The Maryland Early Math Placement Test (MARY/EMPT)
What is a mathematics placement test?
Many community colleges, colleges and universities in
the United States administer math placement tests
to place incoming students in appropriate mathematics courses.
Students found lacking in the necessary preparation
must spend college time (and tuition, and even extra fees)
taking remedial courses which do not carry
college credit.
What is an early mathematics placement test?
An early placement test is modelled on a placement test,
but is offered to high school students. It allows the
students to assess their preparation, and gives feedback
to the teachers. Early Math Placement Tests are used in
Maryland and some other states, such as
Ohio and
Wisconsin.
What is MARY/EMPT ?
MARY/EMPT is an early placement test administered by the
Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland,
College Park. We provide the questions, grade the tests,
and return results to students and their schools.
MARY/EMPT gives students and their schools information
now on how the students would actually perform on a college
placement test. MARY/EMPT is particularly related to the College
Park placement test, but placement tests elsewhere in Maryland
are more or less comparable. MARY/EMPT gives the schools feedback
on their programs and it gives a student time to make an adjustment.
What does MARY/EMPT test?
MARY/EMPT tests for the "basics" necessary for college mathematics.
These include numerical computation,
algebraic manipulation and function concepts such as graphing.
However, MARY/EMPT is not a test of minimum standards for graduation;
rather, it is a test about readiness to proceed in college mathematics.
Who sees the MARY/EMPT test results?
Students and their schools receive the results.
MARY/EMPT is not an instrument for outside evaluation of
schools. It is intended as a "no-stakes", diagnostic test.
Schools use MARY/EMPT voluntarily and we only release
data on individual schools and students to the individual schools.
When does a student take MARY/EMPT?
Typically, but not always,
high schools administer MARY/EMPT to students in the
junior year. It is up to the school.
How should students interpret MARY/EMPT results?
Different courses of study require different levels of
preparation.
Each student taking the test indicates a likely
career interest, and receives an individual letter
interpreting the test results.
Also keep in mind that MARY/EMPT is the sort of test an entering
freshman would take. A junior in high school can expect to
improve with math in the senior year.
Do teachers get feedback on MARY/EMPT results?
The school receives feedback on how students do on
various parts of the test. Teachers can sometimes use
this information to check coverage of topics in their courses.
Why so much concern about mathematics?
Most colleges have a general mathematics requirement
for graduation, and most college majors require mathematics
beyond that.
More than any subject, mathematics causes trouble in the transition
from high school to college.
Many majors are inaccessible without good preparation.
Catching up in college is really tough, because math is most
effectively learned with one year building on the next, and
the college courses move so fast.
What if the score is poor?
School advisors can help here.
A junior has a valuable year remaining in high school,
in which coursework can firm up weak areas.
What if the score is good?
Congratulations to the student!
However, we strongly
recommend continuing mathematics in the senior year:
"use it or lose it". We see in College Park that three
(rather than four) years of Math is a significant risk
factor for being required to take a remedial course.
On page 1 of the University's Undergraduate Catalog,
regarding freshman admission credentials there is
the following sentence: "A fourth year of mathematics
is strongly recommended."
Also, understand that placemenet in a
course does not mean a student WILL succeed in that course --
it means the student CAN succeed in that course.
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