Students place into math and English courses using high school records and our placement tool. In order to complete the placement tool online, it will help to know your cumulative high school GPA, the highest level Math and English class you’ve taken, along with the grade you earned in those classes. If you don't know that information, please contact the counseling office.

Math Placement


Math class options can be found HERE. You must use the placement tool to be placed into the correct course (CLICK HERE for additional information about math placement).

  • You can meet with a counselor to discuss appropriate classes for your educational and career goals. Call (707) 468-3048 to schedule an appointment
  • If you have taken any college math here or at another institution, bring your transcripts to Admission and Records to determine which classes you can take
  • Enroll in one of the open access courses:  MTH 79, MTH 80 with a corequisite, or MTH 178 with math lab (co-requisites may be waived by taking a multiple measures assessment with a Counselor)
  • Challenge the prerequisite for the class you want to take.  The prerequisite challenge form is available HERE.   

All students may be able to place out of a required co-requisite by completing a Multiple Measures Assessment with a counselor.  Call (707) 468-3048 to get an appointment.  Students may also challenge the prerequisite for the class they want to take.  If you feel strongly that you have the knowledge and skills for a different placement, access the Prerequisite Challenge form through Admissions and Records.

Meet with a Counselor if you have any questions about which classes to take. Call 468-3048 to get an appointment.

English Placement

The law says that all students entering community college must be given the opportunity to complete transfer level English and Math courses in their first year. This means that everyone is qualified to take English 200: College Composition.  

Your options for enrolling in English 200 

Take English 200, which is a four-unit (4) course. This class meets the general education requirements for completing a degree and/or transfer requirements.  

OR  

Take English 200 (4-units) along with English 65 (1-unit) for a total of five units. The combined courses still meet the general education requirements, but they also offer more reading and writing support. 

ALL English 200 students will also be enrolled in English 560, a free course we often call "the Lab". It is staffed by English instructors to help students. 

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

Contact Janet Daugherty, Student Learning and Success Director: (707) 468-3046 or jdaugherty@mendocino.edu

What is AB 705?

These options are all thanks to Assembly Bills 705 (AB 705) and AB 1705. 

Research shows that a high school grade point average is the strongest predictor of performance in college-level coursework. Assembly Bill 705 says that students will receive a placement using high school records instead of our old assessment tests.

California Assembly Bill 705 requires that a community college maximize the probability:

  • That a student will begin and complete transfer-level coursework in English within a one-year timeframe
  • That a student will begin and complete transfer-level coursework in Math within a one-year timeframe
  • That a student enrolled in English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction will complete ESL and transfer-level coursework in English within a three-year timeframe

 

 

To learn more about AB705, visit: https://assessment.cccco.edu/ab-705-implementation

HAVE QUESTIONS? Contact Janet Daugherty, Student Learning and Success Director: (707) 468-3046 or jdaugherty@mendocino.edu 

 

FAQs for English Placement

The law says that all students entering community college must be given the opportunity to complete transfer level English and Math courses in their first year. This means that everyone is qualified to take English 200: College Composition.  

Take English 200, which is a four-unit (4) course. This class meets the general education requirements for completing a degree and/or transfer requirements.  

OR  

Take English 200 (4-units) along with English 65 (1-unit) for a total of five units. The combined courses still meet the general education requirements, but they also offer more reading and writing support. 

English 65 is an important support course that can be taken along with English 200 (usually on the same days). It allows for more time in class to work on reading and writing skills and learn about how to be a successful college student. If you choose to take both English 200 and 65 together, then attendance and completion of both are required. If you change your mind about English 65, then you must drop both classes and begin a stand-alone English 200 class (usually in the next semester). 

There are a few ways to help you determine which path to take. If the following are true, you will likely do well in a stand-alone English 200 class: 

  • Your high school cumulative GPA was 2.6 or higher. 

  • You completed Advanced Placement or Honors English with a C or higher.  

  • You earned a proficient on the ERW exam. 

  • You earned a C or above in the ERW course. 

  •  

Other things to consider when about taking a stand-alone English 200 

  • You feel pretty good about your reading comprehension. 

  • You feel confident about your writing skills, even if there is room for improvement. 

  • Writing more than one draft of an essay makes sense. 

  • Even though there might be some grammar and spelling mistakes in your writing, you are comfortable about finding and fixing them or asking for help. 

  • Your time management is pretty strong, even if there is room for improvement. 

 

Taking English 200 and English 65 together might be a better choice if one or more of the following are true: 

  • Your high school cumulative GPA was 2.5 or lower. 

  • You feel like it has been too long since you completed an English course. 

  • You are worried you have forgotten too much about English grammar. 

  • Reading and remembering what I read can be challenging. 

  • Time management is a struggle. 

  • English isn’t your first language, and you want or need more support.

Have a conversation with a counselor. They have the expertise to give the guidance you need. Make an appointment by calling (707) 468-3048, or go to https://www.mendocino.edu/enrollment-services/counseling.  

The English department offers writing (and reading) support in person or online. It is a free course that you are automatically enrolled in when you take English 200, 201 or 205. How often you interact with the lab will be determined by you and your English 200, 201 or 205 instructor.  

Our goal in the lab is to help you improve your writing. Proofreading for you does not accomplish that goal. Bring your questions about the assignment, about the subject matter and about specific writing concerns. 

You can take required assignments to the lab for any writing assignment. In fact, you can also bring any writing assignment (from history, political science, and other subjects) to the lab. The class can also be retaken multiple semesters (and it will still be free).  

Even though the data from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office says that students can and do succeed in English 200 without taking any preparatory courses, students and faculty found three hours in class together was not enough. 

The English department and the college worked together to make some changes to how we teach English 200 and adding one more unit (one more hour per week of class time) was one way we are working to help students succeed. 

Even professional writers get help with their writing. It may be from an editor or a writing group, but they always have access to and use support. No one should have to write in a vacuum. The instructors in the writing lab love to help students find their writing voice and style, strengthen their written communication, and improve their critical thinking skills. The lab is a free, easily accessible, and supportive resource.