Among the 34 institutions of the University System of Georgia that participated in the Regents’ Testing Program (RTP) exam this spring, Dalton State College achieved the fifth highest first-time pass rate on both the essay and the reading portions.

All University System of Georgia students who are enrolled in associate or bachelor’s degree programs must pass the RTP exam as a requirement for graduation.  The RTP exam tests a student’s ability to pass a standardized reading test and to write a coherent and unified timed essay.  Students must take the RTP exam before earning 45 hours of degree credit.

The first-time pass rate on the essay portion of the RTP exam was 91.98% for Dalton State students. And for the college’s students who did not pass the essay portion on the first try, the percentage of students who passed the essay repeater test was 89.45%, the second highest pass rate in the state.

“On both the reading and essay tests, our students scored extremely well when compared to students who attend the System’s most competitive universities,” said Dr. Mary Nielsen, Chair of the Humanities Division at Dalton State.

“We are very pleased that our students scored so well on the essay and reading portions of the RTP exam, ranking fifth among all schools on both exams.

“But we are also so pleased that our essay repeater pass rate was so high. Our essay repeaters achieved the second highest pass rate in the state,” she added, noting that the essay repeater pass rate at USG’s research universities was only 67.37%.

On the reading portion of the RTP exam, DSC’s pass rate for first-time test-takers was 84.44%, a percentage well above the 73.76 System average.

Nielsen attributes the high pass rates in part to the efforts of a “student oriented” faculty who are “deeply committed to student success.”

“Dalton State has excellent support services available to all students, including its Writing Lab that is staffed by professionals who teach in the Humanities Division.”