[RUME] On-line Placement tests

[wrsethi at aol.com]

Hello,

  I am delighted to see that other colleges are struggling with finding 
the right placement method for their programs. At Seton Hall University 
we had historically given the whole incoming freshmen class a written 
placement test and used that for placement first and then looked at SAT 
math scores. A few years ago it was decided to set-up a placement 
criteria based soley on the Math SAT scores and use Accuplacer for any 
challengers to the placement. The particulars are layed out in our 
website: http://www.math.shu.edu/programs/placement.html

 The details are shown below:

 Category mSAT Score Mathematics Courses Allowed
  Category I less than 510 Math0012 (Developmental Math, institutional 
credit only)
  Category II between 510 and 580 Any math course up to Math1203 
excluding Math1015
 Category III between 581 and 680 Any math course up to Math1303
  Category IV greater than 680 Any math course up to Math1501 excluding 
Math1411

  We have found that this placement criteria has work relatively well, 
except for the Developmental Math group which has too much variation 
with their skills. So we are looking at options to place the under 510 
group into two different classes - PreAlgebra and Beginning Algebra.

  We are also shifting from using Accuplacer to using Maple TA and the 
MAA placement test online using our Blackboard platform.

  I concur with my colleagues of the fact that online placement tests 
cannot eliminate the possibility that the student will use a calculator 
or cheat if the test is administered off campus. At the same time 
though I am a firm believer that students cannot get their calculators 
to do algebra. If they could program their IT 83 to factor a 
polynomial, then chances are they have a level of sophisication whihc 
leads me to beleive that they probably could do it by hand if they had 
to. At the same time, if the student chooses to cheat on a placement 
test, the only person who is going to be harmed is the student for they 
will be placed in a class that requires skills at a higher level than 
what they are really do - a perfect formula for failing the class. So 
there is an ultimate negative outcome if there is cheating on the 
placement test.

  Our plan for the incoming class of freshmen is to require the further 
placement test for the students below 510 and to also permit students 
who believe that their placement is lower that what they believe they 
can do an placement test for calculus readiness using MapleTA/MAA 
online placement test.

  The one thing I could use some help with is if someone has been using 
the MAA placement test if they would share their placement criteria 
especially for the pre-calculus level math skills.

 Thank you.

 Wendiann Sethi
 Director of Developmental Math
 Seton Hall University
 South Orange, NJ
 973-761-9765
 sethiwen at shu.edu


 -----Original Message-----
 From: Jose H. Giraldo <jgiraldo at falcon.tamucc.edu>
 To: Jerome Epstein <jerepst at att.net>
 Cc: rume at betterfilecabinet.com
 Sent: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 08:09:36 -0600 (CST)
 Subject: Re: [RUME] On-line Placement tests

  These are some comments about what we are doing and what we are 
thinking
  about doing on placement test. I hope it helps Charles somehow. Any 
input
 is appreciated.
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


  At this point we are facing serious questioning about the placement 
test.
 We used to administer the MAA placement test, but the previous chair
  decided to move to SAT scores. However, we are seeing so many 
deficiencies
  in the calculus I students that we are considering taking actions. One 
of
  them is to give an on line placement test. Hopefully our own on line 
test.

  We are taking some actions to attack the problem. As a first step we 
gave
  to all students enrolled in calculus 1 (about 150) this semester the 
MAA
 calculus readiness test. The results indicate that only 40% of the
  students enrolled in calculus I are ready to take it. This may explain 
all
 the struggle they are having in this course. Last semester I gave a
  strictly computational test at the beginning of the calculus I course, 
and
  it was a disaster too. The performance was very low. However, the 
majority
  of these students have already taken a math college course. I need to 
get
 the count of the performance of students who are taking this as their
 first math course in college.

  We are talking about having an on line placement test. What we have 
talked
 so far is something like this:

 1. A list of prerequisites items the student is expected to have to
 succeed in calculus I. (I would like to learn more about Jerry's test).

  2. The items in part (1) can be accompanied by some sample questions 
and
 probably practice problems.

  3. The student will be encouraged to take the placement test before 
coming
  to the university. The score obtained will be used to initially place 
the
 student in calculus I

 4. To make sure there was not cheating involved, the student has to
 revalidate the score in a supervised environment hen he arrives to the
 university (This item will generate a lot of discussion)

  It seems like a lot to do. However, the immediate advantage of it, if 
we
 go ahead with these ideas, is that the students who pass the calculus I
 readiness test will come to the course fresh in terms of prerequisite
 material and that will help them succeed in the course. Of course the
  other problem we are facing right now is that our own students 
(students
 who took precalculus with us) did not pass the placement we administer
 this semester. To make the process stronger and guarantee a comparable
  starting level in calculus I then we will need to look at precalculus 
and
 what the students are getting out of it. But probably this is not the
 point of this discussion.

 Jose Giraldo


 On Fri, February 10, 2006 6:04 pm, Jerome Epstein wrote:
  > I think Charles is correct to be very concerned about online 
placement.
 >
  > I would point out that on my Basic Skills Diagnostic Test (BSDT -- 
write
  > for info if you want), there is a quite strong correlation between 
the
 > score on the first half and the SAT I. The first half of the test is
 > non-algebraic and all of its questions should be answerable by a
 > competent 8th or 9th grader. What is quite stunning is the relative
 > scale of the correlation. If one says that 75% on the 8th grade level
  > test is minimally competent this correlates to 620 on the SAT. Below 
600
 > one finds rapidly increasing probability that one will see serious
  > problems at elementary school level math, approaching virtual 
certainty
 > at 500 (the national average). This has been shown now at 3
 > universities, and with many hundreds of students at my university. We
 > have students who have passed calculus in high school and cannot put
  > fractions and decimals in order from smallest to largest. Lots of 
them.
 > So do you, if you have students near the national average SAT.
 >
 > Jerry Epstein
 >
 > Charles Schwartz wrote:
 >
 >>The Orientation office at my university is proposing to move away
 >>from giving a paper and pencil test to incoming freshman students.
 >>One option they are pushing is for us to offer an on-line placement
 >>test. A second option they are pushing is for us to rely on just the
 >>Math SAT score.
 >>
 >>Currently: new freshmen are placed into a freshman math class by the
 >>Math SAT scores and by our own in-house Math Skills Test. If the
 >>Math SAT score is 550 or greater, then the Skills Test is waived, and
 >>Liberal Arts students may enroll in Finite Math (which serves as our
 >>Liberal Arts math class, and uses Mathematical Ideas by Miller,
 >>Hereen, Hornsby); or Business Majors may enroll in Quatitative Method
 >>for Business. (Math and Science majors are a different category, and
 >>I'll skip over their placement.)
 >>
 >>If the Math SAT score is under 550, we administer our Math Skills
 >>Test at a Testing session in May. Students who pass our Skills Test
 >>may also enroll in Finite Math or Quantitative Methods, as
 >>appropriate, but student who fail must enroll in the course Math
 >>Skills Lab (if Liberal Arts) or Intro to Quantitative Methods (if
 >>Business). Neither of these classes carries credit toward
  >>graduation, nor, in our opinion, should they, since they are 
remedial.
 >>
 >>I'm reluctant to go to on-line testing, because I fear that (a)
 >>students might have a friend take the test for them or (b) students
 >>won't follow the rules we put in place. Our rule is "no calculators"
 >>and many students resent this, but we think it is important for
 >>students at least to have minimal skills with arithmetic and algebra
 >>before entering these math classes. It is my experience (as Chair,
 >>and previously, as Director of the Math Lab) that many students
 >>would do whatever it takes to avoid taking the developmental,
 >>non-credit class (except study, that is).
 >>
 >>I'm also reluctant to rely solely on the SAT score, because the SAT
 >>is testing at a higher level of understanding. ( There's also the
 >>calculator issue, but ...)
 >>
 >>Does anyone have direct experience with online placement tests, and
 >>whether students abide by the rules?
 >>Or anecdotal reports, or research on whether students who pass
 >>on-line tests are better or worse prepared than students who take
 >>paper-and-pencil tests?
 >>
 >>
 >>
 >
 >
 >
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 > Rume at betterfilecabinet.com
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http://betterfilecabinet.com/mailman/listinfo/rume_betterfilecabinet.com
 >


 --
 Jose H. Giraldo, Ph.D.
 Associate Professor
 Mathematics Program Coordinator
 Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
 Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
 6300 Ocean Dr.
 Corpus Crhisti, TX 78412-5825
 Phone (361) 825 5827
 Fax (361) 825-2795


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