Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

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Test-Out Policy

Department of Business and Accounting
Test-Out Policy
And Proposed Implementation Guidelines
- October 2002 -

The test-out policy in effect in the Department of Business and Accounting since 1992 was modified at an October 8, 2002 department meeting as follows:

Students may challenge any course at the 1000 or 2000 level except as limited by the university policy described in the undergraduate catalog and by #4 below.
Test-outs for courses at the 3000 or 4000 level will be developed at the discretion of the faculty member(s) who teaches the course subject to limitations set by university policy as described in the undergraduate catalog and included on page 2 of this document and to #4 below. (New section to test-out policy added Oct. 2002)
Students who successfully test out of a course receive credit for the course but no grade.
Students who already have taken a course under the direction of UW-Platteville faculty members and have earned a grade of A-F in that course are ineligible to attempt to test out of it. (New section to test-out policy added Oct. 2002)

Implementation Guidelines

If two instructors teach a particular course for which a test-out is requested and one instructor is compensated with release time, that instructor will be asked to develop a comprehensive examination for the course.
A student who takes a comprehensive exam to try to test out of a course has passed a course if he or she earns at least a grade of C. (changed to a C in Oct. 2002)
The instructor who develops the comprehensive exam will use the same criteria to determine whether or not the student passes the exam (and, thus, the course) as he/she would use to determine whether or not a campus student would pass the course. (Criteria for passing the comprehensive exam must not be more stringent than the criteria for passing a course taken on campus.)
The instructor who develops the comprehensive exam must inform the student of the required percentage correct or other criteria to be used to determine whether or not a student passes the course before the student takes the comprehensive exam.
The instructor who develops the comprehensive exam will grade it and let the student know if he or she passed or failed. The instructor is not obligated to provide additional feedback.
Instructors may not be paid for developing a comprehensive exam for test-out purposes. (Tom Stodola, 9/2001)
The approved proctor for exams for print distance education courses may also serve as the proctor for comprehensive examinations to determine whether or not a student is able to test out of a particular course.

Departmental "Test-Outs" and Waivers - UW-Platteville Policy

UW-Platteville offers numerous internally developed assessment methods for awarding credit. Department examinations or "test-outs," and department waivers are the most common forms of establishing proficiency. While students may attempt to test out of many introductory courses, they should remember that "test-outs" are not offered for every course, or by every department.

Students having extensive training or significant practical experience may apply to the appropriate department chair for permission to begin the "test-out" process. Individual departments administer and begin the "test-out" process, evaluate tests for credit in a variety of ways, and may charge for the evaluation. The following guidelines have been established regarding departmental evaluations:

Only students enrolled in UW-Platteville may participate in departmental "test-out" examinations.
Credit for such examinations with the appropriate departmental approval shall be entered on the student's permanent scholastic record.
Credit examinations, once failed, may not be repeated.
No student may take a credit examination in a course that is a prerequisite, stated or implied, for an advanced course in the same subject for which credit has already been earned.
The maximum credit that may be earned by examination in any one field is determined by the academic department in which the "test-out" was taken.
A fee may be charged for administering examinations to students wishing to receive credit by examination. The fee may vary by program area and by student status (full-time or part-time).

From UW-Platteville on-line undergraduate catalog 2001-03