The concept of an open door for anyone who wants to attend a community college regardless of that person\u27s educational background is an admirable one. The reality, however, is that the open door too often becomes a revolving door. Students from ages eighteen to eighty choose to attend community colleges for a multitude of reasons. These students often have the proper motivation, but they frequently face failure because they lack the requisite basic skills to succeed. At Rock Valley College, the decision was made to stop the revolving door

Bernardi, Richard L.

Castleberry, K. Sue

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and 
Language Arts 
Volume 30 
Issue 4 June/July 1990 Article 2 
7-1-1990 
Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at Rock Valley 
Community College 
Richard L. Bernardi 
Rock Valley College 
K. Sue Castleberry 
Laurel Hill School, Hanover Park, Illinois 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons 
 Part of the Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Bernardi, R. L., & Castleberry, K. S. (1990). Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at Rock Valley 
Community College. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 30 (4). Retrieved from 
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol30/iss4/2 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by 
the Special Education and Literacy Studies at 
ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion 
in Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language 
Arts by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. 
For more information, please contact wmu-
scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
Q 
A~~~~~m~rnJt: 
S t(O) [p) [p) U [fil ~ t~ ~ R ~~(O) ] ~U [fil ~ D (0) (0) r 
~t R(O)t~ V~]]~y C(O)~~~'9J~ 
Richard L. Bernardi 
K. Sue Castleberry 
The concept of an open door for anyone who wants to 
attend a community college regardless of that person's 
educational background is an admirable one. The reality, 
however, is that the open door too often becomes a revolving 
door. Students from ages eighteen to eighty choose to attend 
community colleges for a multitude of reasons. These stu-
dents often have the proper motivation, but they frequently 
face failure because they lack the requisite basic skills to 
succeed. At Rock Valley College, the decision was made to 
stop the revolving door. 
Student Placement 
Beginning with the fall semester of 1986, Rock Valley 
College implemented an assessment program to turn that 
revolving door into a guarantee that its students have a 
chance to succeed by prescribing mandated placement in 
developmental reading and writing courses. 
The guarantee for a chance to succeed hinges on the 
stipulation that students are excluded from college level 
courses until they successfully complete the necessary read-
ing courses. Every new student enrolling in a credit course is 
tested in reading, English, and math. Only students enrolled 
at Rock Valley College prior to the fall of 1986, students 
holding post-secondary degrees from institutions accredited 
Page 272 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 
by recognized regional associations, students enrolling only 
in non-credit courses, or transfer students whose college 
transcripts indicatE~ a basic skills proficiency at the college 
level are exempt from the assessment program. Students 
are allowed to take the assessment tests only one time, so the 
placement process is set in motion at the end of a one hour 
and thirty minute tE!St session. Although students are tested 
in reading, English, and math, the cornerstone of the place-
ment program is based on the results of the reading tests. 
Reading 
Students scorin~J at or above a tenth grade equivalent on 
the comprehension subtest of The Nelson-Denny Reading 
Test, Form E (Brown, Bennett, and Hanna, 1981) are allowed 
to enroll in any course they are otherwise qualified to take. 
Students scoring below the tenth grade equivalent are re-
quired to take a second reading test. Students may choose 
to take the second test immediately following the first test or 
they may return for testing at a later date. 
The Degrees of Reading Power, Form PA-2 (College En-
trance Examination Board, 1984) was chosen as the second 
test because it addresses reading as a process. The cloze 
format of the Degrees of Reading Power test is different from 
the multiple choicH format of The Nelson-Denny Reading 
Test. Students have unlimited time for the test and are coun-
seled not to take th'8 test unless they are rested and at ease. 
Only reading spe'cialists, teachers with masters degrees in 
reading, administer the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) 
test. These reading specialists conduct a ten to twenty 
minute interview with each prospective student as he or she 
finishes the test to determine appropriate course placement. 
During the intervie~/, the reading specialists ask the prospec-
tive students to describe themselves as readers, to discuss 
READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Page 273 
any reading problems they may have had in schools they 
previously attended, and to describe any special classes or 
help they may have had to alleviate their reading deficits. The 
specialists describe the purpose of the placement procedure 
and the substance of the reading program. 
Students scoring 95% or better on the ORP are exempt 
from the required developmental reading courses. For stu-
dents with lower scores, reading course placement is man-
dated and students are allowed to take college level classes 
only when they have successfully completed assigned reme-
diation courses. Students whose scores are between 94% 
and 50'}ri are assigned to one of three reading courses: 
• Reading 099 is forstudents with ORP test scores between 
94% and 75%, and reading levels between grades 8 and 10. 
Students who place into Reading 099 and Reading 096 are 
allowed to enroll concurrently in courses on the Reading 
Limited Course List. This list is composed of performance 
music courses, studio art courses, physical education activity 
courses, mathematics courses, student orientation courses, 
a small number of technical and computer courses which 
require limited reading, and developmental English 098. For 
those courses which have textbooks or required handbooks, 
readability formulas have been applied to determine that the 
reading level and amount of required reading are within the 
ability range of the students. 
• Reading 096 is for students with ORP test scores between 
74% and 65%, and reading levels between grades 6 and 8. 
• Reading 080 is for students with ORP test scores between 
64% and 50%. Because these students are so under-
prepared in their reading ability, they may not enroll in 
courses on the Reading Limited Course List until they pass 
Reading 080 and enroll in Reading 096. One English course 
and one math course are open to them. 
Page 274 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 
Students who score below 50% are counseled to seek re-
mediation through a literacy program or some other agency 
offering reading instruction at an appropriate level. 
English and mathematics 
Mandated placement in English courses is determined by 
students' performlance on the RVC English Placement Test 
(Communications Division, 1979) as well as on the reading 
tests. The English test consists of eight sections testing such 
skills as making generalizations, sequencing ideas, lan-
guage usage, grammatical rures, and proofreading. The test 
consists of 62 items in an objective format. Students must 
score 62% or better on the English test and test at a tenth 
grade equivalent on the reading test before they can enroll in 
English composition courses. If a student scores 62% or 
better on the English test, but has mandated placement in a 
reading course, that student is not allowed to enroll in an 
English composition course other than English 098 until the 
Reading 099 course has been successfully completed. Stu-
dents enrolled in English 098 must achieve a grade of C or 
better in order to enroll in English 100 or English 101. 
New students take the Mathematics Placement Test 
(Mathematics Division, 1984) and are then advised to take 
Math 090 (arithmBtic) if they score 20% or below or Math 095 
(high school algebra) if they score 20% to 44%. 
Assessment and course completion results 
Over eleven Ulousand new students have been tested 
since the assessrnent program began in the fall semester of 
1986. Seventy-five percent of the students tested were 
exempt from taking developmental reading courses based on 
their performanCE! on The Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Of 
the 25% who took the Degree of Reading Power test, 19% 
READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Page 275 
were exempt from the reading courses. Fifty-four percent of 
the students who took the DRP were placed in Reading 099, 
18% were placed in Reading 096, and 9% were placed in 
Reading 080. 
The success rate of the students placed in the reading 
courses has been dramatic. Of the total number of students 
enrolled in the reading courses, 62% passed Reading 099, 
55% passed Reading 096, and 40% passed Reading 080 
with a grade of C or better. The success rate of the students 
who completed the course was considered a more accurate 
reflection of the students' progress because approximately 
20% of the students who enroll in the reading courses are no-
shows or drop out before mid-term. Of the number of 
students who complete the courses, 76% passed Reading 
099, 69% passed Reading 096, and 570/0 passed Reading 
080 with a grade of C or better. 
Post-test results on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form 
F, show an average gain of two years in one semester. 
Students average a post-test gain of nine points on the 
Degrees of Reading Power, Form P8-2. More importantly, 
the performance in college credit classes of the students who 
were required to take the reading courses was compared to 
the peformance of students who had much stronger reading 
skills when they entered Rock Valley College. A sample of 
219 students who had an average reading score of 7.3 grade 
equivalent and passed Reading 099 was compared to 219 
randomly selected students who had an average score of 
14.0 grade equivalent on The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, 
Form E. The average GPA in credit courses for students 
required to take reading courses was 2.25 and the average 
GPA in credit courses for students exempt from reading 
courses was 2.36. Clearly, students successfully completing 
Page 276 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 
Reading 099 and continuing on at Rock Valley College are 
succeeding as well as students entering with much stronger 
reading skills. ThHre has also been a high success rate for 
students enrolled in English 098. Seventy-seven percent of 
the students who passed English 098 with a grade of C or 
better passed En~Jlish 100 or 101. 
Conclusion 
Rock Valley College faculty, administration, and students 
are pleased with the results of the assessment program. 
Faculty know that when a student enrolls in a credit course, 
that student has a minimum reading level of tenth grade, and, 
therefore, a chance to succeed. Administration has seen the 
revolving door turn into a series of doors to be opened one-
by-one by the students to give themselves a good chance to 
succeed. Students entering Rock Valley College know their 
basic skills will be assessed and they will be placed in courses 
designed to help them succeed. At Rock Valley College, the 
door is open but has stopped revolving. 
References 
Brown, J. I., Bennett, J. M., & Hanna, G. (1981). The Nelson-Denny reading 
test, Form E, Chicago IL: Riverside. 
Degrees of reading power (1984). College Entrance Examination Board. 
Mathematics placement test (1984). Rock Valley College Mathematics 
Division. Unpublished test. 
RVC English placement test (1979). Rock Valley Communications Division. 
Unpublished test. 
Richard L. Bernardi is Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Rock 
Valley College, Rockford, Illinois. K. Sue Castleberry is principal of 
Laurel Hill School in Hanover Park, Illinois. Requests for further 
information should iJe accompanied by a SASE and sent to Dr. K 
Sue Castleberry, Laurel Hill School, 1750 Laurel Avenue, Hanover 
Park, IL 60103. 


Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at Rock Valley Community College

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage ArtsVolume 30Issue 4 June/July 1990 Article 27-1-1990Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at RockValley Community CollegeRichard L. BernardiRock Valley CollegeK. Sue CastleberryLaurel Hill School, Hanover Park, IllinoisFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizonsPart of the Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the SpecialEducation and Literacy Studies at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage Arts by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. For moreinformation, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.Recommended CitationBernardi, R. L., & Castleberry, K. S. (1990). Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at Rock Valley Community College. ReadingHorizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 30 (4). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol30/iss4/2Q A~~~~~m~rnJt: S t(O) [p) [p) U [fil ~ t~ ~ R ~~(O) ] ~U [fil ~ D (0) (0) r ~t R(O)t~ V~]]~y C(O)~~~'9J~ Richard L. Bernardi K. Sue Castleberry The concept of an open door for anyone who wants to attend a community college regardless of that person's educational background is an admirable one. The reality, however, is that the open door too often becomes a revolving door. Students from ages eighteen to eighty choose to attend community colleges for a multitude of reasons. These stu-dents often have the proper motivation, but they frequently face failure because they lack the requisite basic skills to succeed. At Rock Valley College, the decision was made to stop the revolving door. Student Placement Beginning with the fall semester of 1986, Rock Valley College implemented an assessment program to turn that revolving door into a guarantee that its students have a chance to succeed by prescribing mandated placement in developmental reading and writing courses. The guarantee for a chance to succeed hinges on the stipulation that students are excluded from college level courses until they successfully complete the necessary read-ing courses. Every new student enrolling in a credit course is tested in reading, English, and math. Only students enrolled at Rock Valley College prior to the fall of 1986, students holding post-secondary degrees from institutions accredited Page 272 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 by recognized regional associations, students enrolling only in non-credit courses, or transfer students whose college transcripts indicatE~ a basic skills proficiency at the college level are exempt from the assessment program. Students are allowed to take the assessment tests only one time, so the placement process is set in motion at the end of a one hour and thirty minute tE!St session. Although students are tested in reading, English, and math, the cornerstone of the place-ment program is based on the results of the reading tests. Reading Students scorin~J at or above a tenth grade equivalent on the comprehension subtest of The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form E (Brown, Bennett, and Hanna, 1981) are allowed to enroll in any course they are otherwise qualified to take. Students scoring below the tenth grade equivalent are re-quired to take a second reading test. Students may choose to take the second test immediately following the first test or they may return for testing at a later date. The Degrees of Reading Power, Form PA-2 (College En-trance Examination Board, 1984) was chosen as the second test because it addresses reading as a process. The cloze format of the Degrees of Reading Power test is different from the multiple choicH format of The Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Students have unlimited time for the test and are coun-seled not to take th'8 test unless they are rested and at ease. Only reading spe'cialists, teachers with masters degrees in reading, administer the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test. These reading specialists conduct a ten to twenty minute interview with each prospective student as he or she finishes the test to determine appropriate course placement. During the intervie~/, the reading specialists ask the prospec-tive students to describe themselves as readers, to discuss READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Page 273 any reading problems they may have had in schools they previously attended, and to describe any special classes or help they may have had to alleviate their reading deficits. The specialists describe the purpose of the placement procedure and the substance of the reading program. Students scoring 95% or better on the ORP are exempt from the required developmental reading courses. For stu-dents with lower scores, reading course placement is man-dated and students are allowed to take college level classes only when they have successfully completed assigned reme-diation courses. Students whose scores are between 94% and 50'}ri are assigned to one of three reading courses: • Reading 099 is forstudents with ORP test scores between 94% and 75%, and reading levels between grades 8 and 10. Students who place into Reading 099 and Reading 096 are allowed to enroll concurrently in courses on the Reading Limited Course List. This list is composed of performance music courses, studio art courses, physical education activity courses, mathematics courses, student orientation courses, a small number of technical and computer courses which require limited reading, and developmental English 098. For those courses which have textbooks or required handbooks, readability formulas have been applied to determine that the reading level and amount of required reading are within the ability range of the students. • Reading 096 is for students with ORP test scores between 74% and 65%, and reading levels between grades 6 and 8. • Reading 080 is for students with ORP test scores between 64% and 50%. Because these students are so under-prepared in their reading ability, they may not enroll in courses on the Reading Limited Course List until they pass Reading 080 and enroll in Reading 096. One English course and one math course are open to them. Page 274 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Students who score below 50% are counseled to seek re-mediation through a literacy program or some other agency offering reading instruction at an appropriate level. English and mathematics Mandated placement in English courses is determined by students' performlance on the RVC English Placement Test (Communications Division, 1979) as well as on the reading tests. The English test consists of eight sections testing such skills as making generalizations, sequencing ideas, lan-guage usage, grammatical rures, and proofreading. The test consists of 62 items in an objective format. Students must score 62% or better on the English test and test at a tenth grade equivalent on the reading test before they can enroll in English composition courses. If a student scores 62% or better on the English test, but has mandated placement in a reading course, that student is not allowed to enroll in an English composition course other than English 098 until the Reading 099 course has been successfully completed. Stu-dents enrolled in English 098 must achieve a grade of C or better in order to enroll in English 100 or English 101. New students take the Mathematics Placement Test (Mathematics Division, 1984) and are then advised to take Math 090 (arithmBtic) if they score 20% or below or Math 095 (high school algebra) if they score 20% to 44%. Assessment and course completion results Over eleven Ulousand new students have been tested since the assessrnent program began in the fall semester of 1986. Seventy-five percent of the students tested were exempt from taking developmental reading courses based on their performanCE! on The Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Of the 25% who took the Degree of Reading Power test, 19% READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Page 275 were exempt from the reading courses. Fifty-four percent of the students who took the DRP were placed in Reading 099, 18% were placed in Reading 096, and 9% were placed in Reading 080. The success rate of the students placed in the reading courses has been dramatic. Of the total number of students enrolled in the reading courses, 62% passed Reading 099, 55% passed Reading 096, and 40% passed Reading 080 with a grade of C or better. The success rate of the students who completed the course was considered a more accurate reflection of the students' progress because approximately 20% of the students who enroll in the reading courses are no-shows or drop out before mid-term. Of the number of students who complete the courses, 76% passed Reading 099, 69% passed Reading 096, and 570/0 passed Reading 080 with a grade of C or better. Post-test results on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form F, show an average gain of two years in one semester. Students average a post-test gain of nine points on the Degrees of Reading Power, Form P8-2. More importantly, the performance in college credit classes of the students who were required to take the reading courses was compared to the peformance of students who had much stronger reading skills when they entered Rock Valley College. A sample of 219 students who had an average reading score of 7.3 grade equivalent and passed Reading 099 was compared to 219 randomly selected students who had an average score of 14.0 grade equivalent on The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form E. The average GPA in credit courses for students required to take reading courses was 2.25 and the average GPA in credit courses for students exempt from reading courses was 2.36. Clearly, students successfully completing Page 276 READING HORIZONS, Summer 1990 Reading 099 and continuing on at Rock Valley College are succeeding as well as students entering with much stronger reading skills. ThHre has also been a high success rate for students enrolled in English 098. Seventy-seven percent of the students who passed English 098 with a grade of C or better passed En~Jlish 100 or 101. Conclusion Rock Valley College faculty, administration, and students are pleased with the results of the assessment program. Faculty know that when a student enrolls in a credit course, that student has a minimum reading level of tenth grade, and, therefore, a chance to succeed. Administration has seen the revolving door turn into a series of doors to be opened one-by-one by the students to give themselves a good chance to succeed. Students entering Rock Valley College know their basic skills will be assessed and they will be placed in courses designed to help them succeed. At Rock Valley College, the door is open but has stopped revolving. References Brown, J. I., Bennett, J. M., & Hanna, G. (1981). The Nelson-Denny reading test, Form E, Chicago IL: Riverside. Degrees of reading power (1984). College Entrance Examination Board. Mathematics placement test (1984). Rock Valley College Mathematics Division. Unpublished test. RVC English placement test (1979). Rock Valley Communications Division. Unpublished test. Richard L. Bernardi is Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Rock Valley College, Rockford, Illinois. K. Sue Castleberry is principal of Laurel Hill School in Hanover Park, Illinois. Requests for further information should iJe accompanied by a SASE and sent to Dr. K Sue Castleberry, Laurel Hill School, 1750 Laurel Avenue, Hanover Park, IL 60103. 

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Assessment: Stopping the Revolving Door at Rock Valley Community College

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