Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
MCAS and Accuplacer
Lois MartinProfessor of Mathematics
Massasoit Community CollegeJune 18, 2008
Why this Project?
• Richard Bisk study, Worcester State
• Math Alignment Task Force
Worcester StudyAccuplacer scores by MCAS scores
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
200
- 208
210
- 218
220
- 228
230
- 238
240
- 248
250
- 258
>=26
0
Per
cen
tag
e A
ccu
pla
cer
sco
re (
fail
ing
=0,
mar
gin
ally
pas
sin
g =
1,
pas
sin
g =
2)
Accuplacer 0
Accuplacer 1
Accuplacer 2
Math Alignment Task Force
MATHEMATICS ALIGNMENT TASK FORCEthrough support of the
University of Massachusetts President’s Office
July 2001 • Task Force recommends that the Board of
Higher Education not make a policy decision to accept achievement at specified MCAS performance levels for placement of students into college mathematics courses.
Task Force Observations
• Since MCAS is a 10th grade test, it might be two years or more before a student takes a college mathematics course after he/she passes the test. If no additional mathematics is taken, retention of the core knowledge and skills might change significantly during this period such that placement is no longer accurate.
• Passing MCAS in 10th grade might encourage some students
not to take a mathematics course during their final years of high school. Every effort must be made to ensure that students build on their mathematical abilities and not lose mathematical competency prior to entering higher education.
The Project Begins
• How to get the MCAS Scores
– Bisk Model
– Idea from Leanna Russell
The Population
• Students who took the Accuplacer Mathematics test at Massasoit Community College during summer 2007
The Population and The Sample
• Original list: 2407• Minus duplicates: 2135• Minus foreign schools: 2060• Minus no school listed: 2009• Minus GED: 1875• Minus privates and small: 1122
Getting the Releases
• Spent much of fall semester tracking down students
• Thanks to Math department for assistance
Deciding on the Sample
• Abington• Blue Hills Regional• Bridgewater-
Raynham• Braintree• Brockton• Canton• East Bridgewater• Middleborough• Randolph
• Rockland• Southeastern
Regional• Silver Lake Regional• South Shore Voc• Stoughton• Weymouth• Whitman-Hanson
Sample Size
• n=533
• This is NOT a random sample!
Contacting the Schools
• Letter to Superintendents• Follow-up phone calls• Different experiences• Renewal of acquaintances
Score to Score Correlations
• Placement via Arithmetic Testr=.538
• Placement via Elementary Algebra Test
r=.514
MCAS to Accuplacer
Accuplacer to MCAS
What Does It Mean?
• Do the results confirm the Bisk conclusions?
• Why do students who pass MCAS place into developmental courses?
What are the Implications?
• Should Accuplacer be given in the high schools?
• Should schools require math in the senior year?
• Should the colleges change their placement test?
DHE School to College Report
• Among students who passed the 10th grade Mathematics MCAS test at the needs improvement level, 50 percent enrolled in developmental math, as opposed to 20 percent of students who passed at the proficient level and 4 percent at the advanced level.
This Sample
More from the Report
• Students who scored needs improvement on the 10thgrade mathematics or English language arts (ELA) MCAS test were more likely to enroll in a developmental course than students who scored proficient or advanced.
This Sample
Can We Draw Any Conclusions?
• The sample was not random, so any conclusions are for the sample only.
• There are clear patterns.• Too many students who pass MCAS
place into developmental mathematics courses.
Thank You
• To the many colleagues who helped me with this project
• To the Superintendents who provided the necessary data
• To Eileen Lee and Shelley Tinkham who gave me the opportunity to share this information today.
