THE DESCRIPTIVE TESTS OF MATHEMATICS SKILLS - PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY FORAN ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS AND STRUCTURES COURSE

The Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills (DTMS) were designed for a wide range of uses at the lower division level. Two DTMS tests, Arith metic Skills and Elementary Algebra Skills, were used to set a minimum standard for transferring juniors majoring in elementary education to enroll in an advanced mathematics concepts and structures course at a midwestern upper-division university. For the 60 students passing bot h tests and earning a grade in the class, significant predictive valid ity coefficients were found. When multivariate analysis was applied, i t was found that the model could be simplified to only the Elementary Algebra Skills test. Nevertheless, DTMS can be used effectively to pla ce upper-division elementary education majors into an advanced mathema tics concepts and structures course.