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Placement Options

Getting placed at the right English and math level is important for your success at SPSCC.

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Options for Placement

Before registering for classes, new students need to be placed at the English and math level that works best for you. There are three ways that SPSCC helps you get placed at the right level: document review, Guided Self Placement, and testing.

Plan to use just one method for each English and math placement.

Join us for a Next Steps session or email us at assessment@spscc.edu.

Document Review

The best and simplest way to get placed at the right level is to let us assess work you’ve already done. Our assessment team can determine your placement by reviewing your recent high school or college transcripts, or recent test scores such as SAT, ACT, AP, IB, CI or SBA.

Read below for more detailed information about the types of documents we can accept for placement. We can use unofficial copies to place you!

To submit documents for placement review, please fill out and attach your documents to the Placement Request Form. If you have not applied to SPSCC and activated your student accounts, follow the Steps to Enroll first. Please allow up to five business days for processing. You will receive a message in your Compass account once placement is determined.

Prospective Running Start students and recent high school graduates have the ability to use their high school transcript (official or unofficial) to determine placement.  Placement is used for SPSCC math and/or English courses with the following guidelines:

  • All high school math courses used for placement are valid within the last academic year.
  • All high school English courses used for placement are valid within three years from high school graduation.
  • Classes must have been completed with a full year (1.0 high school credits) of a B (3.0 GPA) average grade or better.
  • Home School transcripts are accepted as long as they meet the criteria above and also include information about the curriculum set used with a bulleted content list for each course submitted for placement evaluation.

For more detailed information about the math and English courses we can use for placement, please see the SPSCC High School Documents Placement Guide.

If you have credits from another college, you may have the ability to use your unofficial transcripts for placement if you have taken math or English courses.

To apply credits from another college towards a degree at SPSCC, complete the Transfer of Credit Application and submit your official transcripts to incomingtranscripts@spscc.edu. Students are encouraged to submit their transcripts and the transfer of credit application within their first two quarters of enrollment at SPSCC.

English placement may be established using SAT or ACT scores that are less than three years old. Math placement currently cannot be established from SAT or ACT scores. For more detailed information about the scores we can use for placement, please see the SPSCC High School Documents Placement Guide.

English and math placement can be determined from Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge International (CI) scores. For more detailed information about the tests and scores we can use for placement, please see the SPSCC High School Documents Placement Guide.

In addition, you may be eligible to receive SPSCC credits based on your score qualifications on AP or IB tests. Use the Transfer of Credit Application to request these credits.

For current Washington high school students and recent Washington high school graduates, English and math placement can be determined from Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA) English and Language Arts scores. SBA scores must be from the 10th grade testing year. SBA math scores are valid for one academic year after the test was taken and English scores are valid for 3 years after high school graduation. For more detailed information about the scores we can use for placement, please see the SPSCC High School Documents Placement Guide.

Note: Reports must include your name, scores, the month and year the exam was taken, and the year of your high school graduation.

Scores from the GED® Reasoning through Language Arts test or the GED® math test completed within the last two years may be used for placement. GED scores of 165+ will place into college-level English and Math courses. Scores from 150-164 will place in pre-college English and Math courses. Please submit your GED score sheet for a more detailed placement evaluation.

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High School Documents Placement Guide
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Transfer of Credit Application

Guided Self Placement

If you don’t have recent transcripts or test scores, Guided Self Placement (GSP) is a great option. GSP is a questionnaire that guides you through a series of questions and activities reflecting on your prior experiences with reading, writing and/or math. GSP will help you make an informed decision about the placement level at which you will be both successful and challenged.

If you've activated your ClipperID, go to the GSP Surveys page and log in using your ClipperID and password. Complete the GSP Surveys online using a computer.

Learn more about GSP on the Assessment Center page.

Placement Testing & Placement Reciprocity

If you have already placed at another Washington State community college or you have ACCUPLACER scores from another college or university, you can submit those for placement reciprocity. For math placement only, if you do not have any documents for placement, are a dual credit high school student, or are looking to take standalone college math courses without pre-college instruction support you are welcome to take the appropriate Math WAMAP exam.

The Math College Placement Test / WAMAP tests students at one of several college math placement levels. Students choose the level they wish to test at. The assessment is computer-based and is not timed. Test results are available immediately upon completion of the assessment. Placement is available for college level math courses up through MATH 151 (Calculus I).

Learn more about the WAMAP, including how to register to take the exam, on the Assessment Center page.

If you completed a placement test at another Washington State community or technical college within the last calendar year, you may request placement based on reciprocity.  We will place you at the equivalent level that the other institution placed you at. Your documentation submitted must show the English and/or math placement for the other institution, not just the score numbers.

If you completed the ACCUPLACER exam within the last calendar year at another institution, you may request placement based on score reciprocity.  We will place you at the equivalent level based on our score cut offs for the ACCUPLACER exam. The completed ACCUPLACER exam must be the ACCUPLACER Next-Gen exam.

Transfering Credit

Beyond placing for math and English, you may have documentation that will allow you to transfer your credit from another institution or be granted credit from completion of certain exams and professional experience.

Note: We encourage students to submit documentation for evaluation toward transfer of credit within their first two quarters at SPSCC to minimize duplicative course completion and delays in graduation.

  • Credit completed at another accredited community college or four-year college or university
  • Military Training (AARTS or SMARTS)
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
  • College in the High School (CiHS)
  • CTE Dual Credit (Tech Prep)
  • Advanced Placement Exam Scores (AP)
  • International Baccalaureate Exam Scores (IB)
  • Cambridge International Exam Scores (CI)
  • Training Certifications (CALE)
  • Non-Certified Work Experience (PLA)

If you have transferrable credit, your evaluation must be completed before an Educational and Career Planner (ECP) can create a Degree Plan for you. Evaluation can take up to 6-8 weeks to complete.

Learn more about transferring credit, including access to the necessary forms, on the Transfer Credits page.