Overview
At GSU, we strive to ensure that students are successful in their courses and in their education. To achieve this goal, undergraduate students are provided with a number of supports and activities that will help students achieve success in math and English, based in their prior educational experiences and future educational goals.
Writing Placement
All undergraduate students meeting GSU’s admission criteria who still need to take ENGL 1000, Writing Studies 1 will be placed into ENGL 1000.
In some cases, students entering GSU will have earned college credit for ENGL 1000. GSU’s catalog offers additional information about college credit via Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Students should also speak with their advisors to determine the status of transferred credits.
Statistics Placement
All undergraduate students entering GSU that need to take Math 2100: Elementary Statistics will be required to take the ALEKS Placement, Preparation, and Learning assessment. Students that need extra support to be successful in the course will be enrolled in the companion course Math 2101: Elementary Statistics Laboratory when they register for Math 2100. The statistics laboratory is designed to give students the opportunity to apply the statistics techniques discussed in Math 2100 to real-world application problems, to further develop foundational mathematical skills, and to promote growth mindset and self-efficacy as a mathematics student. Math 2101 is college-level course that count as general elective credit towards graduation requirement.
Students may choose to take Math 2100 without the companion laboratory if they demonstrate mathematical proficiency by attaining an ALEKS placement score of 26 or higher. Students having earned credit for a college-level mathematics course prior to registering for Math 2100 are exempt from the ALEKS assessment requirement.
ALEKS Placement Assessment
The ALEKS Placement Assessment covers material from pre-algebra, geometry, algebra I &II, and trigonometry. Since the level of difficulty of each question is determined based on the student’s answers to previous questions, some students never advance beyond the Algebra II test questions. The assessment will take approximately 60–90 minutes to complete. After the assessment, an individualized, targeted Preparation and Learning Module is available for you to review and practice the material, as well as to improve placement and eventual course outcomes. You will work your academic advisor to determine the appropriate time to complete your math placement based on your class schedule.
The cost of the ALEKS Placement assessment and Preparation and Learning module is included in your GSU student fees. After your first proctored placement attempt, you may log into the account you created to practice the ALEKS exam (up to three times) from any computer with internet access. However, the only scores from assessments proctored on-campus at Governors State University will be considered for placement decisions. Contact the Testing Center to schedule your proctored ALEKS Placement Assessment. You may attempt the ALEKS Placement Assessment a total of five times. However, to make each attempt worthwhile, you must spend time working in your ALEKS Preparation and Learning Module in between placement assessments to improve your skills. You must wait at least 48 hours between attempts.
Free ALEKS Practice Exams
The ALEKS website provides you the opportunity to take a practice test. The actual placement test will have up to 30 questions. In the practice version it will stop at 20 questions, then ask you to choose a level of understanding. For 48 hours, you’ll be able to practice questions with feedback in two modes: 1. Review of questions that the placement and your choice of level gave you credit for knowing found in the main menu (three lines at the top left on the home page); and 2. Learning new topics that you are ready to learn that will automatically be presented at the left of the home page.
Here are the steps to get to the practice test and after completion, the review and learning modes:
• Go to www.aleks.com and click on Free Trial in the upper right of the screen, the second of four choices from left to right.
• On this page, under Independent Use, click CONTINUE.
• Here under Explore Student Module, click TRY ALEKS NOW.
• On the next page, click Terms of Use, read as desired, then check the box next to I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and then click CONTINUE.
• Next complete the short form Enter Your Personal Information. You fill in your first name, last name, email and verify email (please use a personal email account here—not a school account), then choose College or K-12 Student in the first drop-down menu, then Higher Ed | Math in the middle one, and Beginning and Intermediate Algebra Combined for the last choice, then click CONTINUE.
• A Guest Account will then be created with a username and password. Write them down if you want to come back and access ALEKS again for more practice before the placement exam. Then click CONTINUE TO FREE TRIAL.
• There are a couple of pages of explanation, then you will go through a Tools Tutorial that shows you briefly how to enter various types of answers in the ALEKS platform.
• After that, it will give you an initial knowledge check that will be similar to the placement test. When you are finished, you will be asked what level of math you want to practice. Choose one of the first two options, unless your math skills are very strong.
• You have access for 48 hours. Time your practice so that you do it in the two or three days before you take your first proctored placement assessment.
Access Services for Students with Disabilities
Governors State University believes education should be accessible to everyone. If you have a temporary health issue or a permanent disability, please contact Access Services for Students with Disabilities at 708.235.3968.
Additional Questions
If you have additional questions, please contact your academic advisor or the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center at advising@govst.edu.