LSU’s test retake program utilizing MyLab Math enhances student success
Pearson | December 31, 2021 in Meaningful Outcomes
by Pearson
How a test retake program and MyLab Math contribute to student success
In Fall 2017, faculty at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, partnered with Pearson to investigate the impact of their test retake program utilizing MyLab™ Math in their College Algebra course.
Key findings include:
- Students who earned a D/F on Test 1 and participated in the school’s Test Retake Program saw an average course success rate of 72 percent.
- Test 1 D/F students who participated in the Test Retake Program had an average Test 1 increase of 22 points.
- Instructors maintain that combining several of MyLab Math’s features, such as Personalized Homework, Prerequisites, Question Pooling, and Item Analysis, was key in automating the Test Retake Program.
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Why did Louisiana State University create an intervention program?
LSU data have shown that students who are successful in College Algebra their first semester have higher overall retention and graduation rates than students who are unsuccessful. Experience has shown a low score on Test 1 in College Algebra is an early indicator of lack of success in the course.
An intervention program was created in Fall 2013 to give students the opportunity to learn the content they did not learn for Test 1.
How was the program implemented?
- Class and lecture: Class meets once a week for fifty minutes at the scheduled time. Students must attend for the full class period, take notes, pay attention, and stay awake to earn a grade of 100 percent. Lab participation in the LSU Math Lab is required, and it is worth five percent of the course grade.
- Homework and quizzes: Students utilize MyLab Math for homework and are allowed to re-work exercises an unlimited number of times until they have mastered the concept. Students are encouraged to master their homework before attempting the quizzes and like homework, quizzes can be taken from anywhere using MyLab.
- Tests and final exam: There are four test scores and a final exam. Only one attempt is allowed for each test and for the final exam.
- Test 1 retake: Because of the prerequisites and personalized homework features in MyLab Math, the Test 1 Retake Program is automated. Students who opt to participate must follow all of the steps below.
- Homework: Students should complete the personalized homework assignment in MyLab Math titled “Practice What You Missed on Test 1.”
- Quiz: After completing Step 1, students may begin working the quiz in MyLab Math titled “Most Frequently Missed Questions on Test 1.”
- Practice test: After completing Step 2, students begin working the test in MyLab Math titled “Practice Test 1 Retake.”
- Test 1 retake: After completing Step 3, the Test 1 Retake automatically becomes available to them.
Were students successful in the program?
To assess the impact the Test 1 Retake program had on students, data from Fall semesters 2013–2017 were analyzed and then compared to performance in semesters prior to its availability.
- Once the Test 1 Retake Program was offered, average drop rates remained consistent, final exam median increased three percentage points, and the average ABC rate increased one percentage point.
- 75 percent of those students who did retake the test had success (A/B/C) in the course.
