Riverland Community College officials are planning to give students a little more help on their reading skills this fall.

Riverland will set up a safeguard for students pursuing an associate’s degree in liberal arts or sciences who score 62 or lower on the reading comprehension portion of Accuplacer assessment, which Riverland uses to determine college entrance, by offering college preparatory classes in reading, composition, and mathematics among others.

The benchmark, which Riverland officials refer to as a reading cut score, will go into effect in the fall.

“Sometimes students come to you as adults, or after a period of time, and they’re a little rusty,” said Riverland Vice President Ron Langrell. “They need a warm-up.”

If students score a 62 percentile or below on their reading, they would automatically be enrolled in a college prep class block, which would include classes in reading comprehension, composition, math and other classes — such as a possibly first-year student course which teaches needed skills like time management and study techniques.

The move comes as Riverland officials realign and streamline student services and adapt to Minnesota State College and University initiatives. The study came after faculty noted there were some students enrolled in liberal arts classes who were struggling, according to Jan Waller, dean of academic affairs in liberal arts and sciences. Under the existing policy, students who scored 62 or lower in reading comprehension could still take classes

“We felt like we were placing students into a course a little prematurely,” Waller said.

Riverland officials looked at Accuplacer scores over the past five years and found that on average about 1 in 10 Riverland students scored below a 62 on the exam.

“When you get to 1 in 10 of your students placing there, it now constitutes a sizeable enough group to look at support,” Langrell said. “Now it’s helping that 1 out of 10 get their chin over the bar.”

Riverland already offers resources for students, such as a writing center and tutor opportunities, but Waller said the college hopes to expand student resources to include a math center and a science center. This policy shift is the latest in a series of adaptations. Riverland officials restructured various student services into one department in 2011 to ease student wait times and create a focus on student retention. Instead of going to three or four advisers for admissions, registration, financial aid and counseling, students go to one.