preparation to remediate content covered in the failed subtest(s) will be selected and required. Further registration may be restricted for failure to attend the designated preparation.

If a student has completed 36 hours of upper level (3000 and 4000) courses after the first attempt to pass CLAST and has not satisfied the CLAST requirement, registration will be restricted to 1000 and 2000 level courses. Preparation will be required in each of the subtests failed. Further registration at USF will be denied for failure to complete the required preparation.

Students may receive exemptions for the CLAST examination by achieving specific EACT or SAT-I scores, or by earning a 2.5 GPA in specific courses. Exemptions are awarded for the communication subtests of CLAST if an SAT-I Verbal score of 500 or an EACT English score of 21 and an EACT Reading score of 22 are achieved. Exemptions are awarded for the mathematics CLAST subtest if an SAT-I Mathematics score of 500 or an EACT Mathematics score of 21 is earned. Students receive exemptions from the CLAST communication subtests if a 2.5 GPA is achieved in at least six hours of ENC 1101 and ENC 1102. Exemptions from the CLAST mathematics subtest are issued when students have earned a 2.5 GPA in at least six hours of MAC 2102 or higher, MGF 2202 or higher and STA 2022 or higher. Any combination of these courses is permissible, providing only one statistics course is used to calculate the six-hour mathematics GPA.

Waivers from individual CLAST subtests are granted in two situations: 1) a specific documented learning disability prevents the student from achieving the skills set forth in SBE 6A-10.0316 (consult with Student Disability Services) and; 2) a student has successfully completed courses related to a specific subtest, but has failed to satisfy the CLAST requirement with a passing score or an exemption. After failing a CLAST subtest five times and successfully completing three terms of documentable preparation and a specific three-hour course related to the failed subtest, a student may apply for a waiver by submitting appropriate documentation to Evaluation and Testing (SVC 2054). A list of approved courses to satisfy this requirement is available in Evaluation and Testing.

Please Note: CLAST exemptions or waivers are not acceptable for admission to or graduation from programs in the College of Education. Refer to the Office of Evaluation and Testing, SVC 2054, for the current policies on CLAST.

Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 1999