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Document Type

Research Study

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Abstract

Proper placement of students is an important factor in ensuring that they receive an appropriate education based on their educational needs. St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is looking for an evaluation as to how well the Next Generation Accuplacer (NGA) Reading exam places students into their proper English classes. SCSU has been using the current Accuplacer Reading Comprehension exam to place students, and is interested in determining if the new exam will result in comparable placements. The Academic Learning Center at SCSU is particularly interested in data collected on College 120 (COLL 120) and English 191 (ENGL 191) students who took the NGA Reading test in the Spring 2018 semester, as a pilot. COLL 120 is a class that prepares students with more basic English skills for their college careers. ENGL 191 helps students better their English skills at a higher level than COLL 120. Currently, students who receive a score lower than 80 on the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension exam are placed into COLL 120, while students who receive a score of 80 or higher are placed into ENGL 191.

Through collaboration with Professor Kirstin Bratt from the Academic Learning Center at SCSU, I examined a series of questions by analyzing data collected on students who took the NGA Reading test. The goal was to determine how well the NGA test places students into their respective English classes, ENGL 191 or COLL 120, using 250 as the cutoff score. Analysis involved comparison of NGA Reading and Accuplacer Reading Comprehension scores, the differences in mean scores by gender, and the differences in mean scores by ethnicity. The analysis focused on students who took the NGA and were enrolled in COLL 120 or ENGL 191 in the Spring 2018 semester.

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Edited by Shaya Kraut

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