A study was conducted at Riverside Community College in California to evaluate by ethnic group the enrollment behavior and academic achievement of first-year students who completed assessment testing and were recommended for placement in a pre-college-level writing course. The study sample included the two cohorts of students who enrolled at the college in fall 1989 and fall 1990, and who took the assessment test between May and October of their enrollment year. Students were followed from placement testing to enrollment in the recommended writing course, through enrollment and completion of college-level courses. A total of 5,644 first-year students were tested during the 2-year period, including 750 (13%) who were advised to take pre-college level writing. Among these students, 232 (31%) followed the placement advice; of these, 167 (72%) subsequently enrolled in a college-level course. Study findings included the following: (1) while Whites constituted 58% of the tested population, they comprised only 35% of the students recommended for pre-college-level writing; (2) Asians and Hispanics comprised 6% and 18% of the tested population, respectively, but accounted for 12% and 29% of the students recommended for pre-college-level writing; (3) 43 out of 90 Asian students followed placement advice compared with only 61 of 260 White students recommended for pre-college-level writing; (4) there were no differences found among ethnic groups in persistence from pre-college-level writing to college-level courses; and (5) 67% of the study population successfully completed a college-level course, compared to a college-wide average of 60%. Data tables are included. (PAA)