College Preparatory Completion Rates Based on Verbal and Mathematics Deficiencies. Information Capsule Number 96-06C.

In 1996, Florida's Miami-Dade Community College conducted a study to examine the college preparatory completion rates of first-time degree-seeking students based on their verbal and mathematics entry-level placement scores. Results include the following: (1) fewer than 30% of students scoring at the lowest level on the mathematics placement test completed college preparatory after 3 years, regardless of their score on the verbal sections of the placement test; (2) in contrast, 40% to 52% of the students who scored below college-level on both verbal subtests but were not deficient in mathematics completed college preparatory within 3 years; (3) students who tested below college-level on one verbal subtest and in mathematics, but not at the lowest level, had a college preparatory completion rate of 37%; (4) students who tested below college-level on both verbal subtests and at the lowest level in mathematics had a completion rate of only 6%; (5) students who tested below college-level in only one area had a 70% likelihood of completing preparatory coursework, as long as that area was not mathematics; and (6) students who tested below college-level in the area of mathematics only had a 50% likelihood of completing preparatory work. (HAA)