International Education

1. International Education IEP Information for Students This information is also in the STUDENT HANDBOOK found on your new flash drive!

2. PIERCE IEP BLOG INFORMATION! • www.pierce.ctc.edu/blog/mpasinato • Go here to see class lists, IEP registration instructions, and instructor email addresses and phone numbers • You can find this address on the front page of your STUDENT HANDBOOK on your flash drive

3. Attendance Policy If an emergency causes you to miss class, contact the IEP Manager at mpasinato@pierce.ctc.edu as soon as possible. You should also contact your teachers by email. If you have an illness or an accident and a doctor decides that you need to miss school for several days, contact the IEP Manager or the IE Office and then bring in a doctor’s note when you return to school.

4. Absences:Tardy / Leaving Class Early* 1 absence = one class session late = one tardy 20+ minutes late = one missed class 3 tardies = one missed class *leaving class early is the same as coming late

5. A Note About Being Late: Arriving to class late is both disruptive and disrespectful. Instructors usually give an overview of the lesson and directions for class activities within the first 10 minutes of class. If you are late, YOU are responsible for getting directions!

6. The Bottom Line 4 ABSENCES = NO PROBLEM 10 ABSENCES= NO PASS! 12 ABSENCES IN A CLASS: You will be put on ‘Automatic Withdrawl Probation’ (AWP) the following quarter. • When on AWP, if you reach 12 absences in any class for any reason, your SEVIS record will be terminated immediately for ‘Unauthorized drop below full course of study’ and you will need to return home immediately or apply or reinstatement to F-1 status with USCIS. • Reinstatement is costly and could be denied. • 25 absences in any class: you will be dismissed at the end of the quarter.

7. ACADEMIC PROGRESS ALL students are expected to work hard in their classes, complete homework and projects on time and to the best of their ability, and study for tests and quizzes. If you fail more than 2 classes in one quarter, you will be put on Academic Alert the following quarter. If you fail more than 2 classes while on Academic Alert, you will be put on Academic Probation the following quarter. Students who are on Academic Probation are REQUIRED to take an additional IEP STUDY SKILLS CLASS at their own expense. This class is designed to help them pass their classes. Therefore, students who fail the same class THREE consecutive times may be dismissed from the program and may need to find another school or return home.

8. Classroom Rules & Expectations • It is important to us that every student has the best opportunity to learn and be successful in our IEP classes. • The environment of the classroom depends a lot on the students in the class. Therefore, the IEP has several classroom rules that all students are expected to follow every day.

9. OVERVIEW OF IEP RULES: ATTENDANCE & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY • If you are absent 10 times in a class, you will fail the class. • If you are absent 12 times in a class, you will be put on “Automatic Withdrawal Probation” (AWP) the following quarter. When on AWP, if you reach 12 absences in any class for any reason, you will be dismissed from the program, your SEVIS record will be terminated immediately for ‘Unauthorized drop below full course of study’, and you will need to return home immediately or apply for reinstatement to F-1 status with USCIS. You should understand that reinstatement is costly and could be denied. • If you are absent 25 times in any IEP class, you will be terminated at the end of the quarter. • If you fail more than two IEP classes in a quarter, you will be placed on Academic Alert the following quarter. • If you fail more than two IEP classes again, you will be placed on Academic Probation the following quarter. • While on Academic Probation, you will be REQUIRED to take an additional two hour per week IEP STUDY SKILLS CLASS at your expense. • If you fail more than two IEP classes while on Academic Probation, you may be dismissed from the program. • If you fail the same class three times, you may be dismissed from the program. • If you cheat or plagiarize in a class, you may get a “0” on that assignment. • If you cheat or plagiarize twice, you may fail the class. • If you cheat or plagiarize in two or more classes, you may be dismissed from the IEP and may need to transfer to a new school or return home.

10. Be Responsible • Bring all of your books and materials to class every day. You should use standard 8 ½ X 11 notebook paper in your classes. • Come to class on time! The teachers give the most important information at the beginning of class! • Follow the IEP Attendance Rules • When you are absent, ask another student or your teacher about what you missed before or after class.

11. Be Respectful • Do not sleep in class. • Do not talk when the teacher or another student is talking. • If you have a question, wait until the teacher or the student is finished talking, then ask the teacher. • Do not make noises or say bad words in class.

12. Be an Active and Attentive Learner • TURN OFF and PUT AWAY all electronic devices. Do NOT take them out in class unless your teacher specifically tells you to use them. • Speak English in class. • Listen to your teacher and to the other students.

13. If you do not follow the rules… • Different teachers have different classroom management methods. You can expect one or maybe two warnings if you are not following the rules in class. After one or two warnings, your instructor may ask you to leave the classroom. • You may receive a 0 for the assignment that day, and you will need to talk to a classmate to get the homework information and class notes. You also may be counted absent that day.

14.   If you are asked to leave the class on several occasions by one or more teachers, you will need to meet with the IEP Manager and possibly the Executive Director of International Education. You may be asked to find another school.

15. CHEATING Cheating is copying homework or class work or a test from another person and pretending that it is your own work. Cheating is also allowing some else to copy from you. PLAGIARISM Definition: Plagiarism is when you copy material from an academic paper, book, magazine, or newspaper, or from the Internet, and then pretend it is your own work.

16. Basic Rules To Follow Are: • Don’t talk during tests and don’t look at other students’ work. • Don’t walk around during tests. • Don’t take “cheat sheets” into a test. • Don’t use electronic devices during a test: turn them all off • Don’t copy another student’s work. • Don’t let another student read your work.

17. Basic Rules to Follow: • Don’t download material from the Web and include it in a paper, essay or journal or assignment as your own work. • Don’t copy material from the Web or from a published or unpublished work and include it in your work as your own work. • If you want to include a sentence or a passage written by somebody else in your written work, write a note to say so, for example, “From Newsweek, Oct. 10, 2009, page 25.” • You can ask the teacher how to write a citation correctly.

18. Plagiarism: The Basic Rule • If you have MORE THAN 4 WORDS from the author in your sentence, you probably have to change it!!!!!

19. Tutoring & Extra Help Tutoring Center: Room C 526 Monday through Friday: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm This place will help you with specific reading, listening, and speaking questions, as well as some specific grammar questions. • Tutoring is available for a maximum of 2 hours per week per subject, up to a maximum of 15 hours per week. • You can choose individual tutoring by appointment, or you can arrange group tutoring upon request. Individual appointments (“exclusive appointments”) are made each week. You can go to the front desk in the Tutoring Center to make your appointment. • If you need help with a writing assignment, you can get drop-in tutoring at the Writer’s Studio. This is in the library. No appointment is necessary. • FREE • You teacher can help you to ask for a tutor, or you can see Mishelle in her office (C510). • You can also drop in to the Tutoring Center for help on a particular assignment. Writer’s Studio Room 403 in the Library Monday-Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Writers' Studio advisors are trained to assist with all kinds of writing assignments, including research papers, essays, college entrance and scholarship applications, resumes, and speeches. Advisors do not "fix" papers. Rather, they empower students to improve their own writing and teach them to self-edit.

20. IEP Grade Conversion Chart

21. Weekly Schedule (Fall/Winter/Spring)

22. Intensive English Program Weekly Schedule SUMMER ONLY

23. Making Academic Progress Textbooks As a student, you are required to purchase the textbooks that are required by your instructors for class. You must have your textbook before the end of the second week of class (unless the bookstore is out of books at the time). If you do not bring your book to class, you may be asked to leave the class until you have a textbook. If you choose to buy your textbooks online, you still must have them before the end of the second week of class.

24. Moving Up You must achieve a minimum grade of 80% (GPA 2.5) to move up to the next level. You must master the material in order to be successful at the next level. Only your teacher can decide your grade, which is based on your class work, test scores, participation, and attendance.

25. Cell Phones and Other Electronics in Class Turn off your cell phone and other electronic devices in class. Texting, listening to music, and talking on the phone in the classroom is considered both rude and disruptive. Your instructor has the right to take your cell phone and give it back at the end of class.

26. Exams, Quizzes, and Projects Do not miss exams, quizzes, presentations or projects! Your instructor may not allow you to take exams or quizzes, or turn in projects or presentations late. You may receive a 0 for that assignment if you do not have proof of an illness or emergency. The final exam schedule is on your calendar. Class times and rooms often change for final exams. Times, rooms, and other information will be given by your instructor before final exam week. Final exams are cumulative and will test everything your teacher has taught you that quarter. You may NOT take the final exams early. Do not, under any circumstances, buy a plane ticket before the last day of IEP activities listed on the calendar. If you want credit for the class, you must take the final exam.

27. Moving Forward – Registration for Next Quarter Registration for next quarter for IEP classes will take place the day after the awards ceremony. You can pre-register and CHOOSE your teachers for next quarter if you pay your tuition on that day. Please see Mishelle to get your registration paper. When you complete Level 4 of any class, you may register for college classes. See Mary or Jennifer to register for college classes.

28. Current Fees IEP Pierce College • $2,750 You may pay the Cashier on the 3rd floor of the Cascade building, near the Welcome Center, 2-3 days after you register with Mishelle. You must bring your student ID#, provided on testing day, to the Cashier.

29. Rules of Placement Test • Level placement depends on your score for each section of the placement test PLUS the following ‘qualifiers’ (rules): • Writing class cannot be higher than grammar class. • No class can be 2 levels higher than Listening & Speaking. • Listening & Speaking cannot be 2 levels higher than grammar.