Intensive English Program – Policies

General IEP Policies

• New students are expected to attend orientation prior to the start of class. If a student misses orientation, they will have to pay a $60 alternate date testing fee. No registration will be possible after the first week of class.
• Students must pay for tuition and health insurance (if applicable) in order to register for classes. Students may not attend class if payment has not been made.
• F-1 students must enroll in a full course load (6 classes, 18 hours per week). Students with the F-2 visa, tourist visa, and ESTA Waiver may enroll in up to 5 classes for a part-time load.
• Attendance is taken in every class. Please review the IEP Attendance Policy below for more information on this policy.
• Inappropriate behavior in class and on campus may result in a student’s suspension or expulsion from the IEP.
• Students are expected to have their books in class.
• Students must have an A, B, or C from their teachers and a sufficient score on the English Placement Exam in order to graduate from one level to another. Required courses must also be taken to complete each level.
• Cheating is not tolerated at the IEP. Cheating includes copying another student’s answers, sharing answers on tests and quizzes, using stolen tests to memorize answers, and using forbidden aids such as dictionaries or AI during tests. Plagiarism is considered a violation of academic integrity.
• Students may repeat a level one time. If the student is not making adequate progress, they many not be permitted to enroll in the upcoming session.
• F-1 visa students are expected to attend each IEP level until they successfully complete the High Advanced level or complete the program listed on their I-20, whichever is first. Upon successful completion, F-1 students are given a 60-day grace period to transfer to another school or depart the U.S. Students who do not successfully complete their program do not receive a 60-day grace period.

IEP Attendance Policy

• F-1 visa students in the Intensive English Program must have 80% attendance.
• There are no excused absences. Absences for illness, car trouble, helping friends, etc., will count as absences.
• If you are absent from class for more than 15 minutes, your teacher will mark you “absent.” This includes being more than 15 minutes late, leaving for more than 15 minutes in the middle of class, and departing from class more than 15 minutes early.
• You are allowed three (3) absences in any one class or twenty (20) total absences during a session.
• A fourth (4th) absence in that class will place you on probation for the following session.
• Six (6) absences in any class will result in the termination of your I-20.
• Twenty-one (21) total absences during a session will result in the termination of your I-20.
• In a probationary session, you are only allowed three (3) absences in any class. A fourth (4th) absence will result in the termination of your I-20.
• Students who begin the session late for whatever reason will be counted as absent for all days they were absent prior to beginning classes.
• F-1 visa students whose I-20s will be terminated due to excessive absences may appeal to the IEP within ten days of notification of pending termination.

• If a student has any academic or personal issue with a teacher or another student, the student is encouraged to speak to the teacher or student. If the student feels as though the issue has not been resolved, he/she should speak to the Director of the IEP to seek a resolution.
• If the student has any issue relating to his/her I-20 status, the student should speak to the International Student and Scholar Services Office.
• Before a student’s I-20 is terminated, the student may appeal in writing to the Director before a final decision is made.
• If a student is dissatisfied with his/her level, the student may appeal in writing during the first week, and the IEP Director will consult with the student’s teachers to determine proper placement.
• If a student is dismissed from the program for disciplinary reasons, he or she may appeal the decision in writing. A committee of teachers from the IEP will decide on the appeal.
• If a student is not satisfied with the answers or appeal decision from the IEP Director, he or she may appeal to the Vice-Provost of Global Affairs for Kennesaw State University.

Academic Integrity Policy

In university culture, working honestly and independently is of great value. When a person writes or creates something, that work is considered to be their intellectual property. Therefore, copying the work of another person, whether a classmate or a professional, is considered stealing that property and can lead to negative consequences, such as being expelled from college or being fired from your job.

All of our IEP students are expected to value and understand academic integrity. Your instructors will help you produce work that meets academic and professional standards. If you do not do your work honestly and independently, consequences will follow. If you have any questions about academic integrity, please ask your teacher.

The following are examples of what is considered prohibited in our program:

• Requesting or giving answers to classmates during a quiz or exam
• Using electronics, notes, or books without permission during a quiz or exam
• Receiving unauthorized help on projects or other work done outside of class
• Using generative AI to complete assignments, projects, or tests unless permitted by the instructor
• Submitting the same assignment in multiple classes
• Submitting another student’s work as if it is your own
• Failure to cite a source you have either paraphrased or directly quoted in your work
• Failure to use quotation marks for ideas taken word-for-word from another source
• Cutting and pasting information from the Internet and pretending it is your own
• Taking pictures of exams or making copies of exams without the teacher’s knowledge
• Any other work submitted that your teacher determines is not your original work

Consequences of plagiarism or cheating within a classroom:

1st offense:

• “0” on the assignment
• Opportunity to re-do the assignment
• Documentation in the student’s file

2nd offense:

• “0” on the assignment
• Documentation in the student’s file

Further offenses:

• Referral to the IEP Director for further consequences

Consequences of plagiarism or cheating across levels and classes:

Students reported multiple times for academic integrity offenses across classes and levels will meet with the IEP Director, where further consequences will be decided.

Reporting thresholds by level

• Low Intermediate and High Intermediate: If a student is reported 4 times for academic integrity offenses, they will have a meeting with the IEP Director.
• Advanced and High Advanced: If a student is reported 3 times for academic integrity offenses, they will have a meeting with the IEP Director.

Further consequences may include:

• Dropping a letter grade in a course
• Repeating a level
• Expulsion from the program

Students who are caught cheating on placement exams or end-of-session exams, as a first offense, will be asked to repeat the exam at a specific date and time determined by the IEP office. If the student chooses not to repeat the exam, the student will receive a “0” for the exam.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Student Consent Form

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, Kennesaw State University must obtain written consent from a student before releasing or discussing the student records of that student to a third party. Such written consent must be signed and dated by the student, specify the records to be released, state the purpose of the release, and identify the party or class of parties to whom release may be made.

Students may complete the FERPA Waiver Form. For directions accessing the form please visit the KSU Student Consent information page.

The Intensive English Program cannot give information about you to your friends, your family member(s), or an agent without a completed FERPA Waiver Form on record in the IEP Office. This information includes the following: KSU ID#, transcripts, and grade reports.

According to the FERPA Act:

"When a student reaches 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution, he or she becomes an "eligible student," and all rights under FERPA transfer from the parent to the student. The term "education records" is defined as those records that contain information directly related to a student and which are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution."

TOEFL Waiver