Placement and Assessment Committee

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Beyond Crossroads Assessment Cycle Submit an assessment project

Position Statements

External Links

Newsletters (To receive future newsletters, complete the membership form above.)

April, 2008 (PDF)
January, 2008 (PDF)
Fall, 2006
Summer, 2006
March, 2005
September, 1997 (PDF)
Fall, 1992: Mathematics Placement Tests in Two-Year Colleges (PDF)

Mission Statement

  • The mission of the Placement and Assessment Committee (PAC) of AMATYC is to serve as resource or clearinghouse for the AMATYC membership on issues related to placement and assessment of students, courses, and programs in mathematics at two-year colleges..

    • PAC Objectives for 2006 - 2007:

      1. Review the "Initial Placement of Two-year College Students Into the Mathematics Curriculum" position statement dated November 2002. Provide recommendation regarding this position statement to the Spring 2007 AMATYC Board meeting.
      2. Publish the PAC Newsletter once a year, with the goal of two issues per year.
      3. Plan Themed Sessions for the 2006 and 2007 Conferences.
      4. Expand the PAC website to include a list of more resources in each of the following areas:
        • Assessment of Student Performance
        • Assessment of Mathematical Programs
        • Placement
      5. Assist in developing and reviewing the Beyond Crossroads digital products:
        • Beyond Crossroads Live
        • Assessment

History of PAC

  • Recent Chairpersons
  • The PAC developed the "Academic Assessment of Mathematical Programs" position statement that was adopted at the November 1999 AMATYC annual conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
  • The PAC developed the "Initial Placement of Two-Year College Students into the Mathematics Curriculum" position statement that was adopted at the November 2002 AMATYC annual conference in Phoenix, AZ.
  • At the 2003 AMATYC annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, the PAC sponsored its first themed session. The theme was "Best Practices in Placement and Assessment." Each 15-minute session presentation addressed an exceptional placement or assessment program or practice.
  • At the 2004 AMATYC annual conference in Orlando, Florida, the PAC sponsored a themed session for the second year in a row. The theme was "Mathematics Placement and Assessment: Here's How We're Doing It." Details.
  • At the 2005 AMATYC annual conference in San Diego, California, the PAC sponsored a themed session for the third year in a row. The theme was "Great Ideas in Math Placement and Assessment." Details.
  • At the 2006 AMATYC annual conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, the PAC sponsored a themed session for the fourth year in a row. The theme was "Placement and Assessment: Doing It the Beyond Crossroads Way." Details.
  • At the 2007 AMATYC annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the PAC sponsored a themed session for the fifth year in a row. The theme was "Math Placement and Assessment and Beyond Crossroads." Details.

Highlights of PAC Meetings

  • AMATYC 2006: Two PAC committee meetings were held during the 2006 AMATYC conference in Cincinnati. Ed Gallo, Chair of PAC, led the meetings. Agenda items included the following:

    • Attendees were asked to provide or update their contact information. Currently, 175 members receive the online PAC newsletter. This includes all AMATYC Board members, Committee Chairs, and Affiliate Presidents.
    • Ed encouraged members to submit a proposal to present at the 2007 placement and assessment themed session in Minneapolis.
    • The PAC goals and objectives for 2005 - 2007 were reviewed.
    • Ed encouraged members to submit items to be included on the PAC website and for the PAC newsletter..
    • We discussed the assessment digital products on the PAC website. Members were encouraged to share their assessment work with their AMATYC colleagues by submitting their own assessment work.
    • Members were encouraged to volunteer to serve as reviewers of digital products proposed for Beyond Crossroads Live. (If you are interested in volunteering to be involved in the Beyond Crossroads project by creating or reviewing assessment digital products, contact David Graser.)
    • The Assessment and Placement Subcommittees met to discuss issues in their respective areas.
    • PAC sponsored a themed session for the fourth year in a row. The theme was "Math Placement and Assessment: Doing it the Beyond Crossroads Way." To see details of the themed session, visit the web page http://placement.amatyc.org/cincinnati2006.html.

  • AMATYC 2005: Two PAC committee meetings were held during the 2005 AMATYC conference in San Diego. Ed Gallo, Chair of PAC, led the meetings. The Beyond Crossroads document was discussed, and attendees were encouraged to review the document and submit editorial changes. Ed encouraged members to submit a proposal to present at the 2006 placement and assessment themed session in Cincinnati. The PAC goals and objectives were discussed. The revised goals and objectives will be presented to the AMATYC Board for approval in the spring. Ed encouraged members to submit items to be included on the PAC website and for the PAC newsletter. The committee agreed to assist in the creation of assessment digital products that will supplement Beyond Crossroads. Some committee members also volunteered to serve as reviewers for the online version of Beyond Crossroads. The PAC subcommittees met to plan their work for the next year.

  • AMATYC 2004: The PAC meeting at the AMATYC 2004 conference in Orlando was held on Saturday, November 20, 2004. Ed Gallo, Chair of PAC, led the meeting. Attendees were asked to provide or update their contact information. The Beyond Crossroads document was discussed, and attendees were encouraged to review the document. The PAC subcommittees and their objectives were discussed; except for a minor name change, the subcommittee structure was unchanged. Ed encouraged members to submit items to be included on the PAC website and for the PAC newsletter. The three PAC subcommittees met to plan their work for the next year.

  • AMATYC 2003: The PAC meeting at the AMATYC 2003 conference in Salt Lake City was held on Saturday, November 15, 2003. Judy Marwick, Chair of PAC, led a discussion on assessment content for the Crossroads Revisited project. Attendees reviewed a draft of assessment information planned for the the new document and provided feedback to Judy on what they thought should be in the Crossroads Revisited document. Judy then introduced Ed Gallo, the in-coming Chair of the Placement and Assessment Committee. Ed reviewed possible goals for the PAC for the upcoming years.

Disclaimer: Committee web sites may reflect committee work in progress, and may therefore contain opinions and statements which do not reflect the adopted policies and positions of AMATYC.

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Comments about http://placement.amatyc.org should be directed to Jim Ham.
Revised: April 4, 2008