The New OSU Math Placement Exam Jeremy Penn, Ph.D. Director,
University Assessment and Testing Slide 2 University Assessment and
Testing Improve student success by placing students in the math
course that is the best match for their abilities Slide 3
University Assessment and Testing As students take more and more
diverse paths into our courses, correct placement becomes even more
important Correct placement is only one aspect of student success
Slide 4 University Assessment and Testing Why are we moving away
from the ACT Math for Placement? Scenario: A student has an ACT
Math score of 24. Will he or she be successful in MATH 1513
(college algebra)? Slide 5 University Assessment and Testing Data
from 4 recent semesters: 287 students with ACT Math scores of 24
took MATH 1513 25% of these students earned an A 33% of these
students earned a D, F, or W Slide 6 University Assessment and
Testing 70% of the students who earned a D, F, or W in MATH 1513
had an ACT Math score of 19 or higher Slide 7 University Assessment
and Testing 69% of the students who earned A, B, or C had ACT Math
of 22 or higher (would leave out 506 students) 42% who earned D, F,
or withdraw had ACT Math of 22 or higher (would let in 440
students) Slide 8 University Assessment and Testing Other Concerns
with ACT Math Does not provide detailed diagnostic information ACT
Math may not represent the content and methods used in your math
courses May be a better fit for some classes than others Many
students may not take math as seniors ACT does not offer
opportunities to refresh math skills Limited on-demand availability
Slide 9 University Assessment and Testing Committee to Explore
Enhancements to Math Education Curriculum Formed by the Provost in
fall, 2010 Included faculty members from multiple colleges plus
representatives from UAS (now LASSO), UAT, and public schools
Provided multiple recommendations One recommendation was to improve
math placement and provide opportunities for students to refresh
their math skills Slide 10 University Assessment and Testing OSU
Math Placement Exam ALEKS (Assessment of LEarning in Knowledge
Spaces) vendor selected to provide math placement exam Online,
computer-adaptive test Includes diagnostic information in 8 areas
Student access to learning modules and multiple retakes Free
response format like that used in math classes Used by many other
institutions nationally Slide 11 University Assessment and Testing
Slide 12 Slide 13 Topics Covered Real numbers Equations and
inequalities Linear and quadratic functions Exponents and
polynomials Rational expressions Radical expressions Exponentials
and logarithms Geometry and trigonometry Slide 14 University
Assessment and Testing Who should take OSU Math Placement Exam? All
incoming freshmen and all new transfer students Incoming students
with CLEP / AP / Concurrent enrollment credit should still take the
placement exam Continuing students who desire enrollment in the
impacted courses who are NOT currently enrolled in one of the
impacted courses or its prerequisite Slide 15 University Assessment
and Testing Do I need the exam proctored? Students with ACT Math
scores 19 or greater (SAT Math 460 or greater) do NOT need the exam
proctored Students with ACT Math scores 18 or lower (SAT Math below
460) MUST take a proctored version of the exam May take an
un-proctored practice exam but this WILL NOT COUNT FOR PLACEMENT
and will count against the 5 total attempts allowed in an 11-month
period Slide 16 University Assessment and Testing How do I find a
proctor? Proctoring for OSU Math Placement (ALEKS) is available for
free at the OSU-Stillwater Testing Center Online (distance)
proctoring is available for a fee (about $35) from ProctorU
(http://proctoru.com/okstate)http://proctoru.com/okstate Other
options are available Visit
http://placement.okstate.eduhttp://placement.okstate.edu Call
405-744-5958 Slide 17 University Assessment and Testing Where can I
take this exam? Proctoring not required: Home IT Labs (MSCS 108 (24
hours), CLB 407/408, Kerr-Drummond and Bennett) Check-out laptop
(must download ALEKS plug-in) Proctoring required Contact
OSU-Stillwater Testing Center Plan for at least 2 hours for the
exam Slide 18 University Assessment and Testing Technical problems
Biggest issue from the pilot was using email address instead of
username (shortname) Instructions on
http://placement.okstate.eduhttp://placement.okstate.edu Students
must have JAVA enabled and download and install ALEKS plug-in Try a
different computer or one of the IT labs Slide 19 University
Assessment and Testing How much does it cost? Free! (Cost covered
by Assessment Fee) Non-OSU-Stillwater proctoring may require a fee
More than 6 weeks of access to learning modules requires an
additional fee Slide 20 University Assessment and Testing New Model
for Placement: Vertical Integration Alignment between 0-level
courses (e.g., 0123), placement mechanism, and 1000- level courses
Use the placement exam as a final exam in the 0-level course
Alignment of content, response format, and approaches Slide 21
University Assessment and Testing New Model for Placement:
Horizontal Integration Connection to non-math courses that use math
knowledge Communication with students from multiple sources
(advisors, instructors, assessment office, etc.) Availability and
access to scores and diagnostic information Slide 22 University
Assessment and Testing Supporting Student Success Designing other
supports around the new placement exam Bridge programs Targeted
tutoring Self-study Math Learning Success Center Others Slide 23
University Assessment and Testing Additional Information
http://placement.okstate.edu [email protected]
