Document Type

Report

First-Year Success Program: Placement, Preparation, and Progress

Authors

Placement, Preparation, and Progress Working Group
Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost

Publication Date

2019

Abstract/ Summary

Student success is central to UMaine's mission, values, reputation and fiscal health. Improving first-year student success is a major focus for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs in 2018-2019. The goal is to develop an integrated plan of actions that will result in improved first year student success as defined by first year retention.

Placement, Preparation, and Progress

Develop a set of recommendations that help to address the challenge of students being academically prepared to succeed in their first-year courses. The primary focus of your recommendations should be around prerequisite mathematics skills. In addressing this charge, please explore the following questions:

1. What math skills are required for success in common first year courses?

2. Placement tests are commonly used to assess whether students have the prerequisite mathematics skills to succeed in specific mathematics courses and courses that require mathematics skills for success (e.g., General Chemistry). When considering placement tests, please consider the following questions:
a. What is the evidence for the validity and/or reliability of the placement test?
b. Are there resources associated with the test that allow students to address weaknesses and demonstrate competence with the prerequisite skills?
c. What applications does the test have beyond placement?
d. What are the costs?

3. What are considered best practices with respect to administration of the placement test (e.g., timing, location etc.)?

4. What commercially available resources might assist us in this work?

Repository Citation

Placement, Preparation, and Progress Working Group and Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost, "First-Year Success Program: Placement, Preparation, and Progress" (2019). General University of Maine Publications. 1963.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/univ_publications/1963

Version

publisher's version of the published document

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