Date of Graduation

12-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Michael T. Miller

Committee Member

Kevin M. Roessger

Second Committee Member

Kit Kacirek

Keywords

college placement, community colleges, Developmental education, multiple measures assessments, remedial education

Abstract

For decades, community colleges have relied on standardized placement tests to determine student readiness for college-level coursework. COVID-19 exposed the flaws of relying on a single measure to assess student readiness as many test sites shut down during the pandemic. Previous research has also pointed out the high rate of misplacement when using placement tests as a single factor. This is particularly important for non-traditional students as they often lack the guidance needed to successfully navigate and prepare for such tests. The result of this situation is often that non-traditional students are placed into remedial courses despite having the potential to do well in college-level coursework. With research showing extended time in college often leads to attrition coupled with other research showing math as a gatekeeper course to completion, examining more accurate measures is critical. Because of this, many community colleges have started exploring alternative ways to place students into college-level coursework using more holistic factors. A popular and effective method of placement in recent years has been multiple measures assessments (MMA). These assessments allow for the use of multiple factors to create a more accurate placement picture for students. The purpose of the study was to explore these multiple measures assessments, determine variables of interest, and test whether MMAs are suitable alternatives to placement exams. The results of the study revealed that the MMA model created was more effective overall in determining student readiness for College Algebra for Arkansas community college students.

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