Information About Upcoming Assessments

Fall 2013 Assessment Day will be held on Friday, August 23th.  All first year students are required to participate.

Please note: Accommodations have been made for certain student groups that might alter the times and/or locations of their assessments.  If you are a member of any of the groups listed below, click here to see the modified Assessment Day information.

- Athletic teams
- Marching Royal Dukes
- Students registered with Disability Services to receive accommodations on exams

To read more about why JMU has Assessment Days and the types of assessments students take, click here.

Fall 2013 Assessment Day Room Assignments

*Please report to your assigned room 15 minutes prior to the start of your session.

Assessment Day Accommodations

Athletic Teams

All members of the following teams will be participating in competitions and will not be able to attend Assessment Day. Therefore, first year members are required to attend a makeup session on Monday, September 9th at 6pm in HHS 1301 and 1302.

• Soccer – Women’s
• Volleyball

All members of the following teams should attend the MORNING session for their assessments.  Your room assignment has not changed, so report to the same room as determined by your student ID number.

• Cheerleading
• Soccer – Men’s
• ROTC
• Track & Field  (not Cross Country)

All members of the following teams should attend the AFTERNOON session for their assessments.  Your room assignment has not changed, so report to the same room as determined by your student ID number.

• Field Hockey
• Football
• Track & Cross Country

If your sport is not listed, you must attend the session (time and location) that corresponds with the last two digits of your ID.

Marching Royal Dukes

First year students who are in the marching band will not take their assessments on August 23rd due to previously scheduled university sponsored activities.

All first year band members are required to attend a testing session scheduled for Monday, September 9th at 6pm in HHS 1301 and 1302.

If your sport is not listed, you must attend the session (time and location) that corresponds with the last two digits of your ID.

Students registered with Disability Services to receive accommodations on exams

If your accommodations include the following: extended time, and/or the ability to write on multiple choice exams, your testing location is HHS 2117regardless of the last two digits of your ID.  Assessments begin promptly at 10 am on August 23rd.

There is no afternoon session for students receiving accommodations.  The appropriate accommodations will be available for you in HHS 2117.

If your accommodations include assistive technology for enlarging a computer screen, you will need to take your assessments on an alternative date in the Ashby Computer Lab.  Contact Jack Garmer, Ashby Lab Manager (568-6855) to set up a time to complete your assessments.  Assessments in the Ashby Lab must be completed as soon possible or a hold will be placed on your student record around the last week of September.

If your accommodations include readers or scribes, you should schedule your assessment with Disability Services by calling 568-6705.  Arrangements must be made by Friday, August 16th, otherwise we will not be able to provide the necessary accommodations for you on Assessment Day.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fall 2013 Assessment Day

Do I have to go?
All first year students must attend Assessment Day.  You cannot test out of these assessments.  If for any reason you are uncertain about whether you must attend, contact the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (assessment@jmu.edu) prior to Assessment Day.

Where do I go on Assessment Day?
You will be assigned a testing location based on the last two digits of your JMU student ID number. This information, along with the time you will be testing, will be available within the next few weeks.

I can’t attend Assessment Day.  What do I do?
Students who fail to complete their assessments on Assessment Day will have a hold placed on their student record.  Students experiencing an emergency that prevents them from attending should contact the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (assessment@jmu.edu) as soon as possible.

What should I expect on Assessment Day?
Assessments begin promptly at 10 am (morning session) and 2 pm (afternoon session), so you should arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time.  Trained proctors will inform you of the purpose of assessments here at JMU and the guidelines and procedures related to the assessments.  Your testing session will last approximately 3 hours.  During that time you will take a variety of instruments related to your general education courses, your adjustment to JMU, health and wellness, perceptions of various activities, and beliefs about learning.  All students must stay until the end of their appointed assessment session.

Remember that the results of these assessments are critical to your education at JMU because they help inform program changes and improvements, which in turn lead to a higher quality of education.

What can I bring on Assessment Day?
Many students will complete their assessments using paper Scantron forms, so you may wish to bring a #2 pencil; however, pencils will be provided to all students who need them.  Please do not bring any food or drinks into the testing room.  Absolutely no cell phones or other electronic devices are permitted in the testing rooms.

Assessment Day Electronic Device Policy

Do not bring cell phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, photographic or other electronic devices (e.g. mp3 players, cameras, calculators, hand-held gaming systems) to the assessment room.  Use of such devices is strictly prohibited. Students who bring such devices will be dismissed from the assessment session and referred to Judicial Affairs.  Students dismissed from the session will have a hold placed on their record and will be required to attend a make-up assessment session at a later date.

Will I be able to use the restroom during the assessments?
Yes, restroom breaks are permitted at the discretion of the test proctor(s).

If I am assigned to a morning assessment, can I go to an afternoon assessment instead?
No, students must take their assessments in their assigned rooms at their assigned times unless otherwise instructed by a member of the Assessment Day staff.

If you have additional questions about Assessment Day, please contact assessment@jmu.edu.