The TCC Northwest Testing Center is often the first point of contact for students who are interested in enrolling for classes. As part of the new student onboarding process, many students complete placement testing. Placement testing ensures that students enroll in the appropriate courses for their skill level. Though testing may be stressful for many, the TCC Northwest Testing Center staff strive to provide testing services in a secure and stress-free environment.
Coordinator of Testing Jessica Collins has worked with her team to create the best environment for success. When entering the Testing Center, visitors are greeted by a friendly staff member who explains the services available and shares information about the testing environment which includes a hospitality station with free snacks, soft drinks, coffee, tea and water to create a comfortable and calm atmosphere for testing. Moreover, visitors have access to jackets, blankets, desktop fans, noise-cancelling headphones, ear plugs and white noise machines to assist with comfort and distraction-free testing.
In support of student success, there are many activities the Coordinator of Testing participates in that might not always be visible to the public. As coordinator, Collins provides weekly training and supports open discussion with staff to ensure testing procedures and front-line service practices support visitor needs. She acts as Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) liaison for ISD partners and College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) counselors to support the successful test administration of the TSIA within seven school districts and their affiliated high schools.
As part of her responsibilities, Collins had the opportunity to serve as a team lead for the Testing Work Group, which is composed of coordinators from all TCC campuses. Through serving in this role, she was able to empower her colleagues to engage in the unification of Testing Services through creating a remote office environment for all district testing staff on MS Teams, and for the first time, offered District-wide training for testing staff. Due to her leadership, the TCC Testing Centers were also able to quickly implement a remote test option during COVID-19 closures and expand service offerings by designing a new test scheduling process that allowed students to schedule test appointments online through a 24/7 test registration system.
Collins enjoys serving and supporting others. She values her experiences at TCC and appreciates opportunities to interact with students and staff to encourage their development and growth. Her position as Coordinator of Testing allows her to use her skills to create an environment for success and remove the fears many may think of when they hear the word “testing.”