College Readiness
College Reading and Writing Readiness
Incoming students are assessed for College Reading and Writing Readiness by meeting any ONE of the following in the appropriate category:
First-Time College Student
Confirmed top one-third rank in high school class upon graduation (or current top one- third high school rank after at least three semesters) based on unweighted GPA.
Cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better after at least three semesters (applies only to CLC courses taken after May 2018).
American College Test (ACT):
Reading: Score of 17 or above and English: Score of 17 or above.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT):
Evidence Based Reading and Writing Score of 470 or above (prior to March 1, 2016; Critical Reading Score of 450 or above; March 1, 2015 Verbal Score of 450 or above).
In the absence of an SAT score, equivalent PSAT scores may be used within three years of the PSAT test date.
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) ELA III score of 5.
General Educational Development (GED) 2014: CLC English Placement Test or ELI ACCUPLACER required.
GED (prior to 2014) transcript, Reading and Writing Skills: Score of 550 or above. Score of 165 or above.
English Language Learners
English Language Learners may qualify through one of the First-time College Student criteria or one of the following:
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Computer-based test: Score of 197 or above, Paper-based test: Score of 527 or above, or Internet-based score of 71 or above.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Format: score of 6.0 or above.
ELS Language Centers and ELS Educational Services, Academic Report: completing Level 112. Please visit www.els.edu for more information.
Transfer or Adult Students
May qualify through one of the First-time College Student criteria or one of the following:
Evidence of an associate or higher degree from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university.
Transcript from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university listing at least 30 semester hours of credit with no grade below C.
Transcript from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university listing credit earned to meet College Reading and Writing Readiness requirements.
Note: Student may submit unofficial transcripts to meet proficiencies. Transcripts must include your name and the college/university name.
Transcripts should be sent to Student Records, and may be faxed (847) 543-3012 or emailed to records@clcilinois.edu.
Current CLC Students
Successful completion of CLC ENG 108 with a grade of A or ENG 109 with a grade of C or higher, or ENG 121 and ENG 100 with a grade of C or higher in ENG 121. Please note, as of Spring 2020, ENG 109 will no longer be offered.
Successful completion of CLC ELI 108 with a grade of A, or ELI 109 with a grade of C or higher.
Successful completion of both CLC ELI 103 AND 104 with a grade of A; or ELI 110 with a grade of C or higher.
College Reading and Writing Readiness and ENG 121/100 courses (ALP)
Students enrolled in ENG 121/100 are granted provisional CRWR. This enables them to enroll in other college-level courses as it supports students' college-credit access and first-year momentum.
Students who fail both courses or withdraw from either ENG 121 and ENG 100 lose this provisional CRWR status until they either re-enroll or demonstrate competency some other way like taking CLC’s Directed Self-Placement Tool to allow for a re-evaluation of placement through a student's reading and writing sample.
In a few situations when different grades are assigned to a student by an instructor, resulting in a failing grade in one of these courses but not the other, the following details will be considered:
Students who pass ENG 121 (exiting with a grade of A, B, or C) but fail ENG 100 are granted CRWR status, and they complete Composition I requirements.
Students who fail ENG 121 but pass ENG 100 (exiting with a grade of A, B, or C) are granted CRWR status. The student retakes only ENG 121 if their program requires it or is a pre-requisite for another class.
Contact information for questions/concerns:
Kelly Black, English Department Co-Chair (kblack@clcillinois.edu)
Tessa Aquino, ALP Coordinator (maquino@clcillinois.edu)
Basic Algebra Readiness
Incoming students are assessed for Basic Algebra Readiness by meeting any ONE of the following in the appropriate category:
First-Time College Student
Confirmed top one-third rank in high school class upon graduation (or current top one- third high school rank after at least three semesters) based on unweighted GPA.
Cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better after at least three semesters (applies only to CLC courses taken after May 2018).
American College Test (ACT), Math: Score of 17 or above.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Math: Score of 490 or above for test taken March 2016 or later; score of 450 or above for test taken before March 2016. In the absence of an SAT score, a PSAT Math score of 490 or above may be used within three years of the PSAT test date.
In the absence of an SAT Math score, equivalent (not projected) PSAT scores may be used within three years of the PSAT test date.
General Educational Development (GED) transcript, Mathematics: Score of 145 or above for test taken January 1, 2014 or later; score of 550 or above for test taken before January 2014.
Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) transcript, Mathematics content area score of 500 or above.
High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) transcript, Mathematics subtest score of 8 or above.
Appropriate score on the CLC Math Placement Test.
Students who have previously earned a bachelor degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university will be considered to be college ready in mathematics and can be assigned the student group Math Placement 53 (this is roughly equivalent to saying that they have completed the equivalent of a general education mathematics course).
Note 1: This will allow these students to take MTH 122 (College Algebra), MTH 222 (Business Statistics), or a general education mathematics course (MTH 140, 141, or 142 if needed) without meeting any other prerequisite.
Note 2: This would also meet the MTH prerequisite for other courses such as ACC 121, BIO 123, BIO 161, CHM 120, CHM 121, CIT 142, ECO 221, ECO 222, EET 130, MCS 141, and PHY 121
Contact information for questions/concerns:
Jon Sprague, Mathematics Department Co-Chair (jsprague@clcillinois.edu)
Sarah Stashkiw, Director, P-20 Educational Partnerships (sstashkiw@clcillinois.edu)
English Language Learners
May qualify through one of the First-time College Student criteria or one of the following:
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Computer-based test: Score of 197 or above, Paper-based test: Score of 527 or above, or Internet-based score of 71 or above.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Format: score of 6.0 or above.
ELS Language Centers and ELS Educational Services, Academic Report: completing Level 112.
Please visit www.els.edu for more information. If you do not meet any of the criteria above, you can take the CLC English Placement Test or ELI Accuplacer Test available at the CLC Testing Centers: www.clcillinois.edu/testing
Note: Transcripts from another country should be translated and evaluated by an appropriate third-party organization and then submitted to determine if College Reading and Writing and Basic Algebra Readiness requirements are met.
Transfer or Adult Students
May qualify through one of the First-time College Student criteria or one of the following:
Evidence of an associate or higher degree from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university.
Transcript from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university listing credit equivalent to MTH 101 (with a grade of C or better) or higher level courses at CLC.
Students who have previously earned a bachelor degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited, degree-granting U.S. college or university will be considered to be college ready in mathematics as if they had completed a general education mathematics course.
Note: Student may submit unofficial transcripts to meet proficiencies. Transcripts must include your name and the college/university name. Transcripts should be sent to Student Records, and may be faxed (847) 543-3012 or emailed to records@clcilinois.edu.
Current CLC Students
Completion of CLC MTH 101 with a grade of C or better.
Completion of CLC MTH 114 with a grade of C or better.
Completion of CLC MTH 115 with a grade of C or better.
If you do not meet any of the criteria above, you can take a CLC Math Placement Test to demonstrate Basic Algebra Readiness available at the CLC Testing Centers: https://www.clcillinois.edu/community/testing-center
Note: Basic Algebra Readiness does not meet the prerequisite for college-level math courses. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to an Academic Success Advisor for more information.
Math Placement and Prerequisites for Math Courses
Depending on a student’s program of study and level of skill in mathematics, he or she will take different math courses. Once a student has determined what math course(s) is/are required for the program of study, the student will need to determine if he or she meets the prerequisite or if additional coursework is required. The flow charts on the next page may help in planning. Where a student starts in the sequence will depend upon the prerequisites he or she meets and/or how he or she scores on the CLC Math Placement Test. Students should see an advisor early in their program to help plan their coursework. The important thing to remember about placement and prerequisites is that the prerequisite for each course has been developed with the sole purpose of ensuring that students have the skills they need to be successful in the courses they select. CLC has two types of requirements that affect enrollment in math courses.
1) Basic Algebra Readiness: Incoming students will need to demonstrate Basic Algebra Readiness before enrolling in certain courses at CLC. These courses may be in math or other science or technology-related fields. Basic Algebra Readiness means that a student possesses a certain level of competency in arithmetic, which includes problem solving involving integers, fractions, ratios, decimals and percents.
2) Prerequisites: Students must also demonstrate that they meet the mathematics prerequisite for the specific course they wish to take. The best way to identify the prerequisite for a specific math course is to read the course description. Course descriptions for math courses begin on page 327. Each course description includes the prerequisite requirements that apply.
In general, keep these guidelines in mind:
For many math courses, the prerequisite may be met all or in part by achieving an acceptable score on the math portion of the SAT or ACT tests.
For many math courses, the prerequisite may be met by achieving an acceptable score on the CLC Math Placement Test.
Some college-level math courses require Geometry Proficiency. Geometry Proficiency may be demonstrated by any of the following:
Submitting a high school transcript showing a C or better in one year of high school geometry or by earning a C or better in Math 1, Math 2 and Math 3.
Earning a C or better in MTH 104 (Geometry), MTH 105 (Preparatory Mathematics for General Education) or MTH 108 (Intermediate Algebra) or MTH 122 (College Algebra).
Earning a Math ACT score of 22 or higher or a Math SAT score of 530 or higher.
The prerequisites for Contemporary Mathematics (MTH 140), Quantitative Literacy (MTH 141) and General Education Statistics (MTH 142) may also be met by an evaluation of a high school transcript.
The prerequisites may be met by submitting a high school transcript showing:
Two years of high school algebra (Algebra I and Algebra II) with a grade of C or better in all semesters and Basic Algebra Readiness.
Math 1, Math 2, and Math 3 with a grade of C or better in all semesters in all semesters and Basic Algebra Readiness.
A cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and a C or better in an approved 4th year math class.
Previous college coursework may also fulfill prerequisites.
CLC Math Courses by Program of Study
The math course(s) you take can depend on your field of interest, program of study, intended major and potential transfer school. The following charts may help you determine the math course(s) you take. See the college catalog for the prerequisites required. It is strongly recommended that you see a College and Career Navigator or Academic Success Advisor to help you select the most appropriate course(s) to meet your academic goal.
ACT MATH SCORES
For many math courses, the prerequisite may be met by achieving an acceptable score on the math section of the ACT test. The pyramid is designed to show that students with a certain ACT Math Section score may enroll in courses at or below the indicated score level. See a College and Career Navigator or an Academic Success Advisor to help determine which math course is appropriate for your program of study.
SAT MATH SCORES (SAT STARTING IN MARCH 2016)
For many math courses, the prerequisite may be met by achieving an acceptable score on the math section of the SAT test. The pyramid is designed to show that students with a certain SAT Math Section score may enroll in courses at or below the indicated score level. See a College and Career Navigator or an Academic Success Advisor to help determine which math course is appropriate for your program of study.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to an Academic Success Advisor for more information.