Placement

College Placement

Sauk Valley Community College is committed to placing students in courses which reflect their ability level in order to provide each student with the greatest chance of success in those classes and future course work. The key to accomplishing this goal is an assessment structure that determines academic skills which students bring to Sauk and to match those skills with appropriate courses offered by the college.

To establish appropriate levels, placement tests in English language arts and mathematics are required of all students wishing to register for any English composition course, mathematics course or any other college course requiring a specific placement score.  Test scores, valid for three years, can be provided by ACTs, SATs, or current SVCC testing policy.  Contact the Testing Center for additional information. 

All entering degree or certificate-seeking students must be assessed prior to registration and all non-degree-seeking students as required for the courses in which they plan to enroll. Comprehensive assessment is not required for enrollment in community service (noncredit), continuing education classes, or physical education activity courses. Students who have successfully earned reading-intensive college-level credits that may be transferred to Sauk from other accredited institutions and/or students who currently hold an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree may be exempt from the comprehensive assessment, but may still be subject to assessment for admissions to specific courses or programs of study. Any student exempt from academic assessment for the reasons listed above, may need to secure permission from the Academic Advising office prior to enrollment.

Course Placement

Assessment results will be used by academic advisors to match students with courses that are consistent with their skill level. Students who score below the specified level on the English language arts  assessment will be required to take English language arts course(s) designated by the College concurrently with other courses. A list of exempt courses may be found in the College schedule. The required English language arts course(s) must be completed with a grade of "C" or higher and shall be repeated as long as the student is enrolled in the College until a grade of "C" or higher is achieved or appropriate assessment scores are attained.

Students who score below the specified level on the English and/or mathematics assessment will be required to earn a grade of "C" or higher in all prerequisites or attain appropriate assessment scores prior to enrolling in a college-level English or mathematics course.

Students may be assessed no more than two times per year and a minimum of 48 hours is recommended between exams. The highest score achieved by the student is used for course placement. Test scores are good for three years.

Students with documented disabilities will be accommodated on an individual basis as each disability dictates and should make an appointment with the Coordinator of Disability Services prior to assessment and/or enrollment.