Student Assessment & Testing

to issue the Certificate on the basis that the student is not a county resident, the student may appeal to the New York Secretary of State. Students verifying residency must complete the City University Residency Form. The form can be picked up at the Admissions and Recruitment Office located at 500 Grand Concourse. Any student who receives a negative residency determination must receive, along with this determination, a copy of the college's appeal procedures. Students wishing to appeal a negative residency determination must notify the Admissions and Recruitment Office within ten days of notification that they have been determined to be a non-resident. A student appeal form will be submitted to the University's Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel.

For more information about the residency verification process, contact:

Carlos Rivera, Director Office of Admissions and Recruitment Building B, First Floor Telephone: (718) 319-7900 Email: ADMISSIONS@hostos.cuny.edu

TESTING CENTER The City University of New York (CUNY) no longer requires entering students to take the CUNY Assessment tests in reading, writing, and mathematics to demonstrate their proficiency and readiness to do college-level work. Student course placements in mathematics and English will be based on the evaluation of their academic records. A test of Spanish proficiency is given to students for appropriate placement in Spanish-language courses. Students are not permitted to register without the required proficiency index or the proof of exemption accepted by the University.

The Testing Center is committed to providing excellent customer service to our students, faculty and community, while ensuring the integrity of testing in a secure environment. The Testing Center administers the following exams: Ability to Benefit (ATB) test to determine eligibility for New York State TAP benefits, and other assessment tests for course placement purposes.

ESL Diagnostic Assessment:

Generally, English as a Second Language (ESL) students who do not meet CUNY’s proficiency requirements in English, are assessed via the CATW. Due to testing disruptions caused by the pandemic, ESL students are evaluated via the ESL Diagnostic Assessment (ESLD), an on-line web-based assessment which result in the appropriate English or ESL course upon review of the college’s English/ESL faculty.

The ESLD is comprised of two sections: • In Section 1, students will write an essay response to a reading passage. Students may use a dictionary, including a bi-lingual dictionary, but no other outside sources. The essay response should do the following: o Explain the main point the author is making. o Share what you think (your opinion) about the author’s main point. o Support your opinion about the author’s main point by connecting it with your personal experience and/or what you have read, seen, learned about in school and/or on TV or social media about the topic. o Once you have finished your essay, be sure to review your writing and make any changes or corrections that will help the reader clearly understand the points in your essay.

Students will have 90 minutes to complete Section 1. Students who finish their essay response before the 90 minutes is up, may go on to Section 2. When 90 minutes have passed, students will automatically go to Section 2. Once students move to Section 2,

they are NOT able to return to Section 1.

• In Section 2, students will answer six questions regarding their English language skills. This section is not timed and the responses will help the ESL faculty have a better understanding of the student’s language skills, in order to determine appropriate ESL or English course placement.

Additional information is provided in the ESLD Student Handbook.

Ability to Benefit (ATB) Exam Who is required to meet the Ability to Benefit (ATB) testing requirement for NY State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) eligibility?

All New York State residents who have a foreign high school diploma are required to meet the New York State ATB standards to be eligible for TAP. Students are required to meet the scores listed on the following ATB test modules:

• Reading: a score of 233 or higher • Sentence Skills: a score of 235 or higher • Arithmetic: a score of 230 or higher

Students who have taken the test on the first attempt and do not meet the minimum required scores are granted an automatic retest after 10 business days from the date of their initial test. After the retest, if they do not pass, they must wait at least three months before taking the exam again. Every retest thereafter the student must wait at least 30 days before taking the exam until they pass all three parts. It is recommended that during that time you dedicate a minimum of five hours of self-directed study for each test you do not pass before retesting.

For more Information about TAP & ATB compliance, please visit the following offices:

Office of Admissions and Recruitment Office of Financial Aid

Proficiency Index/Exemptions

Students can demonstrate that they meet the University’s proficiency requirements in English and Math based on their SAT, ACT, or NY State Regents test scores:

English

Students may meet the proficiency requirement in English by documenting any one of the following: • SAT I Verbal score of 480 or higher or SAT Critical Reading score of 480 or higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section score of 480 or higher • ACT English score of 20 or higher • NY State English Regents score of 75 or higher

Mathematics

Students may meet the proficiency requirement in mathematics by documenting any one of the following: • SAT Math score of 500 or higher • SAT Math Section (exam date March 2016 and thereafter), score of 530 or higher • ACT Math score of 21 or higher • NY State Regents: o Common Core Regents: Score of 70 or higher in Algebra I or a score of 70 or higher in Geometry or a score of 65 or higher in Algebra 2. o Score of 80 or higher in Integrated Algebra or Geometry or Algebra 2/Trigonometry AND successful completion of the Algebra 2/Trigonometry or higher-level course. o Score of 75 or higher in one of the following: ▪ Math A or Math B ▪ Sequential II or Sequential III

CUNY’s Proficiency Index

Students who do not achieve the required scores on SAT, ACT, or New York State Regents Exams can satisfy the proficiency requirements with: • an English proficiency index score of 65 or higher • a Math proficiency index score of 60 or higher

Testing for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with disabilities may be eligible for testing accommodations. Students must be registered with the college’s Office of Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) which will certify eligibility and coordinate accommodations with the Testing Center. Students who think they may be eligible for accommodations and/or other services from ARC are urged to contact that office as soon as possible. For further information contact the ARC at 718-5184454 and/or visit the office’s website for additional important information.

Registered ARC students who would like to request testing accommodations please visit link below.

https://www.hostos.cuny.edu/AdministrativeOffices/SDEM/Accessibility-Resource-Center(ARC)/Forms

For more information contact:

Marjorie Lalane-Murphy, Testing Coordinator Building B, Room B207 Telephone: (718) 319-7921 Email: TestingCenter@hostos.cuny.edu