COMPASS: CoOrdinated Math-Physics Assessment for Student Success

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The COMPASS (Co-Ordinated Math and Physics Assessment for Student Success) program will support a national initiative to retain STEM majors and will be designed to aid students to navigate successfully through their first year. In particular, the program will be designed to help students improve their achievements in their introductory courses and increase retention. The proposed approach combines effective educational programs tailored to specific student needs prior to their enrollment.The broader impacts for the COMPASS program include the development of strategies specifically designed to address the retention rates of undergraduate students in STEM disciplines. Students will be placed in a program designed to build on their personal strengths in a way to support them in the development of other important academic areas. The program will build on existing courses grounded in educational research and provides an easily adaptable retention strategy accessible to a wide range of institutions.The intellectual merits for the COMPASS program include the development of methodologies to interpret information about the initial state of students' preparedness prior to their enrollment in college level courses. The program activities will include an examination of new ways to improve introductory STEM courses through a coordinated curriculum strategy which is adapted to individual students' specific needs.