• Course Placement Level
  Assessment of reading comprehension, writing, and mathematic skills provides course placement to help in selection of courses in which each student may succeed in.

• Prerequisite Enforcement
  All prerequisites to courses at East Los Angeles College are electronically enforced. Participation in the Assessment Placement Process will clear you for  the English and Math prerequisite based on your course placement.

• Assessment Check-In Form:
  The Assessment Check-In Form is made available upon submitting the ELAC admission application to the Enrollment Center (Main Campus, E1-121) or Admissions (South Gate Educational Center).   Students may also obtain the Assessment Check-In Form from the Matriculation/Assessment Office (Main Campus, E1-183 or South Gate, Room 120) or click below.
  
  Check-In Form (with May 2012 to June 2012 Assessment Cal) (pdf)

• Assessment Placement Process Duration:
  The assessment instrument is computerized and is untimed. Although the placement test is untimed, allow at least 2 hours for the English and Math assessments. Upon reaching room capacity, admittance time will vary.

• Students with Disabilities: If a student has a verified learning or physical disability, the student may contact the Disabled Students Program & Services at (323) 265-8787, or visit their office (Building E1-160), to determine eligibility for alternative test-taking arrangements.

• Sample Test Questions:
  Each student should review the English and Math sample test materials in preparation prior to participating the assessment placement process. Sample test questions are available in the next section, "Assessment Components".

• Assessment Lab Process:

  • Assessment Placement Process is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis during lab hours (see lab hours below). No appointments. Upon reaching capacity, admittance time will vary. Space is limited, maximum capacity of 45 seats at the Main Campus Testing Lab and 40 seats at the South Gate Educational Center Testing Lab. Students are encouraged to participate as soon as possible as attendance peaks during the first two weeks prior to each semester/session.
  • No admittance for students without a valid Photo ID. No Exceptions.
  • No Calculators, Dictionaries, PDA's, Cell Phones, iPods, MP3 Players, or any other electronic devices allowed.
  • Students will receive English, Reading, and Math course advisements. A free general course catalog & current schedule of classes are given to new students (as available).
  • Students may be referred to take additional assessments.
  • Assessment Placement results are valid for a two-year period.
  • Students will not be allowed to retest within one calendar-year from test date.



• Assessment Labs Hours:
  Students may participate in the Assessment Placement Process at either one of the following assessment labs.

  Main Campus Location: E1-183. Capacity: 45 seats	South Gate Educational Center Location: SG Rm 120. Capacity: 40 seats
  Assessment Lab Hours: Monday - Wednesday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursday Closed Friday 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Assessment Lab Hours: Monday - Wednesday Closed Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Friday Closed
  Note: Assessment Labs will be closed on the following dates: Monday, May 28, 2012 - Campus Closed / Memorial Day Observance Friday, June 29, 2012 The Main Campus Assessment Lab will be Closed NOTE: Testing and Office Hours are subject to change. Please call Matriculation Office at (323) 415-4141 for any questions.




• What you need to bring to participate in the Assessment Placement Process:

  • A valid Photo ID (No admittance without a valid Photo ID. Acceptable Photo ID: Driver License, Student ID Card or Passport)

  • Proof of Student ID Number

  • Check-In Form (with May 2012 to June 2012 Assessment Cal) (pdf)

  • Two #2 pencils

  
  

III. Assessment Components:

East Los Angeles College provides Computerized Assessment Placement instruments (Accuplacer and Compass).

English Assessment (2 Options: ENL & ESL)

• ENL - English as a Native Language (ENL) assessment is divided into two parts:
  • Reading Comprehension - There are 20 questions of two primary types in the Reading Comprehension test.
    • The first type of question consists of a reading passage followed by a question based on the text. Both short and long passages are provided. The reading passages can also be classified according to the kind of information processing required, including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to a secondary idea, application, and inference.
    • The second type of question consists of sentence relationships. Two sentences are presented followed by a question about the relationship between these two sentences. The question may ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence supports that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same information.
  • Sentence Skills - consists of 30 multiple-choice grammar questions.
    • The first type is sentence correction questions that require an understanding of sentence structure. These questions ask you to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence.
    • The second type is construction shift questions. These questions ask that a sentence be rewritten according to the criteria shown while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original sentence.
    • Within these two primary categories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being tested. Some questions deal with the logic of the sentence, others with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.

      ENL English Sample Test Question 

• ESL - English as a Second Language assessment is divided into two parts:
  • ESL Reading 
    • This English placement test assesses a student's ability to recognize and manipulate Standard American English in two major categories:
      1. Referring (reading explicitly stated material)
      2. Reasoning (inferential reading)
    • The content of these areas will vary on the test according to levels of English proficiency, with more emphasis on Referring at the lower levels and more on Reasoning at the higher levels.
    • Most materials are reading passages, ranging in length from several sentences to many paragraphs. Most passages are authentic, although they may be edited, especially at the lower proficiency levels. Students also may be asked to interpret photographs, tables, charts, or graphs, or to follow directions using a map or other diagram.
    • Items range from recognizing pictures that go with words at the lowest level to answering inferential questions about academic materials at the highest levels.
  • ESL Grammar/Usage
    • This English placement test assesses a student's ability to recognize and manipulate Standard American English in two main areas:
      1. Sentence Elements
      2. Sentence Structure and Syntax
    • Sentence Elements include verbs, subjects and objects, modifiers, function words, conventions (punctuation, capitalization, spelling), and word formation.
    • Sentence Structure and Syntax include word order, relationships between and among clauses, and agreement, as well as how grammar relates to communication beyond the sentence level.
    • Some items in the ESL Grammar/Usage test use a modified cloze format, with blanks in sentences and choices to fill in the blanks. When students click on an answer, the program places their selection into the blank so it can be read in context. Other items in this test offer a question with four options, based on a reading passage. These items test students' understanding of how words function within a text.
      
      ESL English Sample Test Question 

Mathematics Asssessment

• The Mathematics Assessment consists of three levels: Math Level I - Arithmetic, Math Level II - Elementary Algebra, Math Level III - College-Level Math. All students begin with Math Level I and may automatically progress through the remaining levels depending on the number of correct answers.
  • Arithmetic
    • This test measure your ability to perform basic arithmetic operations and to solve problems that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. There are 17 questions on the Arithmetic tests, divided into three types.
      1. Operations with whole numbers and fractions: Topics included in this category are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers, and estimating.
      2. Operations with decimals and percents: Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimals. Percent problems, recognition of decimals, fraction and percent equivalencies, and problems involving estimation are also given.
      3. Applications and problem solving: Topics include rate, percent, and measurement problems; simple geometry problems; and distribution of a quantity into its fractional parts.
  • Elementary Algebra
    • A total of 12 questions of three types are administered in this test.
      1. The first type involves operations with integers and rational numbers, and includes computation with integers and negative rationals, the use of absolute values, and ordering.
      2. The second type involves operations with algebraic expressions using evaluation of simple formulas and expressions, and adding and subtracting monomials and polynomials. Questions involve multiplying and dividing monomials and polynomials, the evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents, simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring.
      3. The third type of question involves translating written phrases into algebraic expressions and solving equations, inequalities, word problems, linear equations and inequalities, quadratic equations (by factoring), and verbal problems presented in an algebraic context.
  • College-Level Math
    • The College-Level Mathematics test measures your ability to solve problems that involve college-level mathematics concepts. A total of 20 questions and there are six content areas measured.
      1. Algebraic Operations - includes the simplification of rational algebraic expressions, factoring and expanding polynomials, and manipulating roots and exponents.
      2. Solutions of Equations and Inequalities - includes the solution of linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, systems of equations, and other algebraic equations.
      3. Coordinate Geometry - presents questions involving plane geometry, the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the plane, and graphs of algebraic functions.
      4. Applications and other Algebra Topics - contains complex numbers, series and sequences, determinants, permutations and combinations, factorials, and word problems.
      5. Functions - includes questions involving polynomial, algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic functions.
      6. Trigonometry - includes trigonometric functions

      Math Sample Test Question

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