The CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam: Changes and … · 2. barely pass the exam and could perhaps benefit from additional support in a subsequent math course.

G. Michael Guy

Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College

Faculty Fellow, CUNY Office of Academic Affairs

Innovative Practices in Developmental Mathematics Conference

LaGuardia Community College

April 15, 2016

The CUNY Elementary

Algebra Final Exam:

Changes and Challenges

IPDM ConferenceG. MICHAEL GUY

Joint Work

April 15, 2016

2

Scores of faculty and staff across

CUNY have collaborated on the

CEAFE since its origin in 2011.

The CEAFE is a faculty led

effort, and it shows!The CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam: Changes and Challenges


CEAFE Passing Trends3

*Of students who enrolled in an Elementary Algebra course, between 28% and 32% of students in each term

withdrew before taking the exam. Pass rates for students who took the exam were between 51% and 57%.

37.4 36.240.5 37.8 39.6

35.740.2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Fall 2014 Spring 2015 Fall 2015

Perc

ent

of st

udents

regi

stere

d

Semester

CUNY-wide

Community and Comprehensive Colleges

12/10/2015The CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam


Departments are free to choose an effective date

most suited to their needs.

No sooner than Summer 2016

No later than Fall 2016

The CEAFE is Changing

April 15, 2016The CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam: Changes and Challenges

4


25 Questions, each worth 4 points

16 questions completely unchanged

Exam difficulty, as a whole, is virtually identical

(Old Exp. Val.=62.06 pts, New Exp. Val.=62.15 pts)

100 minutes

No new topics!

What’s Not Changing


5


All arithmetic specific problems are gone!

Proportions

Percents

Scientific Notation

Function Notation

Question Deletions


6


Evaluate an expression given the

value of two variables.

Solve a linear equation in one

variable with fractions.

Determine the slope of a line,

given its graph.

New Questions


7


Fractions


8

Solve for 𝑥.

𝒙 − 𝟐

𝟑+𝟏

𝟔=𝟓

𝟔

A) 𝑥 = 4

B) 𝑥 = 6

C) 𝑥 = 8

D) 𝑥 = 11

Solve for 𝑥.

𝒙 + 𝟒

𝟐=𝒙 + 𝟗

𝟑

A) 𝑥 = 1

B) 𝑥 = 5

C) 𝑥 = 6

D) 𝑥 = 14

Solve for 𝑥.

𝟐𝒙

𝟑+𝟏

𝟐=𝟓

𝟔

A) 𝑥 =1

2

B) 𝑥 =3

2

C) 𝑥 =2

3

D) 𝑥 = 2

37%

61%

57%

Fall 2015 Item

Success Rate


Given 𝑎 = 2 and 𝑏 = −3, evaluate the

expression given below.

𝒂𝟐𝒃 + 𝒂𝒃 + 𝒃𝟐

A) −9

B) −15

C) 3

D) 27

Evaluate an Expression


9

Given 𝑥 = 2 and 𝑦 = −3, evaluate the


𝟐𝒙𝟐 − 𝟑𝒙𝒚 − 𝟐𝒚𝟐

A) −20

B) −2

C) 8

D) 16

Given 𝑎 = 3 and 𝑏 = −1, evaluate the


𝒂𝒃 − 𝒃𝟐

A) −4

B) −2

C) 2

D) 4

63%

57%

74%

Fall 2015 Item

Success Rate


What is the slope of the line graphed

below?

A) 4

3

B) 3

4

C) −3

4

D) −4

3

Slope Given Graph


10


below?

A) −5

3

B) −3

5

C) 35

D) 53

37% 42%

Fall 2015 Item

Success Rate



below?

A) 43

B) 34

C) −3

4

D) −4

3

Slope Given Graph


11

23%

35%

37%

5%

58%

42%


Two questions on radicals instead of one

New problems on exponents

Tweaks to (wrong) choices

Other Changes


12


Three highly representative samples

Samples C, D, and E are new.

Toss out A and B.

Updated Learning Objectives List

Online Maple T.A. Practice Server to be updated this summer

http://tinyurl.com/z883vn2

New Resources


13


Data, including answer choices, online for Sample C


Want more data?


14


Deleted topics == New class time available

No new topics == New opportunity for new time

Consider using new class time to reinforce difficult

areas


New Class Time


15


Integrate into Classroom Assessments


16


CUNY-wide mean and SD Trends

Semester† Mean SD N

Fall 2012 59.07 21.47 10,474

Fall 2013 61.32 21.78 11,384

Fall 2014 61.55 22.22 10,866

Fall 2015 62.47 22.44 9,581


17

Note that the mean score is approximately the passing score of 60.

This indicates that a significant number of students

1. could potentially pass the exam with only small changes in the

exam or instruction.

2. barely pass the exam and could perhaps benefit from additional

support in a subsequent math course.

†Similar values observed for spring semesters.


Opportunity for Interventions

Students who are “close to

passing” Elementary Algebra

may be offered an

intervention prior to the

next semester.

CUNY Policy allows

departments to create their

own definition of “close to

passing.”

December 16, 2015

18

CUNY Office of Academic Affairs

Elementary Algebra

Intervention Completers†

Semester TotalPassed

CEAFE

Fall 2013 649 73%

Fall 2014 862 76%

Fall 2015 582 72%

†Note: Intervention completion is inferred

from a student taking the CEAFE twice in

a short time period. For LaGuardia and

Kingsborough, this method may also

capture session 2 repeaters.


CEAFE Score Distribution, Fall 2014Students who did not pass the course

1 1 7 7 8

28

34

44

46

84

97

113

144

163

28

28 16 9 3 1 0 2 1 1 04

18

42

107

172

270

329

414

418

435

442

435

365

431

109

132

119 75 62 53 41 28 12 2 2

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 100

Num

ber

of St

udents

CEAFE Score

Completed an Intervention† Did Not Complete an Intervention


19

724 students earned a passing grade on the

CEAFE but did not pass the course.

†Note: Intervention completion is inferred from a student taking the CEAFE twice in a short time period. For LaGuardia and

Kingsborough, this method may also capture session 2 repeaters.


Experiment with more interventions

Offer them generously, and study outcomes

rigorously

Improve interventions rather than limit them

Opportunities for interventions


20


CUNY Taskforce on Remediation

December 16, 2015CUNY Office of Academic Affairs

21

Chancellor convened the Taskforce in Fall 2015

Co-Chairs

EVC Rabinowitz

University Dean Crook

Membership

Faculty Chairs of Math, Reading, and English Discipline Councils

3 Community College Provosts

3 Senior College Provosts

OAA Representatives


Questions22



[email protected]

The CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam: Changes and … · 2. barely pass the exam and could perhaps benefit from additional support in a subsequent math course.

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