Assessment and Placement

Amended by the Board of Trustees of Rockland Community College on August 25, 2016

Contents
  1. English Placement
  2. Mathematics Placement
  3. Retest

To ensure that students are placed in appropriate courses, Rockland Community College assesses applicants’ skills in English and Mathematics, if they are applying for matriculation.

Students with disabilities may request and receive reasonable accommodations prior to testing upon submission of documentation of their special need.

Students may be exempt from English or Mathematics assessment based on a review of the student’s previous college records, appropriate scores determined by the English and or Math Department, on the High School English/Math Regents, SAT Writing or Critical Reading, SAT Math, or the ACT English/Math and the specific degree program that they are pursuing.

English Placement

The English assessment consists of reading comprehension, sentence skills, and a writing sample on a given topic. Students should be aware of the following:

  • All matriculated students must enroll in their assigned English placement during their first semester at Rockland Community College. Exceptions require approval by an Academic Advisor and the completion of the English Waiver Form;
  • Students placing below College Writing I will be limited to a select number of courses;
  • Students must enroll in College Writing I, along with the College Writing Module, in the semester immediately following their successful completion of Fundamentals of Reading and Writing I;
  • Students who successfully complete College Writing I – International must register for College Writing II – International;
  • Dropping of College Writing I requires official approval of a Student Development Counselor and the completion of the English Waiver Form.  Dropping any ESL level course requires official approval of an ESL Academic Advisor;
  • For those programs that have no specific requirement in English, students must demonstrate basic competency on the placement exam by placing into College Writing I.

Mathematics Placement

The Mathematics assessment includes an arithmetic section, an algebra section or college-level math section. Students will be placed in Mathematics Skills, Elementary Algebra, or one of the more advanced courses offered by Mathematics.

  • Students are encouraged to enroll in the level of Mathematics indicated by their placement as early as possible.
  • Dropping of Math Skills requires official approval from the Division Chair, Department Chair, Discipline Coordinator of Mathematics or Coordinator of Academic Advisement;
  • For Certificate Programs that have no specific requirement in Mathematics, students must be assessed at Elementary Algebra (or higher) OR receive a passing grade in the required Math Skills course(s).

Retest

Students are permitted to retest only one time.  The recommended wait time is two weeks after the initial test date, but a student may choose to retest after a minimum of 48 hours. The student must request and retest before the last day to add classes of the given semester.