The attrition rate for College Algebra is at 50% or more.  This number is, of course, based on those students who actually receive a grade. This is bad enough, but it is only part of the story.  It has been my experience that many of the students who appear during the first week of class either switch to another course, or end up taking no math at all.  These phenomena entail an enormous waste of time, money, energy, and instructional resources:

• At registration, classes fill up with students, a large majority of which are not placed correctly (and will not pass).
• This disenfranchises other potentially successful students, delaying their progress.
• Classes end up being (sometimes much) smaller than they could be, and ACC loses money
• Instruction in the first week of class is severly impaired, due to
• the chaos and confusion of shifting students around in an attempt to achieve correct placement
• the knowlege that we can't get down to real instruction until things eventually do settle down
• Many students end up taking (and failing) courses they were not prepared for in the first place.
• This makes the teacher and the department look bad.
• Students get frustrated because they are being asked to do things they are not prepared for, and are doomed to failure from the outset.
• This reinforces their already negative feelings about math (and perhaps ACC).

Especially with regard to College Algebra, students need strong advising both before they enroll, and again on the first day of class to get them appropriately placed.  Some methods to do this are:

• Screening by Advising staff: Assessment tests, checking for prerequisite courses, etc.
• First-day-of-class checks by teacher:
• Check for prerequisites
• Check that College Algebra is needed for the student's program
• Give them the Prerequisite Review to further assess current skills

For this sample of 74 students:

• 46 students finished the course for a grade, of which 18 passed, and 28 failed or withdrew
• 28 students switched to a different course or took no math
• 20 students had the prerequisite*, 54 did not
• 8 that had the prerequisite passed the course, 10 that didn't have it passed.
• (the passing rate for those who have the prerequisite is double that of those who don't)
• of the above 8, 7 had Intermediate Algebra as the prerequisite
• 52 needed College Algebra for their program, 22 did not (or did not respond)
• 36 returned the Prerequisite Review and received a grade
• 13 passed it, of which 9 passed the course
• 23 failed it, of which 9 passed the course
• 10 students were influenced to switch to an "Alternatives to College Algebra" course
• 6 did not have the prerequisite
• 2 didn't need College Algebra anyway
• none of them returned the Prerequisite Review
• 15 students were repeating College Algebra
• 3 had the prerequisite
• 4 passed this time around

Let me explain how I try to get students placed appropriately within the bounds of the first two days of class:

• I inform them what the prerequisites are, and ask them to assess for themselves whether they have them
• click here to see the form I use for this purpose
• my criterion is only an approximation - the full-blown check is too hard to do
• see my Math Advising Pages for more details on advising/placement
• I inform them that College Algebra is appropriate only for those going on to Calculus, or those whose programs specifically require it.
• the same form asks them questions about this
• I give them the Prerequisite Review (PR)
• they start on it during the first class period, and complete it at home
• they grade their own paper at the beginning of the second class period
• 12 out of 15 correct (80%) is a passing grade
• I later regraded the PR's for the purposes of this study

• TASP score (passing = 270)
• COMPASS score  (passing = 69)
• SAT score (passing = 570)
• ACC Intermediate Algebra grade (passing = C)

I also noted the following:

• Grade in any previous attempt at College Algebra
• Grade in whatever math course, if any, they switched to during the current semester

• Whether or not their choice of College Algebra was appropriate, as determined from the questionnaire
• Score on the Prerequisite Review (PR)
• Their final grade in the course

20/74=27%  had the prerequisite, 54 did not.  Of the 20:

• 3 had passed Tasp (there were 7 in the 260's),
• 3 had passed SAT,
• 13 had passed Int. Alg. (C or better)
• 1 had passed COMPASS
• no one had passed 2 or more of these

10/74 =14% of the students were influenced (somehow) to switch to a different course: Intermediate Algebra, Statistics, Topics, or Bus Eco

52/74=70% were "appropriate" (enrolled in College Algebra because their program required it), 11 were not, 11 did not answer the question

Final outcome:

• 18 passed
• 4 received F (2 of these just stopped coming mid-course)
• 21 received a W from me
• 3 received a W from another (College Algebra) teacher
• 10 switched to a different math course (6 successful completions)
• 18 dropped (took no math)

15 students were repeating College Algebra, previous grades: 13 W's and 2 F's

• 3 had the prerequisite, 12 did not
• Results for these students:
• Passed: 4/15=27%
• W: 9
• Fail: 1
• Switched to another course:  0
• Drop (no grade): 1

• most of these students should not have been retaking College Algebra
• they should have been enrolled in Intermediate Algebra, or one of the alternatives to College Algebra
• either the advising process has failed the 11 students who did not pass, or they have refused good advice

• the passing rate for those having the prerequisite is double that of those that don't have it
• did the first-day prerequisite check appropriately influence students to leave College Algebra?
• 21/54=39% who didn't  have the prerequisite did not remain in the class -  that's good
• BUT...  7/20=35% who had the prerequisite did not remain in the class
• perhaps the "Prerequisite Check" on the first day of class only weakly influenced their remaining in the class
• if we consider only those who received a grade in College Algebra
• with the prerequisite, 8/13=62% passed
• without the prerequisite, 10/33=30% passed

• a chi-square test shows
• no significant evidence (P=.12) that there is a relationship between outcome as described above and having (or not having) the prerequisite
• that is, the two variables are independent

• overall:
• 69% of those that passed the PR passed the course
• 39% of those that failed the PR passed the course
• if we consider only those that finished the course for a grade:
• 9/13=69% of those that passed the PR passed the course
• 9/21=43% of those who failed the PR passed the course
• if we consider only those who finished the course for a grade, and assume that those who didn't return the PR would have failed it:
• 9/13=69% of those that passed the PR passed the course
• 9/33=27% of those that failed the PR passed the course

• if we consider only those that finished the course for a numerical grade
• the correleation between the PR score and the final grade is only .16
• PR score is a very poor predictor of final course score
• a chi-square test shows that
• course outcome and PR outcome are not independent
• that is, that there is a (an unspecified) relationship between the two variables
• at a significance level of P < .0005 (P<.05 is usually regarded as significant)

From the above table we see that:

• 28/38=74% of those who failed or didn't return the PR either switched or dropped
• 13/13= 100% of those who passed the PR stayed in the course

The students filled out a form on the first day of class to indicate why they were taking College Algebra.  The course was deemed appropriate only if they were going on to a Calculus course, or were in a program that specifically requires College Algebra.

• for those for whom the course is not appropriate, 8/11=73% were diverted
• of those 8, none had returned the PR, so that may have contributed to the diversion
• for the 3 who were not diverted, 2 had failed the PR, and 2 passed the course
• for those for whom the course is appropriate, 14/52=27% were diverted

• a chi-square test shows that
• course outcome and appropriateness are not independent
• that is, that there is a (an unspecified) relationship between the two variables
• at a significance level of P < .01 (P<.05 is usually regarded as significant)

You may have thought of some other questions.  Here is the complete set of data.  If you are interested, I can send you the Excel spreadsheet.

I was discussing with a student (TASP = 237 -  need 270 for College Algebra,  Intermediate Algebra = B, previous W in College Algebra) why he was taking College Algebra.  He was in  a program to transfer to a four-year college program in Psychology.  That program specifies College Algebra or Topics in Mathematics.  The advisor informed him that "Topics" is a "bonehead course" and he should take College Algebra.  He got another W.  Should this student have been in "Topics"?

Another student (COMPASS = 84, needed only a 69) was head and shoulders above any other College Algebra student I have ever had, and made a final course average of  > 100.  Should this student have been taking Trig or Precalc, or maybe even Calc I?

A student (Tasp = 234) who wants to be a kindergarten teacher finds that her program requires College Algebra or Math for Business and Economics (!!??).  She had taken Math BusEco and was passing at one point, but fell apart at the end and failed.  Her teacher told her she needed to learn more algebra and recommended College Algebra.  She took it from me and failed that, too (never passed a test).  Should this student have been steered into Intermediate Algebra at the outset and perhaps avoided wasting a lot of time and emotional energy on courses she could not pass?