Why is the Mathematics Pre-Requisite System So Complicated?

1. Why is the Mathematics Pre-Requisite System So Complicated?

2. UWM Courses Up through GER

3. Math Placement Levels Placement into Mathematics Courses is determined in two ways: • Result of UW System Placement Test • Results of Previous Course Work Placement Levels indicate preparation in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry

4. Current Placement Levels • Placement Level A+ • Placement Level A • Placement Level AB • Placement Level B • Placement Level C • Placement Level D • No Placement

5. Distribution of Students among Placement Levels This is based on 3708 freshman admitted in Fall 2003.

6. Placement Levels for Courses

7. Placement Level A+ This is the highest placement level. It is primarily used to determine placement into Honors Calculus (Math 221) and is demonstrated by any of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 45 • A Placement Test Code of 40 and a score of 30 or higher on the Math Portion of the ACT • Credit for Math 231 by the AP or IB exams • A grade of A- or higher in both Math 116 and Math 117 (including transfer equivalents).

8. Placement Level A This is used primarily to determine placement in Math 231 and Math 341 and is demonstrated by any of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 40 • Credit for Math 231 by the AP or IB exams • A grade of C or higher in both Math 116 and Math 117 (including transfer equivalents). Note that Math 117 is not a co-requisite for Math 231! • A Placement Test Code of 35 and a C or better in Math 117 • A Placement Test Code of 36 and a C or better in either Math 116 or Math 211 • A grade of C or better in Math 211 and a grade of C or better in Math 117. Note that Math 211 by itself is not sufficient for placement into Math 231!

9. Placement Level AB This is used only to determine placement into Math 225. Since Math 225 assumes some familiarity with both trigonometry and advanced algebra, Placement level AB is demonstrated by any of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 37 • A Placement Test Code of 26 and a B or better in Math 105 • A grade of B or better in Math 105 and a grade in Math 117 of at least D- and not more than C-.

10. Placement Level B Placement level B is used to determine placement into many courses, including Math 116, 117, 205, 211, and MthStat 215. It is also the placement level required for Chem 100 and Econ 210. Placement level B is demonstrated by any of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 30, 35 or 36. • A grade of C or better in Math 105, • A score of 3 or higher on the AP Statistics Exam. Students cannot attain Placement Level B by taking either Math 106 or Math 175. They must take Math 105.

11. Placement Level C Placement level C is used to determine placement into three courses: including Math 105, 106, and 175. Placement level C is demonstrated by either of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 20 or 26. • A grade of C or better in Math 095, Students cannot progress to Placement Level B by taking either Math 106 or Math 175. They must take Math 105.

12. Placement Level D Placement level is the pre-requisite for Math 095. Placement level D is demonstrated by either of the following: • A Placement Test Code of 10. • A grade of C or better in Math 090

13. No Placement Level No placement level can be assigned if the a student has a Placement Code of 00 or no college level mathematics credits. In most cases such students must take Math 090. If they believe that there are exceptional circumstances they should consult with a Math Dept advisor to see if placement into Math 095 is appropriate.

14. Placement Test Codes Placement test codes are summaries of the UW System Placement Test Results. They do not give pre-requisites directly. The current placement codes are: 00, 10, 20, 26, 30, 35, 36, 37, 40 and 45. With the exception of the codes 35, 36 and 37, the higher the code, the better prepared is the student.

15. Codes 35, 36 and 37 These codes are used to distinguish a student’s level of preparation in advanced algebra and trigonometry. 35 indicates a level of preparation sufficient for Math 231 in all areas except trigonometry 36 indicates a level of preparation sufficient for Math 231 in all areas except advanced algebra 37 indicates some preparation in both trigonometry and in advanced algebra, but not at a level sufficient for Math 231

16. Placement Level B by Placement Codes Of the 3708 admitted freshman in Fall 2003, 767 had Placement Level B. 44 % of these students would have made placement level A had they scored higher on just the CALG portion of the exam.

17. Code 26 This code is used to indicate students whose algebra preparation is sufficient for Math 105, Math 106 and Math 175, and whose trigonometry preparation is sufficient for Math 225. These students will be eligible for Math 225 if they earn a grade of B or better in Math 105.

18. Placement Level C by Placement Codes Of the 3708 admitted freshman in Fall 2003, 1546 had Placement Level C. 143 of these students had trigonometry test scores consistent with placement level AB, A or A+.

19. Student Grouping Based on EALG and IALG

20. Placement Codes if EALG > 475 and IALG > 495

21. Please Use Placement Levels • Placement into Math and MthStat courses is determined by Placement Levels • Placement Levels are determined by Placement Test Codes and by College Mathematics credits.