The Los Rios Community College District have implemented a new method on placement testings for placing students in their English and math courses.

This new method will now be using student’s high school course information as well as assessment information instead of strictly placing students on their academic assessment abilities. Students now have a better chance at scoring into a more accurate class which well improve graduation or transfer rates as well.

“As one of the mandates of Assembly Bill 705 passed last fall, all Los Rios Community College District campuses have now updated the method for placing students in their first English or math course and will now be using a combination of high school course information, high school GPA and assessment information, “ according to the Cosumnes River College website.

Multiple measures are now being used to place students into their math and English courses, said Kathy Degn, the interim dean of student services and enrollment management.

Degn said the previous assessment tests were not accurate predictors of students real true abilities for success in courses.

“When you look at the research it is jaw dropping how students that prior would have been placed in the the lowest levels can now be placed two to three levels higher and still succeed at the same time,” said Degn.

Remedial math and English courses will now be replaced with co-requisite courses, taken alongside the main course to help support students who need further help with the content they are learning.   

Students enrolled in the spring semester are eligible to be re-evaluated for their math and English placements.

Degn said all current students are able to bring in high school transcripts that are less than 10 years old to have their placement reevaluated.

If the new placement is not higher than the original placement, then it will not be used.

Ryan Chiu, a 19-year-old computer science major, wished the reevaluation was implemented earlier.

“If you pass a class in high school, that proves that you’re at the level where you need to be.”

For students who are over ten years or do not have previous school records to go off of they will have to take a similar assessment to be placed in their classes,said Degn.

“I think that I would have been placed higher if they used my high school GPA because I did good in high school compared to taking the placement tests,” said Amber Bienh, a 19-year-old a fashion marketing major.

To have English and math courses re-evaluated, students can complete the CRC Placement Re-Evaluation Form and return it to the Assessment Department located in the Student Support Center in L-106.

For more information, email Degn at [email protected].