The Maryland Early Math Placement Test (MARY/EMPT)
How would your high school students actually perform on a
mathematics placement test if they were entering college?
Which math courses would their placement scores let them enter --
calculus? precalculus? statistics? Would they be able to place
into the math course appropriate to their likely degree programs?
Would they be eligible for any credit-bearing math course at all,
or would they, like so many other students, be required
to enroll in a "developmental" non-credit-bearing course?
The Maryland Early Mathematics Placement Test (MARY/EMPT)
gives high schools an opportunity to answer these questions.
Students can take a free "practice" mathematics placement test,
similar to one they will face after admission to college.
The target audience is all juniors, but the test can be useful
for other groups as well.
The test is designed for a standard 50-minute class period.
We mail schools the tests, answer forms, and other material needed
to administer the test.
The school/teacher administers the test and returns the materials and
answer sheets. Students fill out information including a possible major
or career. The school mails
the completed materials back to us.
The test is free of
charge apart from the cost of mailing materials back to us.
We grade the tests, and return to the schools
-
overall performance results by question (with topic description
of question), for possible use by teachers
-
"Parent's Guide to MARY/EMPT" brochures for parents
- individual letters to participating students, telling
them what courses they would place into, and what this
means for their chosen academic tracks.
The schools can then use these results to communicate with students
and parents, to review their courses, and to advise students on
subsequent coursework.
Test results can be useful as a motivational tool for
students.
Typically the test is given to high
school juniors, but schools use the test in a variety of ways.
We do not release individual school performance data. This allows
the schools to use MARY/EMPT without fear of retribution for bad
performance, or a need to prep students for another test.
Schools vote with their feet--participation is
completely voluntary.
Here is additional detailed information.
- How is MARY/EMPT different from some Math Placement Tests?
-
A selection of questions has been chosen to fit the test into a
50 minute class period.
-
A Math Placement Test at a college today
(for example, at the University of Maryland) is often taken on-line
from home by an entering student. At this time,
MARY/EMPT is still a paper and pencil in-class
test. By devoting one class period to the test, a teacher
obtains feedback on all attending students, together with
letters from us to the individual students providing feedback.
(Students can practice the University of Maryland
online format with a
sample online placement
exam. MARY/EMPT is longer and more thorough than
this online sample exam.)
- You can click below to see copies of some of the pieces of paper
used in the administration of MARY/EMPT:
|
