Bring high school students onto community college campuses to take placement exams and discuss results with counselors before enrollment¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

This strategy engages high school students in campus visits where they take actual placement examinations and immediately discuss results with counselors, so they learn where they stand in preparation for community college while still in high school. The report highlights it among "promising programs" for "bringing high school students on campus to take placement assessments that help them understand where they stand in terms of preparation for community college." Students receive results immediately, see exactly how many basic skills courses they need, and learn they can retake the test free of charge.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• College and participating high schools share costs to ensure commitment from the high schools
• Counselors available at a welcome center to discuss results with students on the visit day

Constraints¶

• The report describes this as one promising local program, not a systemwide evaluated intervention

Target Learners¶

• High school students, particularly juniors and seniors preparing for community college

Target Learning Goals¶

• Understanding community college readiness requirements and placement levels before enrollment

Claims¶

• Many community college students lack individual access to a counselor to discuss placement results, and students in dedicated programs report greater counseling satisfaction [+W]
• Most incoming students do not understand that placement test performance determines which classes they can take [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Venezia, A., Bracco, K. R., & Nodine, T. (2010). One-shot deal? Students' perceptions of assessment and course placement in California's community colleges. San Francisco: WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED566386