The Effect of a New Placement Process on Student Success in First Semester Calculus

Edgar J. Fuller, Jessica M. Deshler

Department of Mathematics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2013.49B005                

Abstract

In this work we describe the placement testing and student intake process at a large, land-grant university and show that long-standing general assessment exams administered during secondary schooling are not accurate predictors of success in university level mathematics courses. We then present results indicating that a placement exam administered during arrival as a first-year student provides a strong indicator of potential for student success in first-semester calculus.

Keywords

Mathematics; Placement Testing; Calculus

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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