Skyline College: English Placement Test Information

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English Courses

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ESOL Placement Test Sample Questions

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Most students who come to Skyline either will need to or will want to take an English course. You may be required to complete certain English courses to enter another Skyline program or to complete requirements for transfer, graduation, or certification. You may want to take an English course to improve your skill in reading or in writing for work, for other college classes, or for personal enjoyment.

Beginning in the Fall 2002 semester, the course numbering for our courses changed:

From

To

ENGL 801

=

ENGL 826

ENGL 800

=

ENGL 836

READ 801

=

READ 826

READ 802

=

READ 836

Each English course, except for ENGL 826 and READ 826, has a prerequisite, or required proof that a student is prepared to take the course. English and reading placement test scores are one pre-requisite used to help you enroll in the right class. Pre-requisites are there to make sure that students enroll in courses that they will succeed in and that will prepare them for further study in subsequent English courses or in other academic courses. To help you enroll in the English course in which you will have the most success, we suggest that you take the English placement test as early as possible in your studies at Skyline.

What English classes are available and what order do you take them in? Skyline College offers both composition and reading courses to prepare students for college-level work in English and in other college courses.

The first two courses are ENGL 826, Basic Writing Skills, and READ 826, Reading Improvement. These two courses form a pair and should be taken, if possible, in the same semester because they will prepare you for the next pair of courses, ENGL 836, Writing Development, and READ 836, Academic Reading Strategies, or for ENGL 846, Reading and Writing Connections.

ENGL 846 is a five-unit course designed for the student who wants to take both reading and writing together rather than as two separate, 3-unit courses.

If you choose to take the two separate, 3-unit courses, ENGL 836 and READ 836 you should take them together, if possible, in the same semester to prepare you for the next English course.

The next courses are the first transferable freshman composition courses: ENGL 100, Composition, or ENGL 105, Intensive Composition. You may take either course, but not both. ENGL 100 is offered three hours per week for three units of credit while ENGL 105 is offered five hours per week for four units of credit. (English 105 is designed for students who need or want more practice in writing.)

The two courses which follow are transferable, second-semester freshman composition courses: ENGL 110, Composition, Literature and Critical Thinking, and ENGL 165, Critical Thinking and Advanced Composition. Whether you take ENGL 110 or ENGL 165 depends on the requirements of the transfer institution.. Be sure to check with a counselor for specific transfer requirements.

Click on the button to review the sequence.

Are there other related courses that you can take?
Yes, other related courses are courses creative writing, grammar, journalism, literature, and college-level reading.

What if English is not your first language? Do you take this English placement test or another one?
It depends. A good question to ask yourself is how much education have you had in a native English-speaking environment. If you came to the United States when you were very young and went all through school here, you probably should take the English placement test. However, if you immigrated to the United States after you were grown and have not been here for very long, you probably should take the ESOL placement test. If you are not sure, you could check with the Matriculation Office, the Language Arts Division Office, or with a Skyline counselor.

If you take the ESOL placement test, the test scores will be used to place you in an ESOL class, an English course for speakers of other languages. If you take the English placement test, the test scores will be used to place you in an English course designed for native speakers of English.

After taking the English placement test, how do you decide which English course(s) to enroll in?
After you take the placement test and have received your scores, you should see a counselor who will help you select the best course for you. You may not be permitted to enroll in an English class without first taking a placement test that qualifies you to enroll in that course. If you try to register for a class without the right pre-requisites, your registration may be blocked. (The two classes that have pre-requisite computer-checking and blocked registration are ENGL 836 and ENGL 100.) If you try to add the class by going to class, the teacher will ask you to show how you have met the pre-requisites.

When and where can you take the placement test?
Go to the Matriculation Office for test schedules, repeating a placement test and equivalency for courses completed

Can anyone be excused from taking the English Placement tests?
Yes. Students who transfer to Skyline College after they have completed a course at another college that is equivalent to ENGL 826and READ 826, or ENGL 836 and READ 836, or ENGL 100 may fill out a course equivalency form, attach an unofficial academic transcript, and submit these for counselor review.

What can you do if you believe that the placement test scores do not accurately predict your preparedness for success in a particular English class?
You can go through the prerequisite challenge process.

How do you prepare for the English placement test?
Be well rested and give yourself enough time to arrive at the testing site so that you are in the right frame of mind to take the test. You may also review the
English Placement Test Sample Questions
ESOL Placement Test Sample Questions

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