Res Cogitans

In this section, we discuss policies and practices, as well as the views of faculty and staff members, related to students’ preparation for placement tests and options for taking the tests more than once. Many interviewees maintained that students did not understand the stakes or implications of placement tests, and that students often did not take the tests seriously. In many cases, college counselors visit local high schools and administer the placement tests to students who may not have explicit plans to attend community college and may not fully understand the purposes for the tests. According to many staff and faculty members at the colleges we studied, students do not usually take the test seriously, and student test scores are often adversely affected by test anxiety, lack of sleep, test fatigue, and lack of preparation. Because many students are surprised by their lower-than-expected placement results, test preparation and retesting policies are a critical component of the assessment process.

Preparing for the Test. College personnel expressed different viewpoints on the question

of whether students should be encouraged or even allowed to prepare for placement tests. One testing coordinator said that students do not currently prepare for the placement tests, a practice he found appropriate: “I don’t feel that [they] should [prepare]. It should be based on where they are now… retests, if they happen right away, don’t usually change their scores.”

This perspective contrasts with that of a counselor at the same college, who spoke about the high-stakes nature of assessment and the lack of student knowledge concerning placement tests. She advocated for an orientation that would occur before the assessment process, to highlight the importance of placement tests and encourage students to prepare for them. She argued that preparation was particularly important for Generation 1.5 students. Promoting students’ best performance on the tests, according to the counselor, leads to a more accurate

placement that challenges students and enables them to move more quickly through course sequences. At a different college, in response to concerns about testing conditions, the testing director explained how he makes a concerted effort to ensure that students are not overtaxed when they take placement tests; for example, the college does not allow students to take the math test and the ESL or English test on the same day.

Contrasting Policies and Perspectives on Retesting. Our analysis of 25 websites found

that colleges varied in retesting policies, with some not allowing any retesting, some allowing students only one retest during their time at the college, others allowing several retests per academic year, and others allowing three retests per enrollment at the college. Waiting periods required for retesting varied from 24 hours to 3 years. According to an interviewee at one college that had recently implemented a limitation on retesting, the decision was made because it was “felt that students were simply retesting too much.” In order to retest, students at some colleges must justify their rationale and request permission from counselors, the assessment center, the admissions and records department, or the matriculation director. In apparent contradiction to statewide regulations, one college website stated that students would be charged a $10 fee for

retesting, unless they requested and were granted an exemption to the fee.11

At one college, if students decide to retest and receive a lower score than they did during their initial testing, only the lower score is valid for placement recommendations and waiving of prerequisites. An administrator at this college said that if students place “at the bottom of the barrel,” counselors have a conversation with them and try to determine if these were “true placements” or if the students simply need to brush up before taking the test again. At a

different college, if students enroll in a course, they must wait six months before retesting. This policy was set to ensure that students are not using the test as a method to “jump levels.” At another college, a matriculation staff member reported that, for “logistical” reasons, students are not allowed to retest at all once they have started a sequence. This staff member also reported that faculty believe students who retest are “cheating the system.”

Meanwhile, it is unclear how students at many colleges learn about the option to retest. Only 14 of the 25 college websites we examined provided information on retaking the English test, and only 7 provided information about retaking the ESL test.

In contrast to colleges that discouraged retesting, at one college retesting was found to be beneficial to student success. The testing administrator at this college cited data showing that 80% of students who retested were placed into a higher level the second time they took the test. These students had higher success and persistence rates than students who took the placement test only once, leading the college to provide more opportunities for students to retest. At the same time, the college was mindful of the costs associated with retesting and has embarked on a campaign to encourage students to prepare for taking the tests the first time.

To conclude this section, first generation college students in general, and US-LM students in particular, may lack knowledge concerning the stakes of college placement tests, often do not prepare for the tests, may be discouraged or disallowed from retesting, and may have their lowest rather than highest score used for placement purposes. In contrast, in order to prepare for high-stakes college entrance exams for four-year colleges (e.g. SAT, ACT), many students spend great amounts of time and money preparing for the tests, retesting is not only

11 _{According to the Student Fee Handbook, no fee may be charged for placement tests that are a condition}

allowed but expected, and the highest score is typically used by colleges. While it could be argued that placement tests are not typically designed to be high-stakes, and therefore test preparation and retesting are not crucial, we have pointed out throughout this report the high stakes associated with these tests in California community colleges. Given the stakes involved, colleges’ testing policies and practices should be designed to support students to do their best.