Placement Procedures
Math and English Placement Changes
California has a new law (AB 705) that requires community college districts to increase the chances that a student will enroll and complete transfer-level coursework in Math and English within one year. COS will no longer depend on testing to determine class placement. Instead, assessment measures that include high school performance (i.e. GPA, course grades, advanced coursework) will be used in course placement. Full implementation of the new placement rule will begin at COS in spring 2019 for English, and summer 2019 for mathematics.
The goal of AB 705 is to ensure that students are not obligated to take below transfer-level English and Math courses that may delay or deter their educational progress. However, if evidence suggests they are highly unlikely to succeed in the transfer-level course, students may choose to take below transfer-level courses, if available.
COS shall use evidence-based multiple measures for placing students into English-as-a-second language (ESL) coursework. For those students enrolling into credit ESL coursework, their placement should maximize the probability that they will complete degree and transfer requirements in English within three years.
What This Means For You...
- You will no longer need to take a Math and English placement test.
- You will now be placed in Math and English courses based on your high school GPA, course grades, and advanced coursework.
- You will be able to register into transfer-level Math and English courses (corequisite support course may be required. See information below).
- You may choose to take a below transfer-level, if available, but you will not be required to do so.
- For specific placement information and answers to frequently asked questions, go to the Math Placement, English Placement, and ESL Placement tabs above.
What is a Corequisite Support Course?
Depending on your high school GPA, course grades, or coursework, you may be required to take a corequisite support course in conjunction with the transfer-level Math or English course. A corequisite support course is designed to complement the Math or English course to provide additional instruction, practice, and/or academic support.
For example, if you place in English with corequisite support, you will have to register for both the ENGL 001 course and the ENGL 301 corequisite support course. The ENGL 301 corequisite support course will be with the same instructor as the ENGL 001 course. It is important that you allow time for both courses.
To find the corresponding corequisite support course, see animation below:
What if I Pass the Parent Course but Fail the Corequisite Support Course?
If you pass the parent course but fail the corequisite support course, you do not have to retake the corequisite support course. However, it may affect your overall GPA.
Math Placement
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF MATH COURSES AND DESCRIPTIONS, VISIT: MATH COURSES
Has the math sequence changed?
YES! All students will be eligible to enroll in a transfer-level math course their first semester, though some may be required to take a co-requisite support course.
- MATH 005 Modern Mathematics, MATH 010 Structure and Concepts 1, MATH 021 Introduction to Statistics, and MATH 044 College Algebra are the appropriate entry-level transfer courses for liberal arts majors.
- B-STEM (Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) students, depending on their high school preparations, will begin in MATH 035 Precalculus A, MATH 054 Precalculus B, or MATH 065 Calculus 1.
- Students who did not complete Integrated Math 3 or Algebra 2 in high school will begin in MATH 035 Precalculus A (possibly with support).
- Students who completed Integrated Math 3 or Algebra 2 in high school will begin in MATH 054 Precalculus B.
- Students who completed Precalculus in high school or were enrolled in AP Calculus in high school will begin in MATH 065 Calculus 1.
The new math course sequences are illustrated below:
How will students be placed into math courses starting Summer 2024 and beyond?
Effective Summer 2024, math placement will be determined by a student’s high school performance and overall high school GPA.
- Placement into MATH 010 Structure and Concepts 1, MATH 021 Introduction to Statistics, MATH 005 Modern Mathematics, and MATH 044 College Algebra will be determined by a student’s high school GPA
- Placement into MATH 035 Precalculus A, MATH 054 Precalculus B, and MATH 065 Calculus 1 will be determined by a combination of a student’s high school GPA and the highest math course taken in high school
The grid below illustrates placement criteria effective Summer 2024:
| If you are eligible for... | You are also eligible for... | Provided... |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 065 |
MATH 070 MATH 005 MATH 044 with or without MATH 344 |
|
| MATH 035 |
MATH 010 with or without MATH 310 MATH 005 MATH 044 with or without MATH 344 |
|
| MATH 035 + MATH 335 |
MATH 010 with or without MATH 310 MATH 005 MATH 044 with or without MATH 344 |
MATH 010 without MATH 310 or MATH 044 without MATH 344 |
| MATH 010 or MATH 021 |
MATH 010 with MATH 310 MATH 021 with MATH 321 MATH 005 MATH 004 with MATH 344 |
|
| Parent Course | Corequisite Support Course |
|---|---|
| MATH 010 | MATH 310 |
| MATH 021 | MATH 321 |
| MATH 035 | MATH 335 |
| MATH 044 | MATH 344 |
What is MATH 035?
MATH 035 Precalculus A is a new math course. It is a CSU transferable math course that covers topics from pre-calculus excluding those related to trigonometric functions and is aligned with C-ID MATH 151. MATH 035 will serve as one potential starting point for students with a B-STEM major. The content of MATH 035 and MATH 054 roughly equate to the content of MATH 070, providing two pathways to MATH 065 for students coming to COS with different levels of preparation.
What is MATH 005?
MATH 005 Modern Mathematics is a new math course designed to provide students with a positive and relevant experience in a general education math course and is intended to serve students in non-B-Stem majors who are not required to take MATH 021 Introduction to Statistics. MATH 005 will provide students an overview of many relevant math topics including statistics, probability, finance, and the mathematics of social choice. The course is CSU transferable and is being proposed for CSU GE area B4.
What is MATH 044?
MATH 044 College Algebra is a new math course and would be an appropriate starting point for students who wish to pursue a B-STEM major, but did not have adequate high school preparation in math. It can also serve as a college algebra course for non-B-STEM majors. This course is aligned with C-ID MATH 150. MATH 044 is CSU transferable and is being proposed for CSU GE area B4 and UC transfer.
What are MATH 321, MATH 310, MATH 335, and MATH 344?
MATH 321 is a concurrent support course for MATH 021. Each section of MATH 321 will be linked to a specific section of MATH 021. Students with a high school GPA less than 3.0 will be required to enroll in both MATH 021 and its corequisite course, MATH 321. Not all sections of MATH 021 will have a support course. Students with above a 3.0 high school GPA can self-select to take MATH 021 with or without MATH 321. The content of MATH 321 will be tailored to the needs of the students enrolled in that particular MATH 021/MATH 321 cohort. The course will focus on necessary algebra skills sequenced to best support MATH 021 as well as material to help students develop other necessary academic skills to help lead to college success.
Similarly...
- MATH 310 is a concurrent support course for MATH 010
- MATH 335 is a concurrent support course for MATH 035
- MATH 344 is a concurrent support course for MATH 044
The above questions are specific to COS and math courses. For a more general set of questions concerning AB 705, see the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office FAQ.
English Placement
At COS, our goal is to help you complete your English requirements as quickly and successfully as possible. Research shows that the best way to predict who will succeed in college English is by looking at high school GPA and coursework. These factors are the best way to decide how much support you will need.
Note: While ENGL 001 is open to high school seniors in dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment programs, COS does not offer ENGL 301 to high school students. Research also shows that taking a course below your placement level can make you much less likely to complete transfer-level English within one year. We strongly recommend all students take the highest placement level for which they are eligible.
English as a Second Language Placement
Finding the right ESL or English class for you is easy. There is no test for you to take. There are just three steps:
- Answer some questions about your previous studies and your English skills.
- Look at examples of other students' writing and decide which one matches your ability.
- Look at descriptions of the different ESL/English class levels and choose the best level for you.
After you complete those 3 steps, you will get a recommendation of which class you should take.
On your first day of class, the teacher will confirm that you are in the best class for you. If there is a better level for you, the teacher will let you know.
