Placement and Assessment

Placement and Assessment

Utilizing standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, TOEFL, and/or AP) and/or college-level transfer credits, all incoming students are placed into Dean College English and Math classes and sections appropriate to their skill level and major. Based on testing and transcript information submitted to the College during the admission process, some students may be asked to complete an additional assessment test to determine their placement. Students who believe that their standardized test scores do not reflect their true ability may petition to take an additional assessment, which must be completed no later than the end of the second week of classes during a student's first semester at Dean College.

PLACEMENT INTO ENGLISH CLASSES

Incoming first year students will be placed into Composition (ENG 111) during their first semester unless they have college transfer, AP or IB credit for an equivalent course. The precise section, and the number of hours that section will meet, will vary based on the student's placement. Students whose Critical Reading SAT score, or its ACT equivalent, is less than 420 will be placed into an intensive section of ENG 111. Students whose scores are higher than this will be placed into a standard section of ENG 111, and honors students will be placed into an honors section of ENG 111.

International students for whom English is a second language will be placed into appropriate ESL or ENG 111 sections based on their institutional TOEFL score, which is administered on the Dean campus during their International Student Orientation. Those whose institutional TOEFL is between a 400 and 499 will be placed into ESL classes; those whose institutional TOEFL scores are between 500 and 549 will be placed into an intensive section of ENG 111; those whose institutional TOEFL score is 550 or higher will be placed into a standard section of ENG 111.

PLACEMENT INTO MATH CLASSES

Using your SAT or ACT scores, students will be placed into an appropriate level of math for their major at Dean College. Students whose math SAT, or ACT equivalent, is 520 or below will be placed into either College Algebra (MTH 121), Math for Liberal Arts (MTH 125) or Introductory Statistics (MTH 130), depending on the math course(s) required for their major. Students whose math SAT, or its ACT equivalent, is between 530 and 580, will be placed into PreCalculus I (MTH 151). Students whose math SAT, or its equivalent, is higher than 580 will be asked to complete the Dean College Math Assessment. This assessment will be mailed to eligible students prior to their orientation, and must be completed immediately and returned to the College.

All international students will complete an on-campus math assessment during their International Student Orientation.

ACCOMMODATIONS

If you have disabilities and have submitted appropriate documentation verifying the need for accommodations in the assessment process, please contact:

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions or need more information about the English and math placement process*, please contact:

*NOTE: Students with questions about the dance placement process should contact Julianne O'Brien Pederson, Dean of the Dean College School of Dance at jobrienpederson@dean.edu or 508-541-1608.