Although college students begin school with hopes and dreams, they frequently enter with vastly different abilities. While a student might have good grades on paper, the actual meaning of those grades is affected by the quality of her high school, the rigor of her classes and the assistance she received from teachers. Consequently, many colleges use placement exams -- particularly for core classes in math and English -- to assess what a student has already learned and place her in a class that will help her further develop her skills.
Primed for Learning
Many schools advise students to study basic math and reading skills prior to taking a placement test. Studying doesn't just help students raise their scores, though. It also gets them to focus on the skills they'll be working on when they begin classes. Summer breaks tend to cause students to lose focus on learning and forget some of the information they've learned in the previous year. But when college students are encouraged to study for placement exams, they may re-learn forgotten information and be better prepared for beginning college.
Proper Class Placement
Students whose classes are properly tailored to their academic needs may learn more. A student in a class that moves too slowly is missing out on learning opportunities and may become bored while a student in a class that's way over her head could become frustrated and overwhelmed. Placement exams ensure that students enroll in classes that meet their academic needs and educational skills.
High school students may not come to college fully prepared, and the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that about 34 percent of public college and university students need at least one remedial class, while 43 percent of community college students do. Placement exams help colleges develop remedial curricula tailored to the specific learning deficits of incoming students and ensure that students who have knowledge gaps get the basic skills they need to succeed in college.
Data and Tracking
Placement exams provide schools with valuable information about incoming freshmen, and the results of these exams can influence a wide variety of decisions. A school that notices students from a particular high school tend to have more problems might reach out to the high school or recruit fewer students from the school. The information from these exams can also influence course descriptions and requirements and help professors tailor their class plans. Placement exams can also help schools track student progress. A student who begins in remedial math and ends with a math degree has made rapid progress, and this sort of data can be helpful in promoting the school.
- Colorin Colorado: Summer Learning Loss -- The Problem and Some Solutions
- College Board: What Are College Placement Tests?
- Portland Community College: Placement Tests
- Mt. Hood Community College: College Placement Test
- St. Mary's College of California: Placement Exam Information
- National Conference of State Legislatures: Reforming Remedial Education
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