Placement Information

What is the Guided Self-Placement and Who Should Take It?

Santa Ana College’s Guided Self-Placement was designed for students that want to complete an associate degree and/or transfer to a university but do not have access to their U.S. high school transcript or have attended school or college outside the United States. This tool provides course placement recommendations in English/ESL and math/quantitative reasoning courses offered at Santa Ana College. Only students who have an active SAC Student login and password are able to access the Guided Self-Placement.

How Does the Guided Self-Plac ement Work?

The Guided Self-Placement has two parts: Math and English/EMLS. Depending on your goals, you may complete one or both.

In the Math Guided Self-Placement, you will watch a short video on a math topic and review the skills needed to succeed in a specific math course. Your placement will recommend one of two math tracks: Statistics or Liberal Arts Math (SLAM), or Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (BSTEM). Choosing the right math course depends on your major, so you should meet with a counselor for help.

In the English and English for Multilingual Students (EMLS) Guided Self-Placement, you will answer questions to help determine whether English or EMLS is the best fit for you. You will review the skills needed for transfer-level Freshman Composition. Reading courses may be recommended based on your English placement.

How to Access the Guided Self-Placement?

Use the following link to access the Guided Self-Placement: https://sso.comevo.com/sac/launch/1537

Questions About the Guid ed Self-Placement? Call the Assessment Center at (714) 564-6148.

When choosing a math course, consider your major, degree, and transfer goals. You received two math placement options that lead to different paths.

• SLAM (Statistics & Liberal Arts Math): For majors such as Social Sciences, Nursing, Teaching, Art, Psychology, and Sociology.
• B-STEM: For majors in Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Before enrolling, meet with a counselor to choose the best math sequence for your goals. Counselors are available on a first-come, first-served basis in S-112, or visit the Counseling website. New or returning students should sign up for a Registration & Academic Advising
Workshop to meet with a counselor.

Questions? Email assessment_center@sac.edu

English Course Recommendations

English composition is a requirement to earn an Associate Degree and/or transfer to a university. To meet this requirement, you need to enroll in the recommended course. Students taking English 066 must enroll in the concurrent section of English C1000 (English 066 will nottransfer, English C1000 will transfer). Click this English course description link to learn about
each course.

If English is your second language and you have not intensively studied English in school for the past seven years, or if you do not use English frequently, you will benefit from enrolling in EMLS courses. In order to be placed into any EMLS course, students will need to complete the Guided Self-Placement. Visit our Guided Self-Placement page for more information.

• English For Multilingual Students Course Options
• FREE English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are also available at the School of Continuing Education

Follow these steps if you would like to challenge your placement recommendations at least two weeks before instruction begins.

1. Meet with a counselor to discuss your placement recommendations
2. Complete the Prerequisite/Corequisite Challenge Form and provide supporting documentation.
3. Submit the completed form to the appropriate department chair.

What Happens Next?

1. The challenge form and supporting evidence will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the dean, department chair, and one department or division
   representative.
2. The student will receive a written notification of the decision and the challenge form will be processed by Admissions and Records.

California Assembly Bills AB 705 and AB 1705 are state laws designed to help students have access to college level English and Math sooner and complete their
degrees faster.

• AB 705 (signed into law in 2017, effective January 1, 2018) changed how California Community Colleges place students into English and Math.
• AB 1705 (effective in 2023) strengthened AB 705 by ensuring colleges follow the law consistently and protect students’ rights to enroll directly in transfer-level English & Math courses.

Together, these laws are about equity, access, and student success.

Students are placed into English & Math using multiple measures, such as:

• High school GPA and course grades
• Guided self-placement (if you do not have U.S. high school records or attended school outside the U.S.)
• A conversation with a counselor about work experience, military service, or other education

Placement tests alone are no longer used.

Information Videos of AB7 05 below:

To submit a TSUM score, please use this form to request a TSUM course placement recommendation based on U.S. HS GPA/grades for English and Math/Quantitative Reasoning courses.

The Assessment Center Faculty Coordinator will be monitoring this form regularly. The Assessment Center team will also help enter TSUM scores on Datatel. It may take 5 business days to process.

Contact Maria Aguilar Beltran or the AC Staff to follow up if needed at assessment_center@sac.edu or 714-564-6148.