PURPOSE: To provide entrance test criteria as required by the U.S. Department of Education for an applicant who does not possess a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) credential but who wishes both to (1) enroll at Trident Technical College, and (2) apply for federal financial aid. The U.S. Department of Education issued "Ability-to-Benefit" (ATB) regulations in the Federal Register, on December 1, 1995, pages 61830-61844, and on October 25, 1996, pages 55542-55543.

PROCEDURE:

1. Upon application for admission under the Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) guidelines, a Financial Aid Officer or any college official refers an applicant to the Dean of Enrollment Services.
   
   
2. The Dean of Enrollment Services is responsible for verifying that the applicant has applied for financial aid. Upon verification of financial aid status, the applicant receives an Ability-to-Benefit form from the Dean of Enrollment Services authorizing the applicant to take either the American College Testing’s (ACT) Computer-Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) or ASSET, or the College Board's Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs).
   
   
3. The applicant presents the Ability-to-Benefit form to Testing Services staff at the time of testing. Testing Services submits the applicant's test results to the Admissions and Records office and refers the applicant to the Dean of Enrollment Services for test results.
   
   
4. The U.S. Department of Education requires that an applicant meet or exceed the following minimum scores on each of the three components of either the
   
   

   American College Testing's	COMPASS	ASSET
   Reading	60	34
   Writing	31	34
   Prealgebra/Numerical Skills	21	33
   College Board’s Computerized Placement Tests
   Reading Comprehension		52
   Sentence Skills		60
   Arithmetic		36

   
   
   
5. As required by the U. S. Department of Education ATB regulations, an applicant who does not meet or exceed all three required scores on the complete set of tests may request a retest. The applicant must retake ALL three components during a single test administration session and meet or exceed the minimum scores on each of the three components in that (or a subsequent) test administration.
   
   
   1. Within any three-month period, the applicant may attempt one initial test and one retest, which must be taken within two weeks of the initial test.
      
      
   2. Retesting cannot occur on the same day as the initial test.
      
      
   3. The applicant must pay a retest fee for the second test administration.
      
      
6. On the retest, the applicant must meet or exceed all three required scores on the three components in a single testing experience. However, the applicant who takes a retest but does not make the required set of scores may petition in writing the Dean of Enrollment Services to attempt the complete set of tests for a third time. With the petition, the applicant must provide documentation, such as a letter signed by an administrator, which verifies participation in a school-based or community-based adult education or literacy program that would suggest that score improvement might be possible.
   
   If the Dean of Enrollment Services grants the petition for a second retest, and the period for the third attempt is within three months of the initial testing date, the $25.00 retest fee will be waived.
   
   
7. If, within the three-month time frame, the applicant has not met the required scores, the applicant is referred to Counseling Services by the Dean of Enrollment Services and may be advised to complete additional academic intervention before attempting the test again.
   
   
8. Each subsequent testing session requires payment of a retesting fee.