English Language Accommodations & English Placement for International & Multilingual Students

Accommodations are available to support English language proficiency development. All non-native English speakers are normally eligible. Eligibility will customarily expire at the end of the first semester of accommodation but may be continued on a semester-to-semester basis. Eligibility, accommodations, and English placement are overseen by both the Coordinator for Multilingual Student Services at the Academic Achievement Center and the International and Multilingual Curriculum Coordinator for the Department of English and Communications.

Allowable Academic Accommodations

• Reasonable extensions of time on assignments if appropriate tutorial assistance is in process.
• Reasonable extensions of time for examinations, with or without a reader, that is administered by the AAC.
• Reduction of credit penalty for written errors consistent with developing language proficiency including misspellings, word usage, sentence structure, and punctuation, except in coursework where those skills are being assessed directly.
• Alternative assignments to support spoken language and class participation except where those skills are being assessed directly.
• Use of a recording device for course lectures and/or discussions to enhance listening comprehension.

Student Responsibilities
To apply for accommodations, the student must contact the Coordinator for Multilingual Student Services at the Academic Achievement Center. Each semester, students must process an accommodations request form and a release form to authorize the AAC to send the eligibility letter to all necessary course faculty.

Placement of Multilingual Students into Academic English Elective Courses
The Department of English and Communications offers elective classes to support academic English proficiency. Interested students may register for them in consultation with their advisers. Some incoming students are preregistered for an elective Academic English language course. Preregistered students may drop or withdraw from the Academic English language course.

Incoming multilingual students are preregistered based on the section scores of academic English proficiency tests. Because participation in university courses requires advanced-level proficiency in a variety of language skills, students will be preregistered if their TOEFL (or equivalent) section scores fall in the “low,” “intermediate,” or “fair” ranges. If a student has no English proficiency test scores, placement is based on other records accepted by the Norwich University Department of Admissions. 

The levels of the TOEFL section scores can be viewed here:  https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/understand/

Exceptions
Exceptions may occur in special circumstances involving international inter-institutional agreements with partner universities, new pathway programs and/or other international agreements that would warrant exceptions. All such exceptions must be codified in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among participating parties and have appropriate approvals in accordance with the agreement. Any MOU must be executed through the International Center, after consultation with the International and Multilingual Curriculum Coordinator and the Coordinator of Multilingual Student Services regarding exceptions set forth in any MOU.