Poor performance may lead to academic probation for College of Southern Nevada students

Students at the College of Southern Nevada will need to stay on track or will soon risk not being able to attend school for a semester.

Several student policy changes, including one that will place low-performing students on academic probation, will go into effect next school year, said Santos Martinez, vice president for student affairs at the College of Southern Nevada. “It’s part of our whole Achieving the Dream initiative,” he said. “We are changing polices that are going to help students assume responsibility.”

Achieving the Dream is a multiyear national initiative to help community college students succeed. Beginning in the fall, students who have completed at least 12 hours of learning and have a grade point average below a 2.0, will go into a warning system, Martinez said Tuesday. Officials will reach out to them and provide resources to help them bring their grades up.

If they fail to meet standards by the following semester, they will be placed on probation and it would go on their transcripts, Martinez said. If at the end of that semester students have failed to make progress, they will not be allowed to attend classes for a semester.

Students will need to submit a petition to resume classes and will only be allowed to take 6 hours after returning, Martinez said.

Darren Divine, vice president for academic affairs at the College of Southern Nevada, said there could be students who won’t return to school after being out for a semester. “That’s always a concern to think about,” he said.

However, he said, there are benefits to having a policy that makes students more accountable for their learning.

“We need to make sure that we are not just letting them in the door,” Divine said. “We need to make sure we are giving them all the tools that they need to succeed.”

Another major change will go into effect for spring 2014. The last day to register for classes will be the day before classes begin, Martinez said. Students won’t be able to register late.

“The idea is to register them and have them ready to go before the classes start,” he said.

Studies have shown that students who start classes late don’t succeed, Divine added.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.