Language Admission Policies:
All levels of English are accepted. Our school has no level requirement to complete your enrollment..
Levels
Based on your speaking and written test scores, you will be placed in one of six levels: Level 1-Beginner, Level 2-High Beginner, Level 3-Intermediate, Level 4-High Intermediate, Level 5-Pre Advanced, Level 6-Advanced. Each level can usually be completed in 12 weeks.
Assessments
You will be given weekly assessments in each class, and you may not make up missed assessments. If you miss an assessment, the first two missed assessments of the semester will be excused and not counted negatively towards your overall skill averages. However, if you have a third or more absence on an assessment, a 0 will be recorded on your SPR and it will count negatively toward your overall skill averages. This can affect your eligibility for advancement, so it is important that you are not absent on the day of an assessment.
Exit Evaluation
Any student with an enrollment of eight weeks or longer will be required to take an exit evaluation during his/her last week. The assessment used for this is the placement test so that scores and progress can be easily compared. The test will be scheduled outside of class hours, and the AC will meet with you once the test is corrected so that you can receive feedback.
Advancement Policy
After 12 weeks in one level, you will be eligible for advancement if the following criteria are met:
80% attendance
80% average on the weekly assessments
The recommendation of your teachers
Conditional advancement is sometimes offered to students who have met the following criteria:
8 weeks in one level
80% attendance
80% average on the weekly assessment
The recommendation of his/her teachers and a passing score on the written test.
Course Retention Guidelines Students who are assessed for advancement but have failed to meet all the requirements stated above will be placed on academic probation and retained in the current level. Students will be notified that they have been placed on academic probation by letter from the Academic Coordinator. If after 24 weeks in the same level a student cannot demonstrate the proficiency needed to advance to the next level, he/she will face dismissal from the program.
School Rules and Services
Student Progress Policy
All students are expected to maintain good attendance and adhere to their scheduled completion date. Students must work diligently to acquire the many learning objectives needed for successful completion of each class.
GEOS tracks both current and overall attendance. Current attendance is the rate of attendance from the first day of the enrollment until the current date. This number can fluctuate up and down. Overall attendance is the rate of attendance from the first day of enrollment until the last day of enrollment, assuming that the student attends every class until the end of the enrollment. This number can only go down and will never improve. Therefore, GEOS looks at the current attendance rate when determining eligibility for attendance probation since there is room for improvement.
Full-time students must maintain a current attendance of 80% or higher. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the student being placed on attendance probation. The student will receive an attendance probation warning letter outlining the terms of the probation, and a signed copy will be kept in the student’s file. The student must immediately attend class and participate fully in classroom activities for the next 4-week session, and students are off probation if their attendance is at least 80% at the end of the following 4-week session. Students placed on attendance probation are not eligible for class advancement or a Leave of Absence. Additionally, students whose overall attendance falls below 80% will not receive an end-of course certificate.
If a student’s overall attendance falls below 70%, they will be automatically expelled from the school unless the student can provide documentation to prove extenuating circumstances exist. In the case of a full time student in the US, their I-20 will also be terminated; in the case of a student studying with a study permit in Canada, the CIC will be notified and the student may lose their ability to study, at the discretion of the CIC. All evidence will be reviewed and adjudicated by the School Manager. Furthermore, students cannot make up or defer any missed classes unless the absence is part of an approved Leave Of Absence.
In addition to monitoring attendance, students’ weekly test scores are monitored as well. Students enrolled in general English classes must achieve an average of 75% on their weekly assessments after they have completed the first four weeks of their enrollment. If a student does not have an average of 75% or higher on the weekly assessments at the end of the second session, he/she will be placed on academic probation. The student will receive an academic probation warning letter outlining the terms of the probation, and a signed copy will be kept in the student’s file. Students are off probation if their average skill scores reach 75% at the end of the following 4-week session.
Students enrolled in test-prep classes will take full length practice tests at six week intervals. Students must achieve an increase of 5% from their previous full length practice test score, otherwise he/she will be placed on academic probation. The student will receive an academic probation warning letter outlining the terms of the probation, and a signed copy will be kept in the student’s file. Students are off probation if they achieve a 5% increase on the following assessment.
If the student has not reached an average of 80% or higher on the weekly assessments after 12 weeks in one level, he/she will be retained in the current level. If after 24 weeks in the same level a student cannot demonstrate the proficiency needed to advance to the next level, he/she will face dismissal from the program. Students can enroll in classes for a maximum of 36 months.
Tardiness Policy
Students are not allowed into any class more than 15 minutes after the start of class and will be counted absent. Students that miss a class will be allowed into subsequent classes, as long as they are on time for them. Students who leave class early, more than 15 minutes before the scheduled end of class, will be marked absent. Students who arrive late but within the first 15 minutes of class more than twice in any week, on the third and subsequent incidences, will not be allowed into class and will be counted absent. Students who leave class within the last 15 minutes more than twice in any week, on the third and subsequent incidences, will be counted absent. Instructors should mark students arriving within the first 15 minutes or leaving within the last 15 minutes with an “L” so that the Academic Coordinator can track multiple lateness.
Academic and Career Counseling
Please refer to your Academic Coordinator to receive information about you career options. The Academic Coordinator is available from Monday to Friday at the register office, from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
If you have any questions or concerns about your level placement or advancement, please talk to the Academic Coordinator.