PRINCIPLES, POLICIES & PROCEDURES FOR A PLACEMENT

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Bill MoorePolicy Associate, SBCTC

Director, Re-Thinking Precollege Math Projectbmoore@sbctc.edu

360-704-4346

SESSION QUESTIONS• Pros and cons to taking a single

system-wide approach to the issue?

• Core principles for the kind of “entry-assessment” system we want?

• Essential components involved in an ideal “entry-assessment” system?

SINGLE SYSTEM APPROACH:PROS CONS

Principles for Placement Assessment System

• COHERENCE: The placement assessment system reflects clear standards for college and career readiness and aligns with key learning goals and the curriculum as defined by the college and disciplinary faculty.

• COMPREHENSIVENESS: The placement assessment system consists of a toolbox of assessments and sources of evidence that meet a variety of different purposes and that provide various users with information they need to make decisions.

• ACCURACY & CREDIBILITY: The information from the placement assessment system supports valid inferences about student progress toward college and career readiness.

• FAIRNESS: The placement assessment system provides an opportunity for all students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do.

• TRANSPARENCY: Clear information about the entire placement assessment system is available to students and interested stakeholders and easily-accessible.

• UTILITY: The placement assessment system makes a positive contribution to students’ chances for success at the college.

• COST-EFFECTIVENESS: The placement assessment system provides reasonable value to students and the college at a reasonable cost.

• ENGAGEMENT/OWNERSHIP: The placement assessment system functions in a way that engages faculty and encourages them to share the responsibility of maintaining the ongoing quality of the system.

QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE WHO?

WHEN? 

HOW? 

PRIOR PREP?

QUESTIONS OF POLICIES & PROCEDURES APPEAL PROCESS?

RE-TEST OPTION?

LENGTH OF SCORE VALIDITY?

OTHER CHOICES/ CONSIDERATIONS?

OPTIONS/ALTERNATIVES (not necessarily mutually exclusive)

• Status quo (college-defined standardized test, local decisions)

• Common test for college readiness “bright line”; local determination of course placement decisions

• Common suite of alternatives (student choice): standardized test, transcript-based placement, Directed Self Placement (DSP)

• College Readiness Profile• Within “decision zone”

range, students self-select and are referred to “just-in-time” remediation as needed

• Home-grown and open-source web-based assessment (e.g., WAMAP)

• Early assessment decisions for high school students (e.g, California’s EAP)

• Other…????