El Camino College English B Performance by Writing Test Scores Preliminary Analysis, Fall 2005 Fall 2009 – This study is a preliminary analysis of student performance in English B, a writing course two levels below transfer. Success rates in English B are generally lower than in English A, a writing course one level below transfer (Figures 1 and 2). With few exceptions, success rates in B are about 2-4 percentage points below A in recent fall terms and 3-8 points below A in spring terms. English faculty have expressed concern that students with low test scores may be failing at disproportionate rates and may benefit from a writing course that is three levels below transfer (English C). Figure 1 Recent Success Rates in English A – Figure 2 Recent Success Rates in English B – Analysis of Success Rates by Test Score/Score Group Figure 4 on page 3 shows performance by test score and score group from CPT-SS, the College assessment test which is used to place students into English B. Currently, students with a CPT-SS score of less than 63 are placed into English B. Although there were some English B students on record with a score greater than 62, these students were excluded from the analysis. Scores represent the top scores for students enrolled in English B in a fall term between Fall 2005 and Fall 2009. Because performance is so different for spring, those terms have been excluded from the analysis below. With some exceptions, students with higher CPT-SS scores tended to have a higher rate of success in English B. Success rates in each 5-score group drop by 3-6 percentage points until the 40-44 score group which represents a 10-point drop from the previous set of scores. These results suggest that students with lower test scores have dramatically lower success rates in English B in most cases. Figure 3 shows a possible cut score to be used for further analysis, should the addition of an English C course be considered. Figure 3 Possible Cut Point (further analysis required) – CPT-SS Score Pass No Pass Total % Successful 46 to 62 1,041 629 1,670 62.3%
El Camino College English B Performance by Writing Test Scores Preliminary Analysis, Fall 2005 – Fall 2009 This study is a preliminary analysis of student performance in English B, a writing course two levels below transfer. Success rates in English B are generally lower than in English A, a writing course one level below transfer (Figures 1 and 2). With few exceptions, success rates in B are about 2-4 percentage points below A in recent fall terms and 3-8 points below A in spring terms. English faculty have expressed concern that students with low test scores may be failing at disproportionate rates and may benefit from a writing course that is three levels below transfer (English C). Figure 1 – Recent Success Rates in English A Figure 2 – Recent Success Rates in English B Analysis of Success Rates by Test Score/Score Group Figure 4 on page 3 shows performance by test score and score group from CPT-SS, the College assessment test which is used to place students into English B. Currently, students with a CPT-SS score of less than 63 are placed into English B. Although there were some English B students on record with a score greater than 62, these students were excluded from the analysis. Scores represent the top scores for students enrolled in English B in a fall term between Fall 2005 and Fall 2009. Because performance is so different for spring, those terms have been excluded from the analysis below. With some exceptions, students with higher CPT-SS scores tended to have a higher rate of success in English B. Success rates in each 5-score group drop by 3-6 percentage points until the 40-44 score group which represents a 10-point drop from the previous set of scores. These results suggest that students with lower test scores have dramatically lower success rates in English B in most cases. Figure 3 shows a possible cut score to be used for further analysis, should the addition of an English C course be considered. Figure 3 – Possible Cut Point (further analysis required) CPT-SS Score Pass No Pass Total % Successful 46 to 62 1,041 629 1,670 62.3%