Placement

ASSESSMENT (MATH & ENGL PLACEMENT)

Your success as a college student depends, to a large degree, on enrolling in courses that match your abilities and skills.  Assessment includes testing, as well as other measures, and is intended to assist students in determining the best fit between your skills and class requirements.  In order to ensure proper Math and English course selections, students applying through CCCApply are assigned Milestone/Skill levels that will assist with choosing the right course.  If you have graduated more than 5 years ago from High School you may take a Placement Assistance test at the college Assessment Center.  New students to college should attend orientation.

 

PAST EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN MATHEMATICS OR ENGLISH

Students are exempt from the English and math placement tests if they have earned an Associate degree or higher, have completed English and math courses, or have received a qualifying score on an SAT, ACT, EPT, ELM or EAP test taken within the past two years.  Students should bring or send official copies of their SAT, ACT, EPT, ELM or EAP test scores directly to the District Student Services office to determine readiness for English 101 or 105 and for courses with a Math 096 prerequisite.  All tests must have been completed within the past 2 years.

Test Minimum Score Required
SAT - ENGL 500
SAT - MATH 560
ACT - ENGL 22
ACT - MATH 23
EPT 151
ELM 50
EAP English and/or Math College-Level Ready
Conditionally College-Level Ready does
NOT meet the criteria

EAP status can be determined using a CAASPP Student Score Report.

 
Overall CAASPP Score EAP Status
Standard Exceeded English and/or Math College-Level Ready
Standard Met Conditionally College-Level Ready*

*Students with Conditionally-Ready status can obtain College-Ready status by taking an approved English and/or math course in high school and earn a grade of ‘C’ or better during their senior year.

 

 
High School English Courses: High School Math Courses:
  • Expository Reading & Writing Course (ERWC)
  • AP Literature/Composition
  • Weighted Honors English
  • IB English
  • Trigonometry
  • Math Analysis
  • Pre-Calculus or Calculus
  • AP Calculus AB or BC
  • AP Physics
  • AP Statistics

 

A qualifying score from the College Board Advanced Placement English or Math Exam may be taken directly to the college Counseling office for consideration. Please refer to the College Catalog for AP exam score requirements.


ASSESSMENT TESTS

Placement Assist Test are offered at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges.

  • Placement Assistant
    While most students will be assessed at the time of college application, some students may need to take the Placement Assistant.  The Placement Assistant determines your English and Math skill level based upon your performance in high school.  Students who are already assessed through CCCApply cannot re-assess through Placement Assistant, those student may go through the challenge process.

  • English Placement Test for Non-Native English Speakers (English Language Acquisition - ELAC)
    The ELAC Program is designed to prepare students to read, write, speak and listen at a level that enables them to succeed in college courses. If you are interested in taking ELAC classes, please take our self-guided assessment tool: ELAC Go at https://bit.ly/sdelacgo. This test is appropriate if English is not your primary language, you are not very comfortable with English, or if you speak, read, and write your native language most of the time. The program consists of four levels and the student is assigned a level based on the results of his or her placement test.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS OF THE PLACEMENT TESTS

Depending on the tests you take, you will receive a Milestone/Skill level ranging from 30 to 50 in one or more of the following areas:

  • Reading (R)
  • Writing (W)
  • ELAC (L)
  • Math (M)

Use the following resources to determine what classes you are eligible to take based on your skill level:

Reading and Writing Skill Levels:  https://www.sdccd.edu/future-student/placement/english.aspx

Mathematics:


ELAC (L) 

 
ELAC Skill Level Eligible Courses
L19 ELAC 015 or ELAC 015 & 016
L20 ELAC 023, 025 or ELAC 023, 025 & 026 
L30 ELAC 033, 035
L40 * ELAC 045

* At L40 skill level, you have the option to take the English test for native English speakers.

 

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