Department of Research & Institutional Effectiveness
May 2008
“The mission of Lake City Community College is to provide superior, affordable, quality education and enrichment.”
The Mathematics Sequence – part 2
Following Two Cohorts of 2003/04 MAT0024 Completers
Lake City Community College is in the process of developing a comprehensive Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) which focuses
on student learning and retention in mathematics. This brief is the second in a three-part series of studies that follow students
successfully completing developmental and barrier math courses, in the 2003/04 academic year through the Fall 2007 term, to
determine success rates in subsequent math courses. This brief focuses on students successfully completing MAT0024 –
Elementary Algebra in the Fall 2003 and Spring 2004. Elementary Algebra is considered to be the ―terminal‖ college prep math
course at this institution.
The cohorts include only students enrolled in college credit programs (AA, AS, AAS and AS Cert) at the time they took the math
courses. ―Successfully completed‖ is defined as receiving an A, B or C grade.
The students who successfully completed Elementary Algebra (MAT0024) in each of the Fall 2003 and Spring 2004 terms were
followed as cohorts—one for each term—to determine how many progressed through Intermediate Algebra (MAT1033); and,
ultimately, successfully completed at least one college-level math course1. Figure 1 and the associated table below depict the
success rates in subsequent math courses for the two cohorts. The cohorts were followed through Fall 2007.
Success Rates in the Math Sequence
Elementary Algebra through College Math
Percent Successful
Source: LCCC Student database
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
Success
College-level
Math
52.5%
Success
MAT 1033
59.0%
Success
MAT 1033
55.7%
Success
College-level
Math
52.3%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
Cohort 1
Cohort 2
Cohort 1 - Successfully Completed MAT0024 in Fall 2003
Cohort 2 - Successfully Completed MAT0024 in Spring 2004
Figure 1
Cohort
Success in MAT 1033
N
College-level Math Success
N
Percent
N
Percent
Cohort 1
61
36
59.0%
32
52.5%
Cohort 2
88
49
55.7%
46
52.3%
149
85
57.0%
78
52.3%
Combined 2003/04 Cohorts
Notable observations:
Of the 149 students successfully completing MAT0024, 57.0% were successful in MAT1033; 52.3% were subsequently
successful at a college-level math course.
Of the 85 students who successfully completed MAT1033, nearly 92% achieved success in a college level math course.
The statistics seem to indicate that students who successfully progress through MAT1033—the ―bridge‖ course—are
likely to succeed at the college-level.
1
―College-level math‖ courses included in this study are: College Algebra (MAC1105); Math for Liberal Arts 1 (MGF1106); and Math for Liberal
Arts 2 (MGF1107). Intermediate Algebra (MAT1033) is considered a ―bridge‖ math course; it carries elective college credit, but not math college
credit.
Statistical Brief
May 2008
Math CPT Scores and Performance in Math
To more fully understand the factors that influence student success in mathematics courses, it is helpful to analyze their entry-level skills.
All first-time-in-college students wishing to enroll in a degree or college credit program are required to take an entry-level assessment
test to determine appropriate course placement. The most commonly used placement test is the College Entry-Level Placement Test
(CPT)2. Students obtaining a score of 71 or lower are placed in a developmental course (i.e. MAT0002 or MAT0024).3
Figures 2 and 3 profile the mean math CPT scores by placement category and grade received for each of the two cohorts addressed in
this brief. Placement category was based upon scores obtained on the arithmetic portion of the math CPT. Arithmetic scores were not
available for around 23% of all students in the two cohorts: it was not possible to categorize the placement of these students.
Although the average CPT scores by placement category were similar for the two cohorts, there was a noticeable difference between the
two when grades were factored in. The group in Cohort 1, consisting of students who were originally placed in developmental arithmetic
(MAT0002), exhibited what might be an expected trend—those receiving ―A‖ grades had higher placement scores than those receiving
―B‖ or ―C‖ grades; and those receiving ―B‖ grades had higher placement scores than those receiving ―C‖ grades. The inverse is true of
the parallel group in Cohort 2. Further analysis is required to determine if this observation is an anomaly or if it perhaps occurs in other
terms.
Cohort 1 - Fall 2003
Cohort 2 - Spring 2004
Mean CPT Scores in Placement Category
Grade
Placed in
MAT0002
Mean CPT Scores in Placement Category
Insufficient data
to determine
placement
Placed in
MAT0024
Placed in
MAT0002
Grade
Placed in
MAT0024
Insufficient data
to determine
placement
A
40.5
56.3
51.0
A
35.4
48.8
59.5
B
39.2
45.6
39.5
B
36.5
43.3
40.3
C
Avg All
Successful
35.3
49.2
46.3
41.7
na
47.3
38.2
48.3
53.7
C
Avg All
Successful
37.1
47.7
47.7
22.0%
Percent in
Placement
Category
58.3%
17.9%
23.8%
Percent in
Placement
Category
44.1%
33.9%
Figure 3
Figure 2
Figure 4 below depicts the frequency distribution of math CPT scores for the aggregate of the two cohorts. As a total of 52.4% of the
students successfully completing Elementary Algebra (MAT0024) in the two terms were originally placed into Developmental Arithmetic
(MAT0002), the clustering of CPT scores in the lower ranges is expected.
Percentage of Students in CPT Score Ranges Who
Successfully Completed MAT0024-Aggregated Cohorts 1 & 2
Mean = 42.1
Median = 40.0
Min=21.0 Max=96.0
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
100+
95-99
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
0.0%
20-24
Percent in Range
Source: LCCC Student Database
20.0%
Math CPT Score Range
Figure 4
2
ACT and SAT scores may also be used to determine placement in preparatory classes as well. This section of the brief includes only
students with CPT Math scores. Scores on the CPT range from 20-120.
3
Placement in MAT0002 or MAT0024 is determined by the score obtained on the arithmetic portion of the math CPT. The separate arithmetic
score is not available in the SDB. Arithmetic scores were obtained in a separate extraction by Information Services from the SIS database.