Office of Academic Affairs

The Office of Student Assessment and Testing (OSAT)

The Office of Student Assessment and Testing (OSAT) is responsible for ensuring that all students entering Hostos Community College meet the skills proficiency requirements of the City University of New York (CUNY). To meet these requirements, students must demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics either by taking and passing the CUNY Skills Tests in those areas or by being exempt (see below for details on exemptions). Based on their performance on those tests (or their exemptions) students are placed into the appropriate courses when they first enroll at Hostos. These courses can include college-level and/or remedial/developmental courses in the three skills areas. OSA works with the academic departments in placement process.

OSA also maintains the student records from all CUNY skills tests students take while at Hostos. OSA also transfers test scores to other CUNY colleges when requested by transferring students.

OSA also administers the tests necessary for students to take as part of the ability to benefit testing requirement for TAP. (This is discussed in detail, below.)

Finally, OSA administers the CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) at Hostos. This and the other testing activities and requirements are discussed in detail in the sections below.

Since OSA is responsible for implementing the policies and procedures of the CUNY testing program at Hostos, students are urged to visit OSA if they have any questions in this regard. The office is located in Room B-207 and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Students are also advised to visit the CUNY website for the most up-to-date information on testing policies, requirements, and procedures. The address is: http://www1.cuny.edu/academics/oaa/testing.html

General Information and Policies

Overview

As a branch of CUNY, all students entering Hostos Community College are required to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics. Students can do this in several ways: scoring above 480 on the SAT in reading, writing, and/or mathematics; scoring 75 or higher on the appropriate Regents examination; or taking and passing proficiency tests in basic skills. Students are strongly encouraged to visit the testing section of the CUNY website for the most current information on CUNY’s testing policies. The web address is: www.cuny.edu/oaa/testing.html. In addition, students entering Hostos are required to take a brief Spanish placement test.

Students are NOT permitted to register for courses without taking the required placement tests or showing proof of exemptions from testing (see below). Students registering as non-degree students may register for courses that do not require prior skills test placement. However, prior to becoming matriculated degree students, non-degree students must take the skills tests or show proof of exemptions.

Entering Freshmen

Results of CUNY and Hostos tests are used to determine placement into the appropriate level of classes in reading, writing, ESL, mathematics, Spanish, or foreign language.

Students who are placed in remedial or developmental courses will have an opportunity to retake the CUNY skills tests after successfully completing those courses. Students should consult with an academic advisor or counselor to ensure that they meet the progress requirements of specific majors.

Testing for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with disabilities may be eligible for accommodations on CUNY Placement tests, Retests and the CPE exam. Students must be registered with the college’s Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) which will certify eligibility and coordinate accommodations with the Assessment Office. For further information contact the SSWD at 718-518-4454 and visit the office’s website for additional important information; www.hostos.cuny.edu/sswd

Transfer Students

Students who are transferring from a college outside of CUNY may need to take some or all of the placement tests.

Students transferring from another CUNY college must have their skills test results transmitted to the Office of Student Assessment through the University’s U.A.P.C. system. CUNY regulations prohibit the acceptance of skills test scores in the form of paper transcripts or records. Students whose testing records are incomplete are directed to contact the CUNY college from which they are transferring to have their test records updated in U.A.P.C. Students should also be aware that passing a remedial/ developmental course in another college is not the same as passing the associated CUNY skills test.

Students who are re-admitting to CUNY after a period of not being enrolled may retake their CUNY skills tests, if those tests not passed were taken at least three years prior to the term of re-admission. Placement will be made based on the most current test scores provided.

Students transferring from colleges outside of CUNY must take the reading, writing, and mathematics skills assessment tests, unless they have an exemption. (See below.)

Exemptions from Testing

Entering students may be exempt from the reading and writing skills tests if they achieve a score of 480 or above on the verbal part of the SAT, 20 or above on the ACT, or 75 or above on the English Language Arts Regents. Similarly, students may be exempt from the mathematics skills test if they achieve a score of 480 or above on the mathematics part of the SAT, 20 or above on the ACT, or 75 or above on any of the following Regents examinations: Sequential II, Sequential III, Math A, or Mathematics B.

However, students entering with an exemption in mathematics must still take the CUNY Mathematics Skills Test for placement purposes, only, to ensure appropriate placement into mathematics courses.

Students who have already earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited college may also be exempt from testing. Determination of this exemption is made by the CUNY Office of Admissions Services. Students with the bachelor’s degree exemption will still be tested in mathematics for placement purposes. Students whose degree is from an institution in which the language was other than English may also be tested in reading and writing for placement purposes. Students who have earned 45 or more credits from a college or university outside of CUNY may also be exempt from testing. These students will also be tested in mathematics for placement purposes. In addition, if the language of instruction at the previous college was not English, the student may also be tested in reading and writing for placement purposes.

All exemptions from testing MUST be requested at the time the student applies for admission to Hostos Community College, either as an entering freshman or as a transfer student. Requests for exemptions at a later date will not be honored. Students should discuss all requests for testing exemptions with an admissions counselor when they apply to the college.

As progress in certain career programs is measured by scores on the skills assessment test, it may be advisable for students who are exempt from testing to take the tests to determine the appropriate course sequences for them.

CUNY Testing Requirements for Graduation

In order to graduate from a community college in CUNY, all students must pass the reading and writing tests. Certain degree programs also require passing the CUNY Mathematics Skills test. Students should seek detailed information from their academic advisors about other graduation requirements for their major.

CUNY Proficiency Examination

All students, regardless of when they first entered CUNY, are required to take and pass the CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) to graduate from Hostos Community College. Students are required to take the CPE after they have earned their 45th credit. Students have the option to take the CPE in the term in which they reach their 45th credit. The CPE is currently administered four times a year: January, March, July, and October.

The CPE tests students' ability to understand and think critically about ideas and information, and to write clearly, logically and correctly at a level associated with success in upper-division courses. The CPE contains two tasks: Analytic Reading and Writing; and Analyzing Integrating Material from Graphs and Texts. Students are provided with complete information when they register for the CPE.

Students may take the CPE three times in order to pass it. Students who do not take the CPE when they are required to do so forfeit that opportunity to take the test.

Students who fail or are absent from the CPE three times are not permitted to register at the College. These students may petition the CPE Appeals Committee to take the test a fourth time. If permission is granted for a fourth chance to take the CPE and the student fails, the student will not be permitted to register as a matriculated student at the College or anywhere else in the University. These students may re-apply to the College after a period of at least one semester to retake the CPE. These students must petition the CPE Appeals Committee to take the CPE, since re-instatement as a matriculated student will only be permitted when the student has passed the CPE.

Students with a prior bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university are exempt from the CPE requirement for graduation. This exemption will only be permitted if the student has requested and received this exemption on entry into the College.

Students should contact the Office of Student Assessment for more detailed information. In addition, students can access the CPE information on the CUNY website (http://www.cuny.edu/cpe) for the most up-to-date and detailed information about the CPE and its requirements.

Testing Requirements for Transfer to a CUNY Senior College

Students planning to transfer to a CUNY senior college, directly on graduation or at a later time, must pass (or be exempted from) all three basic skills tests. CUNY senior colleges will not accept transfer students (either graduates or non-graduates) who have not passed (or been exempted from) all three skills tests. Students are strongly advised to take and pass the writing, reading and mathematics skills tests prior to applying for transfer to a CUNY senior college.

CUNY senior colleges may provisionally admit CUNY community college transfer students who have completed all graduation requirements except the CPE. Such students must take the CPE during their first semester at the college. However, students are strongly advised to take and pass the CPE prior to applying for admission to a senior college.

Students are urged to seek more detailed information about graduation and transfer requirements from their academic advisors.

Retesting Policies

Courses

Students in appropriate developmental or remedial classes in reading, writing and/or mathematics retake those tests during a predetermined time at the end of the semester, generally the last 2 weeks of the semester.

Students taking these tests at the end of the semester register for their testing session(s) on line. Complete instructions on the procedures to do this are provided in the class.

Students in appropriate workshops during the semester can take the skills test at the conclusion of the workshop. All workshops provide a minimum of 20 hours of instruction, which is required in order to re-take any of the skills tests.

Workshops and Enrichment Programs

In addition to courses, students may participate in workshops. These workshops provide a minimum of 20 hours of instruction. At the conclusion of the workshop, students are retested. Workshops are given by various departments and support services around the college, including the Academic Learning Center, Adult and Continuing Education, and the College Enrichment Academy. Most workshops are offered during Intersession (in January) or in the Summer Term (in June, July, and August). Students are provided with complete information about the availability and schedule of workshops, how to register for them.

Former Hostos Students

Hostos graduates, who may require a skills test for transfer to a CUNY senior college, may return to Hostos to take the test. However, these students must take a workshop and receive a minimum of 20 hours of remedial instruction before they can take the test.

Ability to Benefit Testing

In Fall 2006, the New York State Legislature passed a new law that requires all students who are applying for TAP for the first time and who have a high school diploma from a foreign high school to document their ‘ability to benefit’ from college level course work. The legislation applies to all freshmen, transfer students, and continuing students who:

received a foreign high school diploma, and
have not earned a GED

Students who meet the above criteria and are applying for TAP for the first time must demonstrate their ability to benefit by scoring above the ATB cut points on tests in reading, mathematics, and writing.

CUNY students can satisfy this requirement by scoring a 62 or higher on the COMPASS Reading test; a 25 or higher on the Pre-Algebra section (Part 1) of the COMPASS Mathematics Test; and a 35 or higher on the COMPASS Writing Objective test.

Almost all students entering Hostos will already have a score on the COMPASS Reading test and Pre-Algebra on the COMPASS Mathematics test. Students who were exempt from skills tests (see above) and do not have these test scores are urged to take these two tests during the first week of classes in order to ensure TAP eligibility.

In addition, all students required to demonstrate ability to benefit must take the COMPASS Writing Objective test. This test is given during the first week of classes each term. Students who do not score above the cut point may participate in workshops, presently given by the Academic Learning Center, in order to be eligible to retake the test.

Similar workshops are available to students who need to retake the reading the mathematics tests. However, students who are enrolled in remedial/developmental courses will retake the tests as part of their course, at the end of the term.

For further information on Ability-To-Benefit Testing for TAP qualification, please contact Admissions Office located at 500 Grand Concourse, 1st Floor, Bronx, NY 10451 or call 718-319-7900.

The CUNY COMPASS Reading Skills Test

Overview

The CUNY COMPASS Reading Skills test is an un-timed, multiple-choice, computer-administered test of reading comprehension. Students take the test in the college's computerized testing lab.

No special computer skills are necessary to take the test. To take the test, students only need to be able to type their name and identification number and be able to point and click using the mouse. Complete instructions are provided at the time the student takes the test.

What does this test measure?

The CUNY COMPASS Reading Skills Test measures reading comprehension as a combination of referring and reasoning skills. Test items require students to derive meaning from texts by referring to what is explicitly stated to determine the meaning of words through context, and reasoning to determine implicit meanings to draw conclusions and make comparisons and generalizations. The test consists of prose passages, varying in length, that are representative of the level of reading commonly found in first-year college courses. Each passage is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions. Because the test is computer administered, each student receives different reading passages, based on their performance on the previous passage. This enables an accurate score to be obtained quickly and efficiently. Typically, students take between one and two hours to complete the test.

What is the passing score?

A score of 70 is the passing score on the Reading test.

Strategies for Taking the CUNY COMPASS Reading Skills Test

The CUNY COMPASS Reading Skills test is a multiple-choice test that measures your comprehension of written text. When taking the reading test, the following strategies may be helpful:

Directions and sample computer tests are provided at the beginning of the test. Follow along carefully. It is not necessary to have any special computer skills to take the test. If you can point and click with the mouse and type your name, you can take the test.
Read the entire passage at least once before answering the questions.
When you are unsure of an answer, don't spend a lot of time on that item. Eliminate as many of the choices as possible, and guess from the remaining choices.
Be careful of choices that demonstrate exaggerations or extremes: Words like all, always, never, ever, everyone, must, completely are usually not the correct answer Words like sometimes, maybe, about, perhaps, some, can do not demonstrate exaggerations or extremes and are very often the correct answer.
When answering a “I, II, and III” question, if you decide one of the Roman numerals is wrong, cancel all answers that contain it. If you decide one of the Roman numerals is right, cancel all answers that do not contain it.
Focus on introductory and transitional words and phrases: For example: but, although, even though, on the other hand, however, on the contrary, otherwise indicate that the two parts of the sentences will contradict each other. For example: just as, in the same way, similarly, equally, as, in like manner, likewise, like indicate that the author is pointing out a similarity between two subjects. For example: therefore, in effect, as a result, consequently, thus indicate that the information in the second part of the sentence is a direct result of the information in the first part of the sentence.
If you have to determine the meaning of a word in the context of the sentence, read the sentence substituting a blank for the word. Try to think of a word that makes sense with the rest of the sentence. Select the choice that is similar to the word you substituted.
Be sure to thoroughly review your answers before moving on.
You must answer all of the questions for the reading passage before you can go to the next passage.
Once you go to the next passage you cannot go back to the previous passage and change your answers.

The CUNY COMPASS Mathematics Skills Test

Overview

The CUNY COMPASS Mathematics Skills Test is an un-timed, multiple-choice, computer-based test composed of four sections: numerical skills/pre-algebra, algebra, college algebra, and trigonometry.

What does this test measure?

The CUNY COMPASS Mathematics Skills Test is designed to measure students' knowledge of a number of topics in mathematics: arithmetic, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus.

Placement into required basic mathematics courses is based on the results of pre-algebra and algebra sections of the test. Placement into higher level mathematics courses (e.g., Precalculus, Calculus) is based on the results of the last two parts of the test.

What is the passing score?

Students must pass Pre-Algebra and Algebra, separately. The passing score on each of these parts is currently 30. Performance on the College Algebra and Trigonometry parts is used only for placement into higher-level mathematics courses and do not have a passing score.

Strategies for Taking the CUNY COMPASS Mathematics Skills Test

The CUNY COMPASS Mathematics Skills Test is designed to measure students' knowledge of a number of topics in mathematics. The following strategies may be helpful when taking the test:

Practice math problems without using a calculator. Calculators are not permitted to be used in the exam. Students are provided with scratch paper to do the problems.
Read each problem carefully.
Pace yourself—do not spend too much time on any single word problem or equation.
Answer every question. You must answer each question before you can go on to the next one.
Review the answer you have selected. Once you click “Go On” you may not return to the previous problem.
REFER TO THE HOSTOS WEBSITE WITH THE MATH PRACTICE TESTS.

The COMPASS Writing Objective Test

Overview

The COMPASS Writing Objective Test is an un-timed, multiple-choice test of students' understanding of basic concepts in writing and of editing skills. It is also administered on the computer as part of the COMPASS, computer-based assessment.

No special computer skills are required to take the test. If you can type your name and point and click with the mouse, you can take the test. Complete instructions are provided at the time the test is administered.

What does this test measure?

The COMPASS Writing Objective Test measures students' understanding of the conventions of American English in three major writing skills areas:

Usage and mechanics (punctuation and grammar)
Sentence Structure--the items in this category deal with relationships between and among sentence clauses, the management and placement of modifiers, and unnecessary shifts in construction.
Rhetorical Skills--organization, strategy and style

The CUNY ACT Writing Sample Skills Test

Overview

The CUNY ACT Writing Sample Skills Test requires students to write a persuasive essay in response to a prompt given at the time of the test. Students have one hour (60 minutes) to complete their essay. It is a paper-based test.

What does this test measure?

The Writing Skills Test is designed to measure students' ability to produce a college-level essay. Since the essay is a persuasive essay, student test scores are based on taking and supporting a position (based on the test prompt), organizing their ideas into a cohesive and understandable essay, and using the conventions of edited American English.

Strategies for Taking the CUNY Writing Skills Test

The CUNY Writing Skills Test is a 60-minute test that measures your ability to write a college-level essay. When taking the CUNY Writing Skills Test, the following strategies may be helpful:

In evaluating an essay, readers focus on four elements of writing: taking a position on the issue identified in the question; supporting the position with evidence; organizing ideas; and using language that clearly conveys the writer's ideas.
The first choice to make is: which question to write about? Students have a choice of two questions (or prompts). Generally, one prompt is about a school-based issue, the other about a community-based issue. You will probably write a more effective essay if you choose the question you have more ideas and information about, or feel most comfortable with or interested in. Make this the choice after reading both questions and thinking about them for a few minutes..

Completing this writing task successfully is, in large part, a function of how you use the allotted time. You may want to spend your time this way:

Planning and pre-writing: Spend about 10 minutes planning. Your booklet gives you two blank pages for planning notes. Consider the position you are taking, a few good reasons for choosing the alternative you prefer, some evidence or explanation that support these reasons, some effective details you might include, and the order you might use to present your points most effectively.
Writing: Spend about 40 minutes writing your essay, being sure to use the lined pages in the booklet to write your answer. Refer to your plan, remembering that the task requires you to take a position, explaining your reasoning in some detail. You need also to consider the criterion specified so that your essay is convincing to the audience you are addressing. The language you choose should communicate your ideas clearly and appropriately.
Revising and editing: Spend about 10 minutes reviewing your writing, adding or deleting as necessary and making any changes needed to enhance clarity.

Each question describes a situation involving a choice between two alternatives. You need to make clear the alternative you favor, offering a few good reasons for your choice; you should develop explanations for each, including such things as evidence, examples, or other suitable information. You are not required to discuss the other alternative, but if you chose to, you need to explain in some detail why you do not consider it as good a choice as the one you are supporting.

Each question specifies an audience, such as a City Council or a college or school official. Be sure to address your response to that audience, and remember that the purpose of your writing is to convince your audience that you have chosen the better alternative and that your advice is persuasive.

Each question specifies a criterion for judgment, which should guide your choice and your reasoning, for example: which alternative will best serve the community or which will enhance student life for the most students? Be sure to consider the criterion in your essay, so that your audience knows that you are not just thinking about the benefit to you.

What is the passing score?

A score of 7 or higher is passing on the writing test.

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Office of Academic Affairs - Hostos Community College

The Office of Student Assessment and Testing (OSAT)