Keyuana Bass-Lone Star College

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Placement and Diagnostic Testing Directly in the
High Schools? How to Get Started
Presented by Keyuana Bass-Lone Star
College Carita hayes-San Jacinto College Shannon
Seibler-NWARCC Karen Stowe-UT Brownsville Don
Pitchford- ACT Post Secondary Consultant
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Placement vs. Diagnostic Measures

• Placement scores help schools more accurately
  place students into courses appropriate for their
  skill levels.
• Diagnostic scores help target developmental
  instructions where each student needs it most.
  The scores can pinpoint the strengths and
  weaknesses of individual students in specific
  content areas.

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How COMPASS Can Assist With College Readiness
and Persistence

• High school outreach
• - placement testing for dual/concurrent
  enrollment(11-12), diagnostic testing to assist
  with college readiness (8-12)
• College assessment
• - reliable course placement, diagnostic testing
  to assist with advanced placement and retention,
  assist with course redesign, and to measure
  learning outcomes (pre/post test)

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Goals for COMPASS Diagnostic Measures

• To gather information to improve instructional
  plan for individual students and for course
  content
• To provide a narrowly focused, efficient means of
  determining each students skill deficiencies in
  math, writing and reading

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Math Diagnostic Scores PreAlgebra

• Integers
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Exponents, square roots, scientific notation
• Ratios and proportions
• Percentages
• Averages

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Math Diagnostic Scores Algebra

• Substitution
• Setting up Equations
• Basic Operations / Polynomials
• Factoring Polynomials
• Linear Equations / One Variable
• Exponents and Radicals
• Rational Expressions
• Linear Equations / Two Variables

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Writing Diagnostic Scores

• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Capitalization
• Usage
• Verb formation / agreement
• Relationship of clauses
• Shifts in construction
• Organization

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Reading Diagnostic Scores

• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension
• Reader Profile

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Diagnostic Scores

• Range from 0 99
• Based on the individuals performance on the
  items completed
• Represents the percentage of that particular item
  pool the individual would be expected to answer
  correctly if they were to take all of the items
  in that item pool

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How to use Diagnostic Scores

• Review profile of diagnostic scores with
  students, indentify both strengths and weaknesses
• Determine acceptable levels of achievement based
  on expectations of the student and difficulty
  level of the course
• Prescribe instructional intervention via your
  student success center

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Message Capability

• Allows instructional messages for each diagnostic
  area
• Can have multiple messages per diagnostic measure
• Helps connect student directly to specific
  tutoring centers and instructional resources
  PLATO, MY MATHLAB.

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Standard Individual Score Report

• Student background and plans
• Responses to local items
• Where to get help on campus
• Test scores and testing times with customized
  course placement messages
• Diagnostic scores

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Suggestions for Diagnostic Messages

• Low (0-40) Fully work through related
  chapter(s) use college learning center tutoring
  services
• Mid-range (41-65) Take chapter quiz and work on
  weak sections use college tutoring services
• Upper-range (66-99) Congratulations You need no
  additional work in this area

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Models for Implementing Diagnostic Testing

• High School Outreach improve overall college
  readiness (when,who,how)
• On campus Diagnostic testing assist with
  retention efforts
• Pre test-Post test learning outcomes measurement
• Test prep help increase test scores
• Course redesign assist with instructional
  effectiveness
• Combined with Placement Testing student can
  retest after receiving diagnosed instruction

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Diagnostic Testing Options

• Automatic and instant via routing rules (for
  students low or close to next level cutscores)
• Delayed come back model (embed message in
  placement results message)
• Delayed in developmental course (instructor takes
  students to testing labs in first days of class)

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High School Outreach the experts!

• Why test in the high schools?
• How to get started?
• Are the high schools receptive?
• How much will it cost me?
• Do the high schools share the cost?
• Is it hard to setup the tests in the schools?
• Do I have enough staff?
• WHO benefits?

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14th Annual ACT Southwest Postsecondary
ConferenceW Hotel

• April 28 April 30, 2010
• New Orleans, La