Language programs need multiple test forms for secure administrations and effective placement decisions, but can they have confidence that scores on alternate test forms have the same meaning? In large-scale testing programs, various equating methods are available to ensure the comparability of forms. The choice of equating method is informed by…

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the English Placement Test (EPT) is the institutional placement test that is used to place students into appropriate English as a second language (ESL) writing and/or pronunciation service courses. The EPT is used to assess the English ability of newly admitted international undergraduate…

This call to action is based on a simple but important premise: The nation cannot allow college placement policies, processes, and instruments to undermine promising efforts to increase student success in mathematics and increase attainment of STEM credentials. Efforts to redesign math pathways hold great promise for improving the teaching and…

Although most language programs make placement decisions on the basis of placement tests, there is surprisingly little published about different contexts and systems of placement testing. The present volume contains case studies of placement programs in foreign language programs at the tertiary level across the United States. The different…

Section 1008.30 (formerly 240.117), Florida Statutes, requires the State Board of Education to develop and implement a common placement testing program to assess the basic computation and communication skills of students who intend to enter a degree program at any public community college or state university. Every year the State provides reports…

Section 1008.30 (formerly 240.117), Florida Statutes, requires the State Board of Education to develop and implement a common placement testing program to assess the basic computation and communication skills of students who intend to enter a degree program at any public community college or state university. Every year the State provides reports…

Educational assessment and, more broadly, educational research in the United States have entered into an era characterized by a dramatic increase in the prevalence and importance of test score use in accountability systems. This volume covers a selection of contemporary issues about testing science and practice that impact the nation's public…

In the past there has been some question about a pupil's retention of knowledge after the summer recess. In the Individually Prescribed Instruction (IPI) system, once a pupil begins working through the objectives, it should be unnecessary to have him take placement tests each Fall. The present study extracted data from the pupils' placement…

Presents results from a national survey of two-year colleges regarding placement practices for calculus. High school records were the most important factor, followed by placement test results and college entrance examination scores. (DMM)

The use of informal reading inventories can help insure that students are provided with reading materials that match their reading ability. (MB)

Details some of the advantages provided by a testing service that evaluates student writing. (NKA)

To deal with an increasing student withdrawal rate from courses, Fullerton College instituted a Skills Prerequisite System, involving mandatory assessment of learning skills in reading, writing, and mathematics followed by prescriptive mandatory placement in appropriate remedial instruction prior to ernollment in skill-dependent, entry-level…

Describes a study conducted at DeKalb Community College to compare placement levels established by the college's in-house Reading, English and Mathematics (REM) Test with Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Discusses REM placement levels and their course alignments, internal challenges to the placement levels, and correlation study findings. (DMM)

Eight placement systems currently used in selected California community colleges are described in this paper. Following introductory comments on the variety and complexity of placement systems used in community colleges, issues related to English placement examinations are highlighted. Next, the eight placement models are described, focusing, with…

This chronological review of research and educational literature traces the growth in the use of standardized and locally developed assessment instruments in community colleges over the past decade. The literature review covers the following aspects of the issue of student assessment: (1) studies from the early 1970's showing a negative attitude…