ASSET/COMPASS Placement Assessment
Effective Fall 2010 RCC will require placement assessment prior to registering for courses.
What are the placement assessment hours?
Assessment is available at two locations, Asheboro and Archdale.
The Asheboro Campus assessment is conducted on a walk-in or first-come, first-served basis. Students may walk-in for testing Monday & Tuesday from 1-3 p.m.,Wednesday from 1-7 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. If you are taking all three parts of the assessment (reading, math and writing), you must begin your test no later than 3 p.m. on Monday & Tuesday and no later than 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
Asheboro Campus Assessment Center
336-633-0200
The Archdale Center assesment requires an appointment. The appointment times are 8:30 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. on an alternating schedule every Tuesday.
Archdale Center Assessment Center
336-862-7980What is ASSET/COMPASS?
ASSET/COMPASS is a series of short placement assessments covering the areas of English, reading, and mathematics developed by American College Testing (ACT).
Who Takes ASSET/COMPASS?
All students applying for an associate degree or diploma program at Randolph Community College are required to take the ASSET/COMPASS assessment unless determined to be exempt*. Possible exemptions are listed below.
1. Students who have attended another accredited postsecondary institution and have earned credit for
• entry-level English composition (exempt from Reading and Writing Skills),
• math (exempt from Numerical Skills), or
• college algebra (exempt from Numerical Skills, Elementary & Intermediate Algebra).
2. RCC will accept ASSET/COMPASS, SAT, ACT or Accuplacer assessment scores from another school taken within a three-year period. These scores should be received prior to assessments taken on this campus.
3. Students who have taken the SAT within the last three years will be placed into appropriate college-level English and math courses if their scores are
• 480R (new score) or above on the verbal portion (exempt from Reading Skills),
• 480W (new score) or above on the writing portion (exempt from Writing Skills),
• 480 (new score) or above on math portion (exempt from Numerical Skills & Elementary Algebra), or
• 520 (new score) or above on math portion (exempt from all developmental math requirements).
*The Cosmetology certificate also requires placement assessment.
When Do You Need to Take ASSET/COMPASS?
Students required to take ASSET/COMPASS must do so before they register for their first semester at RCC. Students required to take the placement assessment and unable to be assessed before the term begins will not be able to register.
Why Do You Need to Take ASSET/COMPASS?
RCC counselors and advisors use assessment scores as an evaulation of an applicant’s skill level in reading, English, and math. Students’ scores on ASSET and COMPASS determine placement into or exemption from Developmental Education courses. The assessment scores for exemption from Developmental Education courses follow:
Developmental Studies Course
ASSET Test
COMPASS Test
ENG 085 Reading & Writing Foundations ENG 090 Composition Strategies MAT 060 Essential Mathematics MAT 070 Introductory Algebra MAT 080 Intermediate Algebra RED 090 Improved College Reading *Indicates combined scores of reading and writing. Retest Procedure
Retesting is allowed in many community colleges in North Carolina. At RCC, a student may retest one time. He/she may not retest after enrolling in the Developmental Studies course(s) recommended by the original test score. Students must wait at least two weeks from the original test date before retesting. Students must successfully complete their Developmental Studies course work before enrolling in English and/or math classes required for their program. Should a student be required to enroll in ENG 085, an additional retest may be given after successful completion of ENG 085.
Special Needs & Accommodations for Testing
Assessment accommodations for students with special needs are available upon advance request and with appropriate documentation. Contact the disability counselor at 336-633-0246 before scheduling placement testing.
