A survey of ninth-grade student placement policies in Michigan secondary schools was conducted. Two central questions were: (1) Who makes the placement decision; and (2) What are the most frequently used criteria in making that decision? Two-hundred Michigan secondary schools were selected at random and questionnaires were sent to chairpersons of their mathematics departments. Based on responses from 121 schools, the results indicate that teachers' and counselors' recommendations carry the most weight in the placement decision and that little importance seems to be given to any type of standardized test information. (Author/MK)