Developmental Education

TSTC provides developmental education for students who need assistance with basic academic skill review, according to the Texas Success Initiative Plan filed with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Developmental Education program enhances these basic skills through personalized goals and a variety of instructional methods to ensure college-level coursework success for all students. Developmental education services include preparation for collegiate-level studies and training in the basic skill review of reading, writing, and mathematics for each program's entry-level standards.

Developmental education courses are not counted as credit toward graduation. However, they are used along with the credit courses for determining course load, scholastic standing, term honors, and satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.

Withdrawal from any developmental course requires the approval of the Program Chair of Developmental Education.

Course Descriptions

DMTH 0050 Basic Mathematics (2-2-3) This course reviews the fundamentals of mathematics, including whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents. Additional topics may include proportions, units of measure, data interpretation and analysis, and basic geometry. (Developmental/No college credit granted) Prerequisite: THEA or THEA alternative.

DMTH 0100 Introductory Algebra (2-2-3) This course gives students an introduction to the fundamentals of algebra, which include real numbers, equations and inequalities, graphs, polynomials, and factoring. (Developmental/No college credit granted) Prerequisite: DMTH 0050 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.

DMTH 0200 Intermediate Algebra (3-1-3) This course is a continuation of DMTH 0100. Topics to be studied are rational expressions, graphing equations, systems of equations, radicals, and quadratic equations. (Developmental/No college credit granted) Prerequisite: DMTH 0100 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.

DORI 0100 College Success Skills (0-2-1) This course is designed to build personal and academic success skills and to provide students with self-knowledge essential for workplace success and life-long learning. Topics covered include: an overview of college resources, procedures and policies; the development of an enthusiasm for learning; study and test-taking skills; critical thinking; memory, reading, and note taking skills; self-analysis and self-discipline. (Developmental/No college credit granted.)

READ 0050 Basic Reading Skills (3-1-3) This is a fundamental reading course designed for students who need intensive, diagnostic-based instruction in basic word attack skills, vocabulary development, and basic comprehension strands. (Developmental/No college credit granted.) Prerequisite: THEA or THEA alternative.

READ 0100 Reading Skills I (2-2-3) This is an introductory reading course. Course objectives emphasize skill development and/or refinement in basic skill areas, which include literal, interpretive, and evaluative comprehension, vocabulary, and the application of study skills to reading assignments. (Development/No college credit granted.) Prerequisite: READ 0050 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.

READ 0200 Reading Skills II (2-2-3) This course is a continuation of READ 0100. Emphasis is placed upon skills that are essential to success in academic and technical/occupational fields of study. (Developmental/No college credit granted) Prerequisite: READ 0100 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.

READ 0803 Reading Lab (0-4-3) This course is designed for students to participate in remedial studies on an individual basis. Course content is customized to each student's specific deficiencies. Semester credit hours vary depending on students' specific needs. Course may be repeated for credit. (Developmental/No college credit granted) Prerequisite: Permission from the instructor.

WRIT 0050 Basic Writing Skills (2-2-3) This introductory course covers the fundamentals of written communication skills. It includes an emphasis on language, usage, mechanics, spelling, punctuation, and intensive studies in the parts of speech. (Developmental/No college credit granted.) Prerequisite: THEA or THEA alternative.

WRIT 0100 Writing Skills I (2-2-3) This course includes a review of grammar and mechanical skills, an emphasis on punctuation patterns and sentence construction, type, and variety, and concentration in paragraph structure, organization, writing, and revising. (Developmental/No college credit granted.) Prerequisite: WRIT 0050 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.

WRIT 0200 Writing Skills II (3-1-3) This course is a continuation of WRIT 0100. Course objectives emphasize the writing process, specifically, idea generation, essay development, and basic forms of expository writing. (Developmental/No college credit granted.) Prerequisite: WRIT 0100 or equivalent as determined by THEA or THEA alternative.