ACCUPLACER OverviewKansas Board of

Regents August 28, 2015

What is ACCUPLACER?A program from College Board that provides:

+ Rigorous, reliable, and valid test content- Placement testing- Diagnostic testing

+ A robust test delivery platform- Internet-based- Continuous enhancement

+ An array of services- Consulting- Professional Development- Technical Support

Who does ACCUPLACER serve?

Over 1300 secondary and post-secondary institutions

Institutions served:+ 2 year+ 4 year+ High schools

+ 8 million exams administered in academic year 2014-15

Widely used in:+ Arizona, Alaska,

California, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia

+ Used in every state in US+ Used in 29 countries

Test takers:+ High school

students+ College students+ ESL/ELL student+ Ability to Benefit

students+ Workforce

Development Programs

Primary Uses of ACCUPLACER Tests The primary function of the ACCUPLACER Placement Tests

are to assist with determining if students are prepared for a college-level course or if they would benefit from a developmental course.

ACCUPLACER Tests

General Tests• Reading Comprehension (20)

• Sentence Skills (20)

• Elementary Algebra (12)

• College Level Math• WritePlacer

ESL Suite• Reading Skills (20)

• Sentence Meaning (20)

• Language Usage (20)

• Listening (20)

• WritePlacer ESL(20)

HEd Course Placement Policies/Scores• + Given that institutions differ greatly with respect to

composition of the student body, faculty and course content, it is not possible to stipulate specific test cut scores that should be used for placement decisions.

• + Instead, each institution should establish their own cut scores to facilitate placement decisions based on factors and data unique to their institution.

• + Course Placement scores appropriate for each program should be considered

• + The College Board strongly recommends that multiple measures be used when placing students.

ACCUPLACERThe Basics

ACCUPLACER Basics…+ Computer Adaptive Testing

Fixed length tests which meet the student at their ability level

+ Configurable Branching Profiles Which tests will be given, under what conditions, background questions

+ Configurable Placement Rules – Including Composite Scores Place students into courses with specific program messages

Decreased Difficulty

Increased Difficulty

Middle Difficulty

Score is calculated and the next best item is selected based on:• Difficulty

• Content• Test

Specifications

Delivers a customized testing experience by using prior answers to estimate which items the student is likely to answer successfully.

Computer Adaptive Testing

ACCUPLACERBeyond the Basics

Robust Support of Multiple Measures

Placement

Background Questions

Test Scores

External Data

• Did you take Algebra in High School?

• How often do you use math in your life outside of school?

• ACT or SAT Scores

• High School GPA

ACCUPLACERTest Content

Language Arts: ReadingReading ComprehensionPlacement content categories are:

• Identifying Main Ideas• Secondary / Supporting Idea• Inference• Applications• Sentence Relationships

Each student is administered a totalof 20 items for placement

Language Arts: Writing

Sentence SkillsPlacement content categories are:

• Recognizing Complete Sentences• Coordination/Subordination• Sentence Relationship

Each student is administered a totalof 20 items for placement

Language Arts: Writing Essay

WritePlacer8 point holistic scoring guide, 6 dimensions

• Purpose and Focus• Organization and Structure• Development and Support•Sentence Variety and Style•Mechanical Conventions•Critical Thinking

Fourteen prompts available

WritePlacer/WritePlacer ESL

Structure

- Students construct essay in response to provided prompt. Scored immediately by IEA system.

Benefits

- Immediate scores

- Reduced costs

- Decreased faculty/student time

- Ease of use

- Distance/remote delivery

Mathematics: Elementary Algebra

Elementary AlgebraPlacement content categories are:

•Integers and Rationals• Algebraic Expressions•Equations, Inequalities, and Word Problems

Each student is administered a total of 12 items for placement

Mathematics: College Level Math

College-Level MathPlacement content categories are:

• Algebraic Operations• Solutions of Equations and

Inequalities• Coordinate Geometry• Applications and Other Algebra

Topics• Functions• Trigonometry

Each student is administered a total of 20 items (placement test only)

ESL Placement Tests

Language Use•Grammar

Sentence Meaning• Vocabulary in context

Reading Skills•Passage-Based - reading

comprehension

Listening• Conversations and lectures

ESL WritePlacer• 6 point holistic

scoring guide• 4 dimensions• Word use• Sentence Use• Grammar• Organization

and DevelopmentEach student is administered a total of 20 items for each ESL section.

ESL Writeplacer has six prompts available.

Student Engagement and Intervention

Web Study App: Free to All Students

Remediation Planner Design Instruction

ACCUPLACER andAbility to Benefit

40

ACCUPLACER is Approved…

Your Institution’s Account for Placement

+ Completely customize to meet your institution’s needs

+ Develop your placement policy

+ Control test branching and course placement

College Board’s ATB Account+ Turnkey account

+ Use for ATB only

+ Requires passing a proctor certification test

+ No setup or customization allowed or required

Per the Department Of Education, ACCUPLACER* continues to be an approved Ability to Benefit (ATB) test.

* Currently does not include ACCUPLACER ESL or state-specific assessments.

Questions and Thank You!Kathie Montognese

kmontognese@collegeboard.org