In this work we describe the placement
testing and student intake process at a large, land-grant university and show
that long-standing general assessment exams administered during secondary schooling
are not accurate predictors of success in university level mathematics courses.
We then present results indicating that a placement exam administered during
arrival as a first-year student provides a strong indicator of potential for
student success in first-semester calculus.
References
[1]
Baron, J., & Norman, F. (1992). SATs, achievement test, and high- school class rank as predictors of college per-formance. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52, 1047-1055.
[2]
Bridgeman, B. (1982). Comparative validity of the college board scho- lastic aptitude test—Mathematics and the descriptive tests of mathe- matics skills for predicting performance in college mathematics courses. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 42, 361-366.
[3]
Dalton, S. (1976). A decline in the predictive validity of the SAT and high school achievement. Educational and Psychological Measure- ment, 36, 445-448.
[4]
Fuller, E., Deshler, J., Kuhn, B., & Squire, D. (2013). Tracking success of pre-college algebra workshop students through subsequent college mathematics classes. Primus, in press.
[5]
Kohler, E. (1973). The relationship between the cooperative mathemat- ics test, Algebra III, ACT mathematics usage test, ACT composite and grade point average in college Algebra. Educational and Psy- chological Measurement, 33, 929-931.
[6]
Lesik, S. (2007). Do developmental mathematics programs have a cau- sal impact on student retention? An application of discrete-time sur- vival and regression-discontinuity analysis. Research in Higher Edu- cation, 48.
[7]
Mathematical Association of America (2010). Placement test program user’s guide (7th ed.). Washington DC: MAA.
[8]
Parker, M. (2005). Placement, retention, and success: A longitudinal study of mathematics and retention. The Journal of General Educa- tion, 54.1, 22-40.
[9]
Pedersen, G. L. (2004). Academic performance and demographic va- riables in predicting success in college algebra and graduation rates in an urban multi-campus community college (Florida). Ed.D. dis- sertation, Florida Atlantic Univer-sity.
[10]
Rothstein, J. M. (2004). College performance predictions and the SAT. Journal of Econometrics, 121, 297-317.
[11]
Rubino, N. D. (1998). An analysis of pre-admission test scores and their relationship to suc-cessful outcomes for students in the associate degree nursing program at Wesley College. Ed.D. dissertation, Wil- mington College.
