Case Studies
Palo Alto College
Key Take-Away
MyMathTest helps Palo Alto College incoming freshman improve their original placement exam scores and advance more quickly through remedial math courses that would have cost them money, but would not have earned them credit.
Course Implementation
Course Design
Palo Alto College implemented MyMathTest into the college’s PASS program in spring 2010. Under the new format, students spend a total of 10 to 15 hours in an oncampus computer lab, working on individualized study plans created by a specially designed MyMathTest course.
The goal of the course is to help students improve upon their previous Accuplacer placement scores. An instructor is available in the computer lab at all times to answer questions and provide assistance.
Assessments
Students who complete the MyMathTest remediation may retake the placement exam to determine how far they have advanced.
Use of MyMathTest
Students use the program’s individualized study plans and are encouraged to take advantage of its many learning aids, including videos as well as the Help Me Solve This and View an Example features.
Results and Data
Patrick Lee, math department chair and associate professor of mathematics, compared students’ spring, summer, and fall 2010 student Accuplacer scores before and after completion of the MyMathTest-enabled PASS program.
The data in table 1 and table 2 provides an analysis of how many students completed the program (meaning, retook the Accuplacer placement test at the end of the course), how many levels they improved after completing the course, and into what courses they were qualified to enter afterward.
Of those students who retook the placement exam, 67.88 percent advanced at least once course level and up to as
many as four course levels.
That kind of significant advancement results in both time and cost savings for students because they move more quickly through the developmental math sequence—a sequence of courses that offer vital remediation but no college credit.
The Student Experience
Lee reports that he and the other instructors “receive nothing but praise from our students for MyMathTest’s ease of use and its ability to help them prepare for the placement exam.”
Conclusions
“MyMathTest is an essential part of our PASS sessions,” says Lee. “As a result of their work in MyMathTest, students can pinpoint potential deficiencies and correct such deficiencies quickly and easily.”
By enabling Palo Alto College to more appropriately place its students, MyMathTest helps many students bypass developmental math courses that would have cost them valuable time and money.
| Product Used: | MyMathTest |
| Course Name: | Preparation for Accuplacer Student Success (PASS) |
| Credit Hours: | 0 |
"MyMathTest is an invaluable asset to our PASS program. It offers my instructors a powerful tool for intervention and offers my students an effective tool for subsequent course success."
Patrick Lee, Math Department Chair and Associate Professor
Palo Alto College
