Placement

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College Readiness

Students participate in a Guided Self-Placement Process with an advisor or co-advisor. During this, high school GPA and/or the year a student has last attended high school helps indicate initial placement into courses.

MATH102 Introduction to Technical Math and BUSN 177 Business Math may be taken without a support course regardless of GPA or years out of high school.

If the student has been out of high school for more than 10 years and/or has a GPA of 2.49 or lower, the following gateway courses, combined with a support course, will be recommended.

English:

  • ENGL 098C Rhetoric and Composition Support and ENGL 101 Rhetoric and Composition with Support

Math, depending on major:

  • MATH 095C Intermediate Algebra Support and MATH 105 Intermediate Algebra with Support
  • MATH 097C Liberal Arts Mathematics Support and MATH 107 Liberal Arts Mathematics with Support

A student may also be encouraged to take a free Bay College assessment such as Accuplacer or ALEKS to further the discussion about academic preparedness and courses most likely to result in success.

If the student has been out of school for less than 10 years and has a GPA or 2.5 or higher, the following gateway courses will be recommended.

English:

  • ENGL 101 Rhetoric and Composition

Math, depending on major:

  • MATH 105 Intermediate Algebra
  • MATH 107 Liberal Arts Mathematics

Dual Enrollment and Early College students will be placed into courses based on PSAT, SAT, and ACT. GPA will not be used for placement unless they are Early Middle College students going into their 5th year.

Although a 2.5 GPA qualifies a student for MATH 105 or MATH 107, placement into a higher-level math course requires an appropriate score on the ACT, SAT, ALEKS, or transfer credit of a qualifying course.

To make an appointment in the Testing Center, contact the following:

Becky Landenberger
Testing Services Manager
906-217-4035
Email%20Becky


Placement Guide

Bay College uses computerized assessment tools to determine academic preparedness and satisfy prerequisites. These tools are free to Bay College students. The results are used to place students in the appropriate classes. Students should review the Placement for Success table to determine course placement.

Placement can also be completed by sending official college transcripts. Courses with a minimum grade of “C” in the equivalent of a college-level freshman composition course and a college-level algebra course, based on official documentation will waive the coordinating placement requirement. Please send official transcripts to:

Bay College Admissions Office
2001 N. Lincoln Road
Escanaba, MI 49829
(Fax) 906-217-1714
email%20Admissions%20Office


Math Assessment

ALEKS is the assessment tool used to determine placement in Math. The online ALEKS Placement Assessment covers material from basic math through pre-calculus and is designed to determine what you know. We want you to start in the math course that best fits your skill level, while keeping you on track to complete your degree. Being placed in a class that is below your skill level could delay your time to graduation and result in unnecessary tuition. To prepare for the test, you can use the resources listed in the "Take Math First" brochure below. You may also visit the ALEKS website to sign up for a free trial.

ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, you may not use a calculator. There is no time limit on any of our placement tests. However, on average, each test can take one to two hours but differs from student to student. For additional questions regarding Placement Tests or placement preparation, email Bay College Testing%20Services or call 906-217-4035.


English, Reading and Writing Assessment

The ACCUPLACER is the placement tool used to help determine academic readiness in English, Writing and Reading. This program uses a multiple-choice format with computer-adaptive technology (except for WritePlacer, the written essay assessment). Questions are presented based on individual skill level. Response to each question drives the difficulty level of the next question. It’s important to give each question as much thought as possible before selecting an answer.

Students who wish to take ACCUPLACER elsewhere and send Bay College the scores should note that Bay College uses the "Next Generation Reading" and "WritePlacer" assessments


Studying for the ACCUPLACER

There is no time limit on either of the Accuplacer placement tests. However, on average each test can take one to two hours but differs from student to student. For additional questions regarding Placement Tests or placement preparation, email Bay College Testing%20Services or call 906-217-4035.

Use the following link to look up practice resources to help prepare for the test and to review your Accuplacer Score Report: Accuplacer Student Portal

  1. Take the ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension Practice Test.
  2. Take the WritePlacer Essay Guide (Plan, write, proofread, and submit your essay; Aim for at least 4 paragraphs, but 5 paragraphs are ideal (your introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs for each of your three examples, and your concluding paragraph).
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