Date of Award

6-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Teaching, Mathematics

Department

Mathematics

First Reader/Committee Chair

Davida Fischman

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of implementing a remediation program in a high school Advanced Placement Calculus AB course on student class grades and success in passing the AP Calculus AB exam.

A voluntary remediation program was designed to help students understand the key concepts and big ideas in beginning Calculus. Over a period of eight years the program was put into practice and data on student participation and achievement was collected. Students who participated in this program were given individualized recitation activities targeting their specific misunderstandings, and then given an opportunity to retest on chapter exams that they had taken prior to remediation. Students were able to improve their scores on the original chapter exams and their grade in the class by demonstrating a greater understanding of the material after participating in the remediation sessions. This process was repeated for all chapter exams given during the academic year.

In this study, a data analysis comparing the percent gain, after remediation, in each student’s overall class grade to their AP Calculus AB exam scores was conducted. Additionally, AP Calculus AB exam scores of students enrolled in these classes were compared to AP Calculus AB exam scores globally both pre and post implementation of the remediation program.

The results of this study demonstrate that there is a substantial positive correlation between student participation in the remediation program and greater success on the AP Calculus AB exam. The average AP Calculus AB score for the students enrolled in AP Calculus AB during the eight-year period of implementing the remediation program increased by over 9%.

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