The Effect of a Practice Placement Exam on Placement Exam Scores and Success in Calculus 1.

Abstract

Most colleges administer mathematics placement exams to "place" students into their first mathematics course. According to Hassett, Downs, and Jenkins (1992), the importance of these placement exams is not communicated to the students. As a consequence, students do not prepare for the exams and may be forced to register for courses they had already passed at a different institution. In this study, we analyze the effect of mailing a practice algebra and trigonometry placement exam with solutions to all incoming first year students. Our results indicate that a small amount of study resulted in significantly higher placement exam scores (p = 0) and reduced enrollment in remedial mathematics. The practice placement exam did not inflate placement exam scores -- students who took the practice placement exam were as successful in Calculus I as those who did not take the practice placement exam.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA328848

Entities

People

  • David W. Cribb
  • Marie A. Revak
  • Scott Frickenstein

Organizations

  • United States Air Force Academy

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  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Achievement Tests
  • Air Force
  • Calculus
  • Composite Materials
  • Controlled Atmospheres
  • Deficiencies
  • Education
  • Instructors
  • Mathematics
  • Regression Analysis
  • Schools
  • Students
  • Surveys
  • Trigonometry
  • United States
  • United States Air Force Academy
  • Universities

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  • Education

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  • Educational Psychology
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.