Accuplacer
New students can find out what classes and programs are best tailored to their individual needs with the Oglala Lakota College Placement Assessment, or Accuplacer.
The Accuplacer Exam
The Accuplacer Exam investigates
the following elements:
Next-Generation Reading assesses the test-taker’s ability to derive meaning from a range of texts and determine the meaning of words and phrases in short and extended contexts. Passages on the test cover a range of content areas, writing modes, and complexities. Both single and paired passages are included.
Four broad knowledge and skills categories are assessed:
- Information and Ideas
- Rhetoric
- Synthesis
- Vocabulary
Next-Generation Writing evaluates a test-taker’s ability to revise and edit multi-paragraph text.
Questions cover two broad knowledge and skills categories:
- Expression of Ideas
- Standard English Conventions
Next-Generation Arithmetic focuses on computation, order of operations, estimation and rounding, comparing and ordering values in different formats, and recognizing equivalent values across formats.
The following knowledge and skills categories are assessed:
- Information and Ideas
- Rhetoric
- Synthesis
- Vocabulary
Next-Generation Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS) assesses the following knowledge and skills:
- Rational Numbers
- Ratio and Proportional Relationships
- Exponents
- Algebraic Expressions
- Linear Equations
- Linear Applications and Graphs
- Probability Sets
- Geometry Concepts
OLC Placement Assessment
Oglala Lakota College requires all new students to take the “OLC Placement” assessment (Reading Comprehension & Sentence Skills and Mathematics) to determine placement. The institution accepts the 10.1 equivalency in reading comprehension. The OLC Placement range for reading 10.1 includes the “Reading Comprehension” cut score of 241 on the Next Generation Accuplacer. To be eligible for the Foundational Studies Scholarship, must meet the following cut scores:
- 241 for Reading Comprehension
- 234 for Elementary Algebra
Entering students whose scores do not meet the listed cut scores for 093 level placement will register in the College Academy of Readiness Fall/Spring (CARF) courses that will prepare them for college courses. Students whose scores require Foundational Studies placement into RW093 Basic English II may concurrently enroll ONLY in the following college-level courses for two semesters. The following list of courses is recommended as these courses fulfill degree requirements and supplemental core learning abilities.
- Math 093 Basic Math II
- Lak 103 Lakota Language I
- Lak 233 Lakota Language II
- LArt 103 Lakota Traditional Art I
- LArt 113 Lakota Traditional Art II
- Art 103 Drawing I
- Art 133 Introduction to Watercolor
- Hum 143 Art Appreciation
- OED 103 Computer Basics (Vocational Education)
- CS 103 Ethics in the Workplace (Vocational Education)
Students placed in Foundational Studies courses may enroll in no more than 12 total credit hours, including the Foundational Studies courses. All new students who are placed into RW 093 must achieve the required benchmark within two semesters. Students who do not achieve the benchmark at each level after the second attempt at each course level will not be allowed to register the following semester for classes until they meet the 15-hour tutoring requirement or enrollment into the Summer Academy. Students must log in 15 hours of tutoring time before they can return to the same course level. Students are responsible for documenting the required 15 hours of tutoring. Students will obtain the Foundational Studies tutoring log at each college center. The completed form can be turned into the Foundational Studies Director during registration in order to register for courses each semester. These students may be at risk for not being able to continue and will be placed on Remedial Warning status and can only test one additional time prior to registering again. Referral to Voc-Ed may be needed.
Transfer Students
Transfer students who do not have approved transfer college credit for Composition I and Elementary Algebra must complete the college readiness assessment.
Readmission Students
If a student has dropped out for more than two semesters and has not taken Engl103 or Math103, the student must complete the college readiness assessment. OLC Placement Assessment Procedure Students must complete the following:
- Admission application,
- Complete foundational studies review packet
- Have an active OLC student ID
- Schedule an appointment to meet with proctor for the assessment
Foundational Studies courses do not count toward total credit hour requirements for graduation. COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM The course numbering system for OLC is designed to indicate the level of difficulty of courses offered at the College.
- The prefixes indicate the subject area of a particular course. For example: Lak - Lakota Studies.
- The first number indicates the academic level of the course: 0 - developmental courses 1 - freshman courses 2 - sophomore courses 3 - junior courses 4 - senior courses 5-7 - master’s level courses
- The second number indicates the sequence of courses.
- The third number indicates the number of credits for the course. Zero (0) is used for courses which have variable credit.
- L is the first letter of all Lakota Studies Department courses. The letters which follow indicate the academic discipline. For example: LSoc indicates a Lakota Studies course which is also a sociology course.
NEW STUDENT ENTRANCE PROCESS
- All new students (including transfer students) must fill out an admission form for the registrar. Then the student will be issued an ID number. The ID number will be used to register the student for classes. Students must submit complete application with supporting documents prior to admission (see OLC Policy 80-300). All new students must provide copies of their high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) and Degree of Indian Blood (DIB) to the registrar. Those students who are transferring from another institution must provide college transcripts as well as a diploma and DIB.
- All new students (including transfer students without English or Reading credits) must complete the computerized Placement test. The results of these placement tests will determine if they will be referred to the College Academy of Readiness Summer program (CARS) or the College Academy of Readiness fall and spring program (CARF), are eligible for the Foundational Studies program-level courses (093) or can take college level courses without restrictions (see Foundational Studies, page 41 of the catalog).
- Point of entry for Oglala Lakota College is in 093 level or higher courses. Students whose scores indicated a need for Foundational Studies instruction prior to entering college level courses shall register in the appropriate Foundational Studies course. Students may enroll in no more than 12 credit hours, including the Foundational Studies courses. A student may not register for college level courses (except as indicated below) until he/she has attained a 10.1 grade reading comprehension level, as measured by the approved test. Developmental courses do not count toward total credit hour requirements. The following table illustrates what program the student’s eligible after completion of the placement test.
- Students are required to take the course in which they place within 2 semesters or subject to retesting.
- Engl 103 Composition I is a college-level core requirement which all students must take for any degree program. This course is designed to improve reading, study skills and writing needed for college success.
- Math 103 is a required course for many Associate level degree programs. It is also the pre-requisite course for Math 134 Intermediate Algebra, the minimum core mathematics requirement for Baccalaureate programs.
The Foundational Studies Department has partnered with the Community/Continuing Education Department to offer the 083 A/B levels. These courses will be offered in every center and the courses are Non-Pell eligible. These courses do not count toward the students’ overall pace of progression or cumulative hours attempted. Foundational Studies Program.
Point of Entry
If a student is placed in the RW 093 Foundational Studies courses, the student is only permitted to register for the following additional courses:
- Math 093 Basic Math II
- Lak 103 Lakota Language I
- Lak 233 Lakota Language II
- LArt 103 Traditional Lakota Art I
- LArt 113 Traditional Lakota Art II
- Art103 Drawing I
- Art 133 Introduction to Watercolor
- Hum 143 Art Appreciation
- OEd 103 Computer Basics (Vocational Education)
- CS 103 Ethics in the Workplace (Vocational Education)
Students may not register for more than 12 credit hours per semester. Upon successful completion of RW 093, the student is free to register for any courses in his/her program of study. Math course may be taken in sequence once placement is determined. Students who do not achieve the 10.1 reading grade level after the second attempt at RW 093 level will not be allowed to register the following semester for classes until they meet the 15 hours tutoring requirement, or successful completion of the College Academy of Readiness Program. Students must log in 15 hours of tutoring time before they can return to the same course level. Students are responsible for documenting the required 15 hours of tutoring time. Students can obtain the Foundational Studies tutoring log at each college center. The completed form can be turned into the Foundational Studies Director during registration in order to register for courses each semester by email of fax 455-2226. Students, who cannot attain college readiness tests scores in reading comprehension after having taken developmental courses twice, will be referred to other services and cannot register for fully credited college courses. Foundational Studies Courses do not count toward total credit hour requirements for the degree program chosen by the student.