The Josephine Steiner Center for Academic Achievement and Retention offers a variety of services and programs to the entire Hood College community to assist students who want to be more effective and efficient learners.
Academic Advising
The most important thing to remember about a student’s place in the advising system at Hood is that he or she must take ultimate responsibility for academic planning—of each semester, of each academic year and of degree completion.
Students are encouraged to explore various subjects or disciplines during their first year at Hood. During that time they are advised by the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Group, a designated group of faculty and staff who have expressed interest in working with students before they declare a major. Students must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year by completing the appropriate form with the Office of the Registrar and may declare as early as the beginning of the sophomore year.
Transfer students who declare their major upon entering Hood are assigned an academic advisor in their major field. Transfer students who have not declared a major are assigned to a faculty advisor in the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Group.
Improvement of Basic Skills: Reading, Writing, Mathematics
The Center for Academic Achievement and Retention staff evaluates all new students’ basic skills. The following courses are offered to students who need to improve their skills: GNST 099 and GNST 101; MATH 098 and MATH 099; and ENGL 099. Tutoring may be recommended to meet specific needs. Through CAAR, students can receive help when studying math and when writing papers as well as in many other subjects. Tutoring days and times can be accessed online via TutorTrac.
Placement Testing
Placement tests, also referred to as the Basic Skills Inventory, are required of all first-year students and are administered online by The Center for Academic Achievement and Retention. All first-year students are required to take placement tests in the following three academic areas:
| Composition |
(Required unless credit for a college-level English Composition course is transferred or a score of 4 or 5 is achieved on the AP Language/Composition test) |
| Mathematics |
(Required unless credit for a college-level mathematics course is transferred or a score of 4 or 5 is achieved on the AP Calculus Test) |
| Foreign language* |
(Students can take French, Spanish, or German placement tests online.) |
Placement tests are generally not required of transfer students with an A.A. degree. However, if the student does not have the required prerequisites for college-level mathematics classes, the Math BSI will be required.
*Please contact The Center for Academic Achievement and Retention at 301-696-3569 if you wish to take a placement test for a language other than French, Spanish or German.
English as a Second Language
International students who have a strong command of English but need additional language enhancement may enroll in ENGL 100E/Advanced ESL Skills, which focuses primarily on advanced-level academic writing.
Students with Disabilities
Hood College actively supports the rights of students with disabilities to have equal access to education. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Hood makes every reasonable effort to accommodate the needs of students with diagnosed disabilities.
Students with disabilities who will need accommodations must notify the Disability Services Coordinator as soon as possible. Early notification prevents delay in the initiation of services and ensures the student full access to educational activities. Students should present documentation of a disability from a medical professional, and this documentation should state accommodations the student requires to participate fully in the educational programs at Hood College. The Disability Services Coordinator will meet with the student to prepare an individualized plan for accessing the appropriate services. The student is then prepared to take on the responsibility of advocating for herself or himself, with support from the Coordinator.