Re: [MATHEDCC] Placement
Jack Rotman (rotman@ALPHA.LANSING.CC.MI.US)
Wed, 24 Sep 1997 08:37:04 -0400
Sandy (sspears@pop.jcc.uky.edu) wrote:
>
> My college is seriously considering mandatory placement in all
> developmental mathematics classes (PreAlgebra, Elementary Algebra, and
> Intermediate Algebra). While I see the benefits of this, I am also fearful
> because of the difficulty in getting accurate assessments from placement
> exams and not having much other information to go on due to the open nature
> of our enrollment process. Right now we do placement testing and then
> strongly recommend that the student follow our advice but if the student
> choses to do otherwise and can get into the class he/she desires, no one
> will stop her/him. I would like to know about other colleges who are using
> mandatory placement, what their experience has been, what instrument they
> use, how the validity of their instrument is judged, and if there have been
> any court challenges. Since this could be a lengthy response, feel free to
> respond only to me and not to the list. Any help or information would be
> appreciated!
>
Here at Lansing CC we have been using mandatory placement for the last
year. The system here has these basic features:
a) Placement Tests (4 in math, plus reading & writing) will result
in a "basic skill level" (using cutoff scores).
[We use the CPT's for arithmetic & algebra, and the MAA tests
for college algebra and calculus.]
b) Students are blocked from enrolling if they lack the skill level.
c) A passing grade in a sequential math courses will increase the
student's basic skill level.
d) Advisors can assign a 'waiver' based on other information.
We have some frustrations like you worry about (based on one piece of
data); however, the larger problem is the "waiver" concept. Currently,
there are about 60 people on campus who can give a waiver, which was
intended to allow us to accept courses passed at other colleges as a
basis for a skill level. However, the waivers are used more often for
'sympathy' or 'removing barriers'; a typical case is a student this
semester who needed intermediate algebra to get her associates degree
and did not have time to follow the results of the placement test (which
would have put her in a prior course). We'd be a lot happier with
mandatory placement if math faculty were the only ones authorized to
give a waiver; this would not avoid all the problems, but would minimize
them.
Part of the problem in mathematics, I think, is the set of myths and
anxieties that people carry around concerning mathematics. Advisors
share the student's anxiety, so they tend to do the "easier" thing in
the short term. Policy setters believe that mathematics is perfectly
linear and sequential in all ways, so they think mathematics is the
perfect place for mandatory placement. More than the mandatory
placement issue, I'd like to work on changing the underlying beliefs.
I hope this is helpful!
Jack
--
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Jack Rotman phone (517)483-1079
Math Professor ROTMAN@ALPHA.LANSING.CC.MI.US
Lansing Community College Lansing, MI
"Like all art & science, mathematics surrounds us."
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Math Success ! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
dept web page http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/sas/mathsci
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