<p>Hello, my son just took his placement tests today and failed the english and the math and I am freaking out right now because he has to take remedial classes. Entomom told me to come here possibly because you guys know.</p>
<p>He's attending San Diego Mesa College and on the paper that they gave him, it says
"M40: Take Math 84, 85, 96, or 98
R4: Enroll in English 48
W4: Enroll in English 49"
Told him that he can challenge the Mathematics and English chair if he feels that he doesn't belong in the remedial classes.</p>
<p>Called the Counselors office, they didn't help.
Wondering if you guys can, Are these short term classes? Do they give credit? Do these affect other classes? Anything he can do to get into the 100's classes? After completion, can he take classes that are counted as by the IGETC of SDCCD? What do I do?</p>
<p>These sound like regular semester long classes. If he passes them this fall, he can take classes that count toward IGETC in the Spring (I’m assuming those are the only remedial English classes he has to take). He’ll still be allowed to take other classes this fall that count towards IGETC.</p>
<p>If he failed the tests, he shouldn’t challenge them. Taking the remedial classes will prepare him to take the 100s level classes.</p>
<p>Shannon is correct, they’re regular term courses. They count for “credit”, but not IGETC/UC/CSU credit. They affect your son’s other classes only in that he will need English 100 to enroll in some classes. SOME, not all. There are plenty of courses that count for IGETC/UC/CSU credit. There should be handouts at his CC which outline the IGETC requirements. Compare it to his CC’s schedule of classes to see the all of the available classes for next term, as well as important info like prerequisites/corequisites, if it counts for UC/CSU credit, etc. Once your son takes the recommended courses, he can move onto the next English/Math level course. His CC will not let him take a higher level course until then.</p>
<p>I don’t think he should try to challenge the assessment tests recommendations, because they’re pretty spot-on. He should take whatever English has been recommended for him. It looks like he needs to take English 48 first, but check in his CC’s schedule of classes to see if the corequisite is English 49. If it is, he needs to take them in same term or have one already completed. As for the math, since he has multiple choices, he should try to create a plan of the next 2-3 years. What is the highest level of math he needs for his major? Look at those prerequisites and those courses’ prerequisites. I suggest him to take whatever remedial math class is closest to achieving those requirements.</p>
<p>The sky isn’t falling, most community college students take remedial classes. Unless he’s in a math heavy major, it shouldn’t be a problem since he will be able to take most classes required for his IGETC and/or major. He will just have to take a few more math/English classes. Remedial classes do not count for UC credit, nor will they be calculated into his GPA. They will not affect any of his other classes unless they have a specific math/english prerequisite, and even if they do, he can just start with his general education courses. Do not try to get a re-placement unless you know he scored far below his ability.</p>
<p>BUT remedial classes will still show on his transcript and will be used in other GPAs- such as overall GPA when applying to jobs and some grad and professional school applications. So he should still take these classes very seriously, or just take them P/NP (honestly, I would just do the latter).</p>
<p>agree with Shannon, definitely take P/NP. if he flunks the course it won’t hurt potential financial aid (often dependent on minimum gpa). I would say challenge if he scored borderline at a college level, but his scores must have been low because those are remedial classes. most schools allow one retake, it wouldn’t hurt if he thinks he can do better.</p>
<p>I attended Mesa college too before I transfer. If I remember correctly, the full score is 5, so your son just need to take one semester of reading, writing and math class, and he will be free to proceed with his transfer preparation classes. It is really not that big of a deal.</p>
<p>I don’t know how it works at that college but for the community college I attended I had failed the math portion of my placement tests, went back later on and killed them by testing into Calculus. Honestly, the proper review if your child has taken the courses before will save you money and time in the long-run. I did not want to go through Pre-Algebra and up again by wasting my time getting more unmotivated by being surrounded by people bad at math.</p>
<p>If it was the COMPASS exam, I would suggest going through Khan Academy (Developmental Math and up) and using [Virtual</a> Math Lab - College Algebra](<a href=“http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/col_algebra/index.htm]Virtual”>Virtual Math Lab - College Algebra) to get somewhat familiar with College Algebra. I did every practice problem I could find and intensely worked hard for a couple weeks before I retook the exam to do well. I do have other resources listed in a word file if that was the exam they used.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t consider what I did as the norm (only 3% tested into Calc) so it may be worth it to retake those classes and build a good foundation. However, it’s pretty easy to do well if you do some intense review.</p>
<p>Hi, I’m looking for recommendations or reviews for a study guide for the COMPASS test for my daughter. She is looking at the book by Trivium Test Prep; has anyone used this study guide? Is it worth it? Were the practice questions representative of what you saw on the actual exam?</p>
<p>Yes, I do have experience with Trivium Test Prep study guides and can vouch they are excellent resources. I do not have experience with their COMPASS exam specifically, but rather the ACCUPLACER (which is similar content as far as level of difficulty and materials tested). I’d say that their study guides are well worth it and as you asked, yes, the practice questions are VERY accurate for what you can expect to see on the actual exam.</p>