Outreach & Admissions

Students with Washington State High School Smarter Balanced Assessment for English Language Arts, SBA ELA, taken during 10th grade or higher that are admitted and enrolling the academic year immediately following high school graduation or seeking to participate in Running Start or Underage Admissions may use their high school SBA ELA scores from 10th grade or higher for English Placement. 

English Placement by SBA ELA

Smarter Balanced Assessment for English Language Arts 

Send an email of the following to enrollment@cascadia.edu or turn in to Kodiak Corner,  CC1-1st Floor.

• A copy of your results showing your high school SBA ELA Score Level from 10th grade or higher
• A copy of your high school transcript, if applicable

SBA ELA, English Placement Levels

• Score Level 4 - ENGL& 101 English Composition I
• Score Level 3 - ENGL& 101 English Composition I
• Score Level 2 - Placement determined through Directed Self-Placement or optional Accuplacer assessment
• Score Level 1 - Placement determined through Directed Self-Placement or optional Accuplacer assessment

Students can place into College English using their high school transcript.

• Students must have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Student must earn a qualifying grade of B or better in the second semester of one of the courses listed below for placement into English 101 English Composition I.

 

Eligible High School English Classes

• English 11, Junior Year
• English 12, Senior Year
• AP Language and Composition, Junior or Senior Year
• AP Literature and Composition, Junior or Senior Year
• English 11 IB, Junior Year
• English 12 IB, Senior Year
• Bridge to College English, Junior or Senior Year
• College Prep English: Discourse and Society ENG 545A/B (North Creek HS), Junior or Senior Year
• College and Career Writing ENGL 347A/B (North Creek HS), Junior or Senior Year

 

Please be sure to submit a copy of your high school transcript to enrollment@cascadia.edu or to Kodiak Corner, CC1-1st floor. 

If you attended a Washington State Public High School  within the last two years, including Running Start students, you may use your high school transcript to determine your math placement. Your highest grade in an accepted math class or your overall high school GPA can be used to determine your placement.

To use this process, please submit a copy of your high school transcript to enrollment@cascadia.edu or to Kodiak Corner, CC1-1st Floor.

• Students may opt to register for any math class lower than their placement.
• Students who earn grades of “P” or “pass/fail” cannot use their high school transcripts for placement.
• If you place into MATH& 152 (Calculus 2), you will not have MATH& 151 (Calculus 1) on your college transcript (unless you have transferred the credit from the AP exam or another college). You should make sure your program of study does not require that you show MATH& 151 (Calculus 1) on your transcript. If you are unsure whether the skipped course is needed for your planned course of study (degree requirements), students should meet with an academic advisor.
• Private high school, out-of-state high schools, and homeschools: Homeschooled students and students who attended private high school or high school outside of Washington State cannot use transcripts for placement.
• Students need to consult with an academic advisor after placement to be sure the enrollment in a course is consistent with their planned course of study.

 

Washington State Public High Schools 

For a Washington State Public High School course conducted over two semesters, the second semester grade is used for placement purposes.

If you are currently taking the second semester of a course for the academic year, your current second semester grade may be used for placement if:

• You are are currently enrolled in their Math course between May 1st and June 30th;
• You achieved a “C” or higher in your first semester. The lower of the two individual semester grades will be used for placement. That is, if you received a “C” in their first semester and currently have a “B” in the second semester, we will use the “C” for placement).
• You will need to provide two items, emailed to enrollment@cascadia.edu.
  1. Your current High School Transcript showing your first semester grade.
  2. Screenshot of your current math course grade between May 1st and June 30th, including your name, your school’s name, the math course name, and the class grade.
• If your second semester final grade is higher than the one provided in the screenshot, your placement may be determined by the final grade on the High School transcript. You will need to provide your updated High School transcript to be considered for higher placement. Send your transcript to enrollment@cascadia.edu.

 

If you completed this math class...	And you earned this grade or higher in the second semester	Your math placement will be this class
Algebra I Geometry	C, C+, or B-	MATH 075
	B or better	MATH 085
Algebra II IB Math: Applications and Interpretations SL1 or SL2	C, C+, or B-	Choose one: MATH 095, MATH&107, MATH&131, MATH&132, MATH&146
	B or better	Choose one: MATH&141, MATH147
Algebra 3 Bridge to College Mathematics AP Statistics	C, C+, or B-	MATH 085
	B or better	Choose one: MATH 095, MATH&107, MATH&131, MATH&132, MATH&146
PreCalculus IB Math: Approaches and Analysis SL1 or HL1 Math Analysis	C, C+, or B-	Choose one: MATH&141, MATH 147
	B or better	MATH& 151
Calculus IB Math: Approaches and Analysis SL2 or HL2	C, C+, or B-	MATH& 151
	B or better	MATH& 152

 

Overall High School GPA Placement 
If you graduated from high school within the last two years and your overall GPA was 3.0 or higher, you can place into these math classes regardless of your math class grades.

MATH 095, MATH& 107, MATH&131, MATH& 132, MATH& 146

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Math Course Names 
These are the math course names noted in the placements above. 

• MATH 075 Introduction to Algebra
• MATH 085 Essentials of Intermediate Algebra
• MATH 095 Algebra for PreCalculus
• MATH& 107 Math in Society
• MATH& 131 Math for Elementary Education I
• MATH& 132 Math for Elementary Education II
• MATH& 141 PreCalculus I
• MATH& 146 Intro to Statistics
• MATH 147 Business PreCalculus
• MATH& 151 Calculus I
• MATH& 152 Calculus II

For math course descriptions, prerequisite information, and additional math courses not listed here, visit Cascadia's online catalog. 

For more information about the days, times, and modality of a math course for an upcoming quarter, visit the Quarterly Class Schedule.  

Washington State Placement Reciprocity

The policy states that a student who qualifies for entry into college-level math, English, or reading, either through course completion or local skills assessment, will be considered to have met the entry college-level standard at every community and technical college.

• A student who qualifies for a specific level of pre-college math, English, or reading, either through course completion or local skills assessment, will have that course placement level honored at another Washington CTC if the student so requests, even if the courses may not be exact equivalents.
• A student who qualifies for entry into college-level math, English, or reading, either through course completion or local skills assessment, will be considered to have met the entry college-level standard at every community and technical college.
• Students requesting reciprocity must initiate the process within one year of their initial placement assessment.

Instructions

• Email your placement documents (COMPASS or Accuplacer score report or other documents) to enrollment@cascadia.edu and in the subject line note Placement Reciprocity.
• Enrollment Services will reply back once your placement has been determined.

College Transcript for Placement

To use your college transcript for placement, meet with an academic advisor as a new transfer student. Prior to meeting with the academic advisor, send your unofficial college transcripts to Enrollment Services at enrollment@cascadia.edu.  

 

Transfer Credits to Cascadia College

To transfer your college or university credits, send your official transcript from your prior college or university to Enrollment Services and fill out the online Transcript Evaluation Request Form.

All official transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelopes or sent electronically from the institution directly. Evaluation and transfer of credit requests will be processed in the order received. Please note that this process may take up to 6 - 8 business weeks. Requests will not be evaluated until all official transcripts have been received.

 

Cascadia College
Enrollment Services
18345 Campus Way NE
Bothell, WA 98011

 

For questions, please email evaluator@cascadia.edu. 

What is ACCUPLACER?

The ACCUPLACER placement is an untimed, computerized assessment that has three multiple choice sections (writing, reading, and math). Students cannot pass or fail ACCUPLACER. The results are used to evaluate skills and place students into appropriate courses given current skill level. Results are printed immediately following the completion of Accuplacer.

The ACCUPLACER placement may be done either remotely online and in-person. A valid photo ID is required when taking the Accuplacer placement. While there is no specific time limit, we ask that students give themselves enough time, approximately 2 hours to finish. ACCUPLACER Placement must be completed in the same day started.

How to Take the Accuplacer

1. You will need a ctcLink Student ID number (not your high school SID) to take the ACCUPLACER Placement. If you don't have a ctcLink Student ID number, please apply for admissions online. Your application should be processed within 2 business days. Once processed, you will receive your email that contains your ctcLink Student ID number. Proceed to step 2 once you have your ctcLink Student ID number.

2. Complete the Cascadia College ACCUPLACER Request Form for Voucher which provides additional instructions.

   Note: A follow up email will be sent within 4 business days of submitting this form to confirm your in-person or remote test request. 

3. When you sign up to take the Accuplacer, a charge will be posted to your account that can be paid through your ctcLink account. The Accuplacer fee is non-refundable. The payment must be made prior to taking the Accuplacer placement.
   • In-person ACCUPLACER fee is $17, non-refundable 
   • Online ACCUPLACER fee is $42, non-refundable
4. When it's time to take the Accuplacer placement, present your valid photo ID. 

Where to Take the ACCUPLACER

The ACCUPLACER Placement is currently administered remotely online and in-person.

Students who complete the Accuplacer online will take it with a remote online proctor through Meazure Learning. Visit Meazure Learning to download the secure browser, check technical requirements, test equipment, and learn what to expect.

Students who complete the Accuplacer in-person will be monitored by an in-person proctor at the Kodiak Corner, CC1-1st Floor. Scratch paper and pencils are provided for in-person Accuplacer. No dictionaries or personal calculators are allowed, but calculators will be provided. While there is no specific time limit, we ask that students give themselves enough time, approximately 2 hours to finish. ACCUPLACER Placement must be completed in the same day started. Please allow ample time to complete all three sections before the office closes. For questions, please email  enrollment@cascadia.edu.

Students with Disabilities

Students with a disability can set up a time with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Office to take the Accuplacer Placement in a private room or to set up accommodations for a reader and/or scribe. Depending on the type of accommodations request, students may be asked to provide documentation of their disability.

Please contact the Student Accessibility Services office 48 hours in advance to schedule an appointment at accessibility@cascadia.edu or call 425-352-8128.

Opting Out of Remote Proctoring

We understand that some of you may be uncomfortable with this process. Depending on which assessment you need to complete, you may have alternative options.

• English - After reviewing the other placement methods available, students may email enrollment@cascadia.edu for information on completing an alternate assessment.
• Math - An alternate assessment is currently unavailable. Please review the other placement methods available to determine if they can be used. If you have questions, email enrollment@cascadia.edu.

 

ACCUPLACER Placement Resources

• ACCUPLACER College Board: What's on the Tests
• Sample Questions and WEb-Based Study App (be sure to select Next-Generation materials)

What is Math Guided Self-Placement?

After completing the ACCUPLACER, the math score listed is recommended based on the performance during the placement assessment. If a student believes that this score does not represent their best performance, the student has the option of Math Guided Self Placement (GSP). GSP is a process where students are provided additional information by the advising department about the next placement level and may elect to enroll in a math course one level above their initial placement recommendation after they demonstrate their readiness by scoring an 80% or higher on the appropriate WAMAP assessment. Student will need to contact advising for additional information at advising@cascadia.edu.

English as a Second Language Students

Placement for English as a Second Language (ESL) is used to determine the placement level of non-English speakers. Contact the ESL office at 425-352-8158 or eslabe@cascadia.edu for ESL placement.

Directed Self-Placement for English 

The directed self-placement for English placement is a process that is designed to give students guided choices about their educational placement and help them accomplish the writing goals that they will need for success in school by selecting one of the three courses provided (EF 65, ENGL 95, and ENGL& 101).

The 15-25 minute process will help you decide on the best writing course placement. 

• Review the course options: EF 65, ENGL 95, ENGL 101
• Review sample student profiles
• Read a few examples of student writing from each option
• Read a few examples of readings from each option
• Think about your needs
• Complete a 5-minute reading and writing prompt
• Make your course selection

Fill out the Directed Self-Placement form to help guide your placement. 

To attend CORE, you MUST:

• Have your SID (ctcLink ID)
• Be a student with no prior college experience
• Received English and Math placement by submitting English/Math Placement Information to admissions@cascadia.edu 

NOTE: If you are a new Running Start Student, please be sure to turn in your Running Start Contract prior to scheduling a CORE appointment.