Information on Assessment and Placement of Students

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE Office of the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs May 2, 2017 MEMORANDUM To:                   The College Community From:               Dr. Monica R.M. Brown, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs                          Dr. Sanjay Rai, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Subject:            Information on Assessment and Placement of Students

In order to promote student success and retention, students need to enroll in courses for which they demonstrate the appropriate academic readiness. This memorandum is a reminder of the College’s procedures regarding assessment and placement of students, including retesting and review of placement. Information on assessment testing may be found at: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/assessment.

Placement Procedures
Most students are placed into reading, English, and math courses based on their placement test, SAT, ACT, IB, or AP scores, TOEFL, IELTS, or based on coursework completed at another college. In addition, most college-level courses at Montgomery College list assessment levels for reading, English, and math, as appropriate for the courses. For such courses, students must place at the designated assessment level(s) or higher in order to enroll. There is also a chemistry placement test for students who intend to take CHEM 131 Principles of Chemistry I. Students who wish to take CHEM 131 should take the chemistry placement test at one of the campus assessment centers at least one day before they plan to register for CHEM 131. Students who have taken CHEM 099 Introductory Chemistry (and earned a grade of C or better) do not need to take the chemistry placement test. Students who do not pass the chemistry placement test must register for and pass CHEM 099 (grade of C or better) prior to CHEM 131.

New students whose first language is American English or who attended at least 10 years of school (elementary, middle, and high school) in the United States take the English, reading, and math sections of the Accuplacer. Everyone else who is required to be assessed must take the Accuplacer ESL plus writing sample.

Test Results “Shelf Life”
English and reading Accuplacer scores are valid for placement for two years. Math Accuplacer scores are valid for placement for one year. If a student’s request for a retake is approved, the student should be encouraged to review the online information about Accuplacer Test preparation with links to review problems and test-taking tips. This may be found at: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/AssessCtr/accuplacer.htm.

Tests Taken at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

When a student takes the assessment test in a high school, using the MCPS Accuplacer code, only scores that permit enrollment in college-level courses have been sent by MCPS electronically to Montgomery College and entered in Banner. Paper or informal results are not accepted. When a student who has tested at MCPS has both college-level and developmental placement scores, only the college-level scores have been sent to Montgomery College and will appear on SOATEST.  Students who indicate they have MCPS scores that are college ready but are not in Banner SOATEST, should be referred to MCPS.  Note: All Accuplacer attempts that count towards a student’s total MC attempts will be on SOATEST.

Alternative Placement Program (APP)

Instituted in FY17, APP provides an alternative pathway to placing college-capable students in college credit-bearing courses.  MC will place incoming Montgomery County Public Schools students in college courses based on a final semester grade of B or higher in one or more of the courses listed below.  Students who qualify for placement in college credit courses as part of the APP are deemed as “college and career ready” for Maryland State Department of Education reporting purposes.

o   AP Language and Composition

o   Honors English 12

o   Modern World History (including honors level or higher)

o   Algebra 2 (any level)

Retake Procedures

Students who believe that their Accuplacer scores do not reflect their knowledge and skills, based on prior coursework and achievement, should be referred to a counselor or adviser to determine whether or not they meet the criteria for a retake.

If a student has taken the assessment test at a Montgomery College campus or at a high school (using the Academic Initiatives code), this counts as his or her first Accuplacer attempt. These scores will be on SOATEST in Banner with a campus or Academic Initiatives designation. Students in this category may retest at Montgomery College one time only and should not retest sooner than 48 hours after the initial test session.

Students who take the Accuplacer ESL plus writing sample may not retake the test during the same semester. However, during the first week that they are enrolled in an ELAP (formerly AELP) course, students are given a diagnostic test. In some instances, based on their diagnostic test score, they may be permitted to enroll in a higher-level course.

Third Retake Requests

Students who are dissatisfied with their course placements after two Accuplacer attempts may consider requesting a review of placement; the Accuplacer will not be given a third time.

Only a dean of student affairs or his/her designee may approve a third attempt within the placement validity of the test at the dean’s discretion for extraordinary situations. In these situations, the student should present a written request and must provide evidence to the dean that a third attempt is warranted. Comments regarding the reason for approving a third attempt will be entered into Banner by the dean.

Contacts for Requesting a Placement Review

Students who wish to request a review of placement in reading should go to the English & Reading Department on their campus to see the department chair, coordinator, or designee. Those contacts are as follows:

         Germantown Reading

o   Dr. Mary Robinson – Office: PK 123

         Rockville Reading

o   Professor Teri Hurst – Office: SB 107C

         Takoma Park/Silver Spring Reading

o   Professor Sharon Teuben-Rowe – Office: P3 204

Students who wish to request a review of placement in math should go to the Mathematics Department on their campus to see the department chair or designee. Those contacts are as follows:

        

Germantown Math

o   Professor Darren Smith – Office: HT 129

o   Professor Kathryn Linehan – Office: HT 221

o   Professor Pallavi Bhale – Office: HT 128

         Rockville Math

o   Dr. Ben Nicholson – Office: SC 50B 

o   Dr. Luc Desir – Office: SC 354Q

o   Professor Alison Rose – Office: SC 454N

         Takoma Park/Silver Spring Math

o   Dr. Milton Nash – Office: MP 245

o    Dr. Amit Trehan – Office: MP 248

o   Professor Alice Wang – Office: MP 242

Students who wish to request a review of placement in chemistry should go to the Chemistry Department on their campus to see the department chair or designee. Those contacts are as follows:

         Germantown Chemistry

o   Dr. Don Newlin – Office:  BE208

         Rockville Chemistry

o   Dr. Laura Anna – Office: SC 331C

         Takoma Park/Silver Spring Chemistry

o   Dr. Fotis Nifiatis – Office: SN 306

Students who have questions about their initial placement in ELAP prior to the first day of class should go to the Department where ELAP is located on their campus to see the department chair, coordinator, or designee. Those contacts are as follows:

         Germantown ELAP

o   Dr. Jorinde van den Berg – Office: HS 176

         Rockville ELAP

o   Professor Usha Venkatesh – Office: MT 512B

         Takoma Park/Silver Spring ELAP

o   Professor Angela Nissing – Office: P4 110

These individuals’ phone numbers and e-mail addresses can be found in the college directory.

If the department chair or designee determines, by using other relevant information, that the student should be placed in a course other than one based on test scores, this action must be entered in Banner as an override in the SFASRPO screen with a brief comment on the rationale for the override in the comment screen, SPACMNT.

Thank you for promoting student success by adhering to our assessment and placement procedures.