Placement Testing

To assure reading, writing, and math skills, Colby Community College uses multiple measures to place the student in appropriate classes. Previous college credit, ACT/SAT scores, Accuplacer scores, high school GPA, and high school transcripts can all be used to determine a course sequence that helps ensure accurate and appropriate course placement.

Placement Testing Exemptions

Students who are exempt from placement testing include:

  1. A student who determines course placement is inaccurate may request admission to a higher-level course by contacting the Trojan Advising Center. Students requesting admission into a higher-level course must demonstrate adequate course mastery and provide reasonable proof of their mastery to receive approval from the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
  2. Students who have earned bachelor's and/or associate degrees.
  3. Students who transfer, with a "C" or higher, an approved credit-bearing course in math, writing, or reading from another institution and receive confirmation from the Registrar that the transferred course is equivalent to an approved CCC course.
  4. Students who successfully completed the developmental education sequence in math, reading, and/or writing are exempt from the assessment requirements for those subjects.
  5. Students who successfully completed, with a "C" or higher, English Composition I or its equivalent are exempt from the assessment requirement for English and reading.
  6. Students who successfully completed, with a "C" or higher, a 100-level or above algebra course are exempt from the assessment requirement in mathematics.
  7. Students who have taken the ACT/SAT and/or Accuplacer test within two years prior to enrollment and have scores that meet or exceed the acceptable scoring range in English, reading, and/or math sections are exempt from both developmental education coursework and from placement testing in those subject areas where they met or exceeded an acceptable score. Students must follow the sequence of developmental courses and pass with at least a "C" to move to the next level unless retesting results indicate a higher placement.

Developmental Coursework

Students who test into developmental education courses must follow the sequence of developmental courses and earn at least a "C" or higher to move to the next course level, unless retesting results indicate a higher course placement.

Accuplacer Retesting

Students may retake the Accuplacer test at a cost of $5 per section for the following reasons:

  1. Students who feel placement test results do not accurately reflect their abilities.
  2. Students who feel they have improved their skills through a course refresher or through the successful completion of developmental education coursework.
  3. Students who feel the course grade they earned inaccurately reflects their academic abilities and prevents them from advancing in the course sequence.

Placement Matrix

The placement criteria from the original matrix image are provided below as accessible HTML tables.

English Placement Matrix

English course placement criteria
English Courses High School GPA* Previous College Courses ACT Reading & Writing Score ACCUPLACER Reading & Writing Score SAT Reading & Writing Score
EN076
Fundamental of Reading & Writing
NA NA 0-11 200-230 0-229
EN079
English Comp I Workshop **
NA Per Transfer Policy 12-17 231-254 230-489
EN176
English Comp I
Cumulative 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Can use six (6) semester GPA if not yet graduated. Thirty (30) or more credit hours earned; cumulative 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. English Score AND Reading Score 18 or above. English Score AND Reading Score 255 or above OR 231-254 AND WritePlace 5-8. Evidence Based Reading and Writing 490 and above.

Math Placement Matrix

Math course placement criteria
Math Courses High School GPA* Previous College Courses ACT Reading Math Score ACCUPLACER Math Score SAT Math Score
MA050
Math Essentials
NA NA 0-13 200-219 200-339
MA076
Beginning Algebra
NA Per Transfer Policy 14-18 220-249 340-419
MA169
Survey of Math
(Not part of Algebra Sequence)
NA Per Transfer Policy 18-20 242-258 420-519
MA177
Intermediate Algebra
NA Per Transfer Policy 19-21 250-262 420-519
MA178
College Algebra
Appropriate sequence of math courses completed with a "B" or higher will be considered for placement. Per Transfer Policy 22 or above 263-275 520 or above
MA220
Calculus I
NA Per Transfer Policy 24 or above 276-300 600 or above

Note: The source image includes the symbols * and ** but does not provide their explanatory footnote text.

Policy Review History

The following table summarizes the review and revision history for this policy.

Policy review and revision history
Date Action Summary
March 2021 Updated Policy updated.
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