Placement Testing

All new students to Antioch College, including those who transfer, are required to take placement assessments in Writing, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages during new student orientation, unless granted an exemption from one or more of these assessments. Placement assessment results are used to determine course placement upon enrolling in classes at Antioch College and to determine if students have any special needs for supplemental instruction and support (through tutoring and/or additional courses). Students who may be exempt from taking the placement tests will be informed of their status during orientation.

Exemption from placement testing in Foreign Languages is only granted for students who intend to enroll in the lowest-level language course available (Language 101), or for students with documented learning challenges related to foreign languages. Any student who wishes to begin in a higher language course must take the language placement exam. All students are encouraged to take the language placement exam.

Students without transfer credit or sufficiently high scores in AP or IB(HL) exams will be required to take a math placement assessment when they arrive on campus. Students with transfer credit may still need to take the math placement assessment if they intend to take a quantitative course that is at a higher level than the one for which they receive credit. Based on the math placement assessment, the student will be recommended for placement into MATH 090 or a college-level math course. Placement testing does not exempt students from any part of the quantitative requirement, but determines the appropriate place to start. Students who demonstrate the need for more preparation before enrolling in a target math course will be placed into MATH 090, a course in which students improve their math skills with the goal of a higher placement. If a student is placed into MATH 090, they must complete it in the Fall or Winter term of their first year. Completion of MATH 090 with a grade P (passing) allows the student to enroll in a college-level math course at a level supported by the placement assessment taken in MATH 090. However, MATH 090 does not satisfy the Quantitative Requirement of general education.

Students without transfer credit or minimum scores on the ACT, SAT, or AP exams will be required to take a writing assessment when they arrive on campus. Students will write a short essay that will be evaluated by faculty for clarity, organization, grammar and mechanics, logic, and strength of claims. The essay is scored using the Liberal Arts Learning Outcomes rubric for Written Communication. Based on the score, the student will be recommended for placement into ENG 101 or ENG 105. Placement testing does not exempt students from any part of the writing requirement, but determines the appropriate place to start. Students who demonstrate the need for more intensive writing instruction will be placed into ENG 101, a course that requires participation in a writing lab. If a student is placed into ENG 101, they must complete it fall term of their first year. Completion of ENG 101 with a grade C or higher satisfies the first component of the writing requirement. Students may also be placed into ENG 105, which is a standard English composition course (no extra tutoring). Successful completion of ENG 105 requires a grade of C or higher and meets the first part of the writing requirement.

Official transcripts and exam scores must be received and accepted by Antioch College prior to the first day of new student orientation for exemption consideration. Students who submit transcripts during or after new student orientation will be required to take the placement assessment in Writing, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages. The score received on the assessment will be the only consideration of course placement at Antioch, even if transcripts and/ or standardized exam scores are presented to the College any time during or after new student orientation. This includes any time after matriculation has been established at Antioch College.