MEMORANDUM
TO:
High School Counselors
and other personnel
FROM:
Kathy Butler
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
DATE:
January 20, 2012
RE:
College Admission Standards – Transitional courses and placement testing
The purpose of this letter is to clarify the position of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy
Commission and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System relative to new
West Virginia high school curriculum changes, transition courses, and high school assessments
that impact freshman admission and placement.
The West Virginia Department of Education is in the process of redesigning the high school
curriculum to align with the Common Core State Standards. The new curriculum will be fully
implemented in the public schools by 2014. As a result of the curriculum redesign, the content
of courses and course titles will change. These changes will impact the courses that are
recommended as meeting the baccalaureate admission standards of the Commission’s Series 23,
Standards and Procedures for Undergraduate Admissions at Four-Year Colleges and
Universities. We will be working with the West Virginia Department of Education to more
fully identify courses that will meet standards for baccalaureate admission and once those are
identified, we will issue a full listing of acceptable core academic units. In the meantime, we
will adhere to the approved listing that is already in place with one addition. New transition
courses are being offered statewide and questions have arisen about the acceptance of the
Transition Mathematics and Transition English (English 12 CR) courses for college admission.
For admission into a baccalaureate degree program, the mathematics expectation is that high
school students will have completed four (4) mathematical units, three of which must be Algebra
I and higher. The new Transitions Mathematics courses designed for high school students who
have been identified as under-prepared for college-level mathematics may count as one of the
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four mathematics courses for baccalaureate admission. However, it is the intent that the student
will still complete the minimum core of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
In Fall 2012, Transition English (English 12 CR) will also be taught to high school students who
are determined to be under-prepared for college English. This course may also be counted as
one of the four (4) English academic core unit requirements used to meet the English
requirement for baccalaureate college admission.
The standards for admission for the West Virginia Community and Technical College System
differ from those of the four-year institutions. Consequently, the inclusion of the Transition
Mathematics and Transition English (English 12 CR) courses into a list of acceptable core
academic units does not impact the two-year schools. Institutional admissions policies for each
community and technical college may differ from institution to institution but will identify any
specific requirements. Admission to community and technical colleges is open to any person age
eighteen or older and able to benefit from study at the community college level. Those who
possess a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) equivalency may
enroll as certificate degree or associate degree-seeking students.
Upon satisfactory completion of the Transition Mathematics and/or Transition English (English
12 CR) course, the high school student will be administered the American College Testing
Program’s Computerized Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) test
to ascertain college readiness and placement. Both the West Virginia Higher Education Policy
Commission Series 21, Freshman Assessment and Placement Standards, and the West Virginia
Council for Community and Technical College Education Series 21, Freshman Assessment and
Placement Standards are consistent in providing the acceptable option of the COMPASS for
developmental education placement in the event the student does not meet regular academic
admission standards.
In addition to other options, it is clear that use of the COMPASS test for developmental
education placement is acceptable. According to Higher Education Policy Commission policy as
well as West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education policy, the
student must achieve the minimum COMPASS score prescribed below in order to be placed in
mathematics or English courses which count toward a baccalaureate degree, an A.A. degree, an
A.S. degree, or an A.A.S. degree.

A scaled score of 59 on the pre-algebra test and a scaled score of 36 on the algebra test of
the American College Testing Program’s Computerized Adaptive Placement Assessment
and Support System (COMPASS) will allow a student to enroll into credit-bearing
college-level mathematics coursework without completing developmental coursework.

A scaled score of 71 on the English Skills test of the American College Testing Programs
Computerized Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) will
allow the student to enroll into credit-bearing college-level English Composition
coursework without completing developmental coursework.
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
A score of 75 on the reading test of the American College Testing Programs
Computerized Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS), if
provided, would exclude a student from the completion of Developmental Reading, if
required at the participating institution.
Even if the institution utilizes another placement exam option (as provided in Series 21,
Freshman Assessment and Placement Standards), it is altogether appropriate and advisable for
the institution to also accept the COMPASS pass score provided on the public school transcript
in order to facilitate the student’s admission and matriculation to college-level courses. In this
way, the incoming freshman would not have to also take the institution’s preferred placement
exam if a passing score was achieved on the COMPASS exam. The COMPASS score provided
by the public school may be utilized for college placement.
Please be advised that if the student has achieved the required ACT or SAT score for admission
to a baccalaureate program, the COMPASS score will not be used. The SCT or SAT score will
take precedent over the COMPASS score.
Any questions related to the use of transition courses for college admission and the
implementation and use of the public school-administered COMPASS placement exam should
be directed to the Academic Affairs Office of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy
Commission at (304) 558-0261, kbutler@hepc.wvnet.edu, or to the admissions officer at one of
the state colleges or universities.