0. CCC Placement Exam Updates
December 2016

1. Agenda Early College Opportunities Early College Qualifications
CCC New Placement Exams
Best Practices & Recommendations
Resources
Timeline
FAQ’s

2. Early College Opportunities

3. Dual Credit Overview
Dual Credit is a partnership between CPS and CCC offering college level courses onsite at CPS schools for qualifying students.
Course(s) taught by CPS teachers certified as CCC adjunct faculty members
Course(s) taught onsite at CPS high school
Course(s) taught during the school day
Students must earn a “C” or better in the course to earn college credit
Schools must submit a Dual Credit application – deadline December 7th

4. Dual Credit
60 CPS schools offered DC courses with over 2,500 student participants enrolled
Dual Credit course offerings included options from English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language, Art and CTE
Over 120 CPS teachers were credentialed as City Colleges of Chicago adjunct faculty members
91% of the students earned college credit passing the course with a “C” or better

5. Dual Credit
65 CPS High Schools with an anticipated 3,000 student participants and 5,000 enrollments
65 Course Offerings over 200 Sections
English, History, Physics, Biology, Social Science
General Math, Pre-Calculus, Statistics, College Algebra, Trigonometry
World Language, CIS, Criminal Justice, CNC Machining, Business, African-American Studies
Over 145 CPS Teachers credentialed as CCC Adjunct Faculty

6. Dual Enrollment Overview
The Dual Enrollment Program at City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) offers FREE college courses for high-school junior and senior students. Students may enroll in one college course per semester at any one of the seven City Colleges locations. 
CCC offers 3100 free seats annually to high school junior and senior students. Students can enroll in any course that leads to certification and/or a degree and student must meet the course pre-requisites

7. Early College Growth
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) have collaborated closely to increase DE/DC opportunities since This program has grown substantially in the last three years. There has been a 537% growth for early college programs in the past 5 years.

8. Early College Qualifications

9. Early College Course Requirements
Student Eligibility:
Junior or Senior status
At least 16 years old
2.5 GPA or letter of recommendation
90% Attendance Rate or letter of recommendation
Secure parental and school permission
All students must meet the course pre-requisite and submit qualifying scores:
ACT
SAT
COMPASS
CCC RTW (Read to Write) Placement Exam
CCC ALEKS
*PSAT scores are not eligible to qualify for enrollment

10. COMPASS
COMPASS is computerized placement exam, created by ACT, inc. that is commonly used for initial class placement in colleges like the City Colleges of Chicago. COMPASS has three different sections: Writing, Reading and Math. Scores from this test are used to determine college readiness
Test​
​Math
​English ​
COMPASS
Score
Algebra Score of
43+
Reading Score of 80+
E-Write Score of 8+
COMPASS:
Nov. 30th last day of testing
Scores valid for one year for course enrollment
Scores archived at CPS District Office

11. ACT & SAT Qualifying Scores
ACT & SAT English Placement Scores
ACT English Score
SAT Critical Writing Score
Placement Level
21>
490>
English 101
ACT Math Score
SAT Math Score
Mathematics Course Placement
21-23
Math 118
Math 121
Math 125
Math 140
Math 143
24+
560>
Math 141
Math 146
Math 204
Math 207
Qualifying ACT & SAT scores valid for two years

12. City College of Chicago
New Placement Exams

13. CCC Placement Exams
New and former students without qualifying placement scores on file are required to take a placement test before registering for class.
Students who have previously taken the placement test but whose placement scores are one or more years old are required to re-take the placement test
Reading to Write (RTW) Placement Test
ALEKS Mathematics Placement Assessment

14. Reading to Write (RTW) Placement Test
English Faculty use the Reading to Write Placement Test to place students into the appropriate English courses that will best promote academic success
Online access (no installment required)
Timed Exam and must be completed once started
Scores are provided 72 hours after completion
Prep and Learning Modules available
Placement scores valid for 12 months
Exam includes a short reading passage and five reading comprehensive questions based on passage.
Scoring based on 5 components:
Critical Response to Writing Task
Development of Writer’s Ideas
Organization
Language Uses: Sentence and Word Choice
Language Use: Syntax, Grammar and Mechanics

15. ALEKS Mathematics Placement Assessment
ALEKS is an assessment of math preparedness and there are no penalties for incorrect answers
Online access (no installment required)
Allot 90 minutes to complete
Basic Math through Pre-Calculus units (30 question maximum)
Scores provided at the completion of the assessment
Prep and Learning Modules available
Students can retake assessment 5 times after completing prep and learning modules
Placement scores valid for 12 months

16. Student Application Process
CCC Placement Access through student portal (my.ccc.edu)
Student completes online CCC application
Student is admitted and matriculated within 48 hours
Student receives to preferred address with CCC username and initial password
Student logs in to my.ccc.edu with CCC username and password (NOT application credentials)

17. Accessing Student Portal
Step 1: Log into your student portal at my.ccc.edu
Step 2: Go to the “My Academic Plan” tab, there you can access both the Math and English placement tests.
Step 3: In the left tool bar under “Academic Planning” will be the option for “Placement Testing.”
Step 4: Select the test link needed to access the corresponding requirement.
Step 2
Step 4
Step 3
Step 5: Access scores under the “View Placement History” link.
Step 6: Once placement score(s) is on record, the “CONFIRM” button will appear—you must confirm your score(s) before class registration.

18. Best Practices
&
Recommendations

19. Application Best Practices
Schedule students to apply in a group setting with staff present
Allot 45 minutes for online application completion
Advise students to use their CPS or school address as their preferred
Confirm students apply for appropriate semester e.g. spring 2017
Remind students to select the correct high school name
Instruct students to apply as Dual Credit/ Dual Enrollment (non financial aid eligible) to select appropriate application
If possible print application confirmation and retain for application inquiries
Remind students to check 48 hours after the application submission for their CCC username and password credentials

20. Testing Recommendations
Review Reading to Write and ALEKS
test prep materials prior to testing
Schedule a testing time for a group of students allotting 90 minutes
Schedule at least 48 hours after students have complete the CCC online application. This allows time to receive CCC login credentials
Have students test at same time in a monitored computer lab
No software installation is necessary
Helps ensure testing fidelity
If testing with ALEKS, record/print score after test completion
Support modules will be available for non college ready students
Encourage students to complete the modules and work with math department to see if support can be given

21. Resources

22. Technical Support Reading to Write (RTW) www.CCC.edu/placement
ALEKS Mathematics Assessment
Retrieve Usernames:
Reset Password:

23. Timeline & Deliverables

24. Please note that students can enroll with ACT, SAT or COMPASS score.
Spring 2017 Timeline
Dual Enrollment
Action
Date
Confirm CCC orientation dates
Friday, December 16th
Apply online at CCC.edu
Complete placement testing
(Reading to Write or ALEKS as needed)
Tuesday, December 20th
Complete Registration Packet
Friday, December 23rd
First Day of Class
Tuesday, January 17th
Please note that students can enroll with ACT, SAT or COMPASS score.

25. Please note that students can enroll with ACT, SAT or COMPASS score.
Spring 2017 Timeline
Dual Credit
Action
Date
Apply online at CCC.edu
Friday, January 20th
Complete placement testing
(Reading to Write or ALEKS as needed)
Tuesday, January 24th
Complete Registration Packet
Friday, January 27th
First Day of Class
Monday, February 6th
Please note that students can enroll with ACT, SAT or COMPASS score.

26. Deliverables in Progress
Data Sharing Agreement for CPS access to student CCC Placement Exam Scores
Retake policy for CCC Reading to Write (RTW) Placement Test

27. FAQs What is the passing score on ALEKS and Reading to Write?
To qualify for Math 118 or 143, a score of 30 is required on ALEKS
To qualify for English 101, a score of 6 is required on Reading to Write
How many times can students take ALEKS?
Students can take one ALEKS “test” every year; however, the test includes four retest opportunities (with the support modules done between retakes).
What accommodations are made for students with diverse learning needs?
Accommodations must be approved by the Disability Access Center prior to test administration.

28. Questions? CPS Joe Halli, Manager of Early College Initiatives CPS
CCC
Freda Richmond,
Early College Manager