Methods of Evaluating Course Placement Systems

Th e process of matching students and courses to achieve the best fit between what students know and what they need to know is called placement. Placement differs from selection, assignment, and ex­ emption as treated by Willingham (1974); it is the process of making the best possible match between a student's current achievement status and the prerequisites of various alternate course sequences. The rationale for using placement and the pro­ cedures for implementing placement schemes are well documented by Wil­ lingham (1974). The existence of the Ad­ vanced Placement Program (APP), the Col­ lege Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the Proficiency Examination Program (PEP) is evidence that institutions of higher education are interested in placing students at the optimal point in an instruc­ tional sequence based on their entry level achievements. Most colleges and univer­ sities use admission data or gather specific data for placement in mathematics, Eng­ lish or foreign languages. Some institutions have more elaborate systems which simul­ taneously encompass placement and ex­ emption (credit by examination) in several subject matter areas.