We explore possibilities for placing community college students in math using non-cognitive measures, such as indicators of motivation or students' educational plans. First, we use supplemental administrative data gathered during routine placement testing in a large urban community college district in California to conduct predictive exercises…

Data from the ALEKS-based placement program at the University of Illinois is presented visually in several ways. The placement exam (an ALEKS assessment) contains precise item-specific information and the data show many interesting properties of the student populations of the placement courses, which include Precalculus, Calculus, and Business…

Although the recent wave of mortgage foreclosures has clearly been accompanied by economic hardship, relatively little research has examined how foreclosures affect the academic performance of students. This paper investigates the relationship between mortgage foreclosures and the academic performance of students using a unique dataset that…

California's College of the Canyons has used the four Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests to assess students' abilities in basic and college math since spring 1989. These four reports dated June 1993, July 1993, May 1994, and June 1994 examine the predictive validity of the MDTP tests and the cut scores used to place students. The…

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the nature of student performance and persistence at Southwestern College (SC), a study was conducted in fall 1976 to determine the effect of reading ability on student course performance. An analysis of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) scores of 4,610 students revealed that, on an average, students…

In 1996, Florida's Miami-Dade Community College conducted a study to examine the college preparatory completion rates of first-time degree-seeking students based on their verbal and mathematics entry-level placement scores. Results include the following: (1) fewer than 30% of students scoring at the lowest level on the mathematics placement test…

In 1986, a study was conducted by the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) to evaluate the relationship between reading placement scores and classroom performance. The study sample consisted of students from fall 1985, spring 1986, and fall 1986 who had been tested using the College Board Assessment and Placement Test upon…

As part of an effort to statistically validate the placement tests used in California's San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) a study was undertaken to review the criteria- and content-related validity of the Assessment and Placement Services (APS) reading and writing tests. Evidence of criteria and content validity was gathered from…

A study was conducted at the University of Minnesota's General College to examine the relationship between probationary status and students' gender, ethnicity, and placement test scores. The study involved 186 students on Level 1 probation (i.e., students whose work had fallen below the academic standard for two quarters, including those whose…

During spring and fall 1985, a study was conducted at Cosumnes River College (CRC) to determine how assessment testing scores related to student persistence and performance. The student history files of a random sample of 498 students who had been tested by the CRC Assessment Center during spring and fall 1985 were examined, yielding the following…

An analysis of the characteristics and grades of students in Mathematics 71, a basic mathematics course, was conducted at Kings River Community College to provide counselors and instructors with information to help them determine the chances of a student's success in the course. Data collected included information on placement test scores; high…

At Kings River Community College, analyses were conducted of the grades and characteristics of students in Mathematics A (Elementary Algebra), Mathematics B (Plane Geometry), Mathematics C (Trigonometry), and Mathematics D (Intermediate Algebra) to determine which variables were significantly related to student success. Data were gathered on 69…

In 1989, a research project was initiated at Sacramento City College (SCC) to conduct a retrospective analysis of a sample of 400 continuing and entering students enrolled at SCC during fall 1987. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between academic success, basic skills assessment test scores and recommended placement levels,…

This policy brief reports on a study exploring state by state variation in placement rates for students with disabilities in either regular or special education settings and the relationship of economic, sociodemographic, and educational factors to these rates. The study analyzed data for the school year 1992-93 and compared the percent of…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine the predictive validity of the Math Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests. A total of 1,137 students were tested in-class; 601 took the Algebra Readiness test, 376 took the Elementary Algebra test, and 160 took the Intermediate Algebra test. Two correlation…