Date of Award
7-1-1990
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Abstract
Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) must prepare students to meet the 1990 College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) higher standards. The CLAST is a result of the effort made by the State of Florida to ensure that sophomore students have acquired minimum communication and mathematical skills. The CLAST consists of four subtests: essay, English language skills, reading, and mathematics. The mathematics CLAST subtest consists of the five following areas: arithmetic, logic and sets, algebra, geometry, and statistics and probability. The college will encourage students to take the CLAST in their freshman year as a way to identify deficiencies early. It would be difficult for students to remediate their own deficiencies. Presently, the college only offers courses for sophomore students to prepare them for the CLAST, and does not have a program to help freshmen or other students prepare for the test. The PHCC Office of Institutional Research has projected that if student achievement is maintained at the present level, fifty percent of PHCC's students would fail now to pass the CLAST. With the cooperation of the PHCC mathematics department a pilot study was done to find the best way to help all PHCC students with CLAST preparation. As a result of this study the unanimous recommendation was to offer students an individualized program. This individualized program would aim to fulfill the need of the individual student in preparing them for CLAST. The purpose of this project was to develop an Individualized Mathematics Program for CLAST Competencies (IMPCC) to help all students prepare for the mathematics portion of CLAST. This program is tailored to help each individual student, utilizing alternative learning materials. The IMPCC offers students the alternatives of utilizing three types of materials: videotapes, printed material, and computer software. Each type of material teaches the student all the competencies in CLAST. The selection of the materials for the IMPCC was done after careful study of the different materials available in the market. After selecting prospective materials, they were previewed by two mathematics professors to ensure they were good products and they taught complete CLAST competencies. The IMPCC is presented in a document which includes the following: 1. General overview of the program including an introduction, rationale, goals, and CLAST mathematics objectives. 2. Student manual including rationale, directions for students on how to use the program, units in arithmetic, logic and sets, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability utilizing menus of video cassettes, printed materials, and computer software. 3. Each unit includes an introduction, diagnostic test, CLAST competencies, formative and summative testing, and unit evaluation. Units are independent of each other, students may choose to study only the unit(s) that they find necessary. 4. Instructor's manual contains an introduction, CLAST competencies, test bank of formative and summative testing, and teachers and student evaluation of the program. The program also includes a plan for its implementation and program for effectiveness evaluation. The plan for implementation discusses the following items related to the IMPCC: starting date, location, and a budget to cover materials and staff. The effectiveness evaluation plan includes student and instructor evaluation aimed to help improve the program, and to measure for statistically significant differences when comparing CLAST passing rates of students that participate in the IMPCC and those students that do not participate in this program. This project will serve as a model that provides an alternative method for learning by students that choose the IMPCC. This program could have a great impact on the educational strategies of preparing students for the CLAST. It is hoped that this approach is efficient, personalized, and easily accommodated to students needs and schedules.