Readers: Have you ever found this to be an issue? I'm curious....

Gordon, S. P. (2006) Placement Tests: The Shaky Bridge Connecting School and College Mathematics. Mathematics Teacher, 100, 174-178.

The main point of this article concerns the transition between high school and college mathematics. Most incoming freshman are placed in a class determined by their results on placement tests. Gordon argues that this approach is extremely unsuccessful and contributes to the unpopularity of .He believes that since the changes implemented by NCTM’s Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, Colleges no longer understand what students have been taught in their schools. With the increased emphasis on conceptual understanding, the greater use of technology, and the reduced emphasis on algebraic manipulation and procedural proficiency, freshmen are equipped with a very different set of skill, skills that many would argue to be preferable in a college setting. However, these Placement tests – used at almost every college for more than 20 years- test the degree to which students have mastered basic algebraic manipulation, and little else. Students are often placed far below where they are conceptually, and the colleges complain about how students are placing lower and thus how unprepared freshman are. On the other hand, some students from more traditional high schools do very well on the tests and are surprised to find that the course requires much higher levels of thinking and reasoning then they are able. Gordon suggests combining placement tests with other indicators of ability, such as ACT or SAT scores, portfolios of work, and semesters of math taken.

The more I look at this article, the more I feel that the author is making a big deal out of a small issue. There are no clear statistics to show that so many students are being misplaced. Gordon uses only anecdotal evidence and the vague data collected by angry high school teachers who would have liked to see their students placed higher. I would like to see, at the very least, quotes from the students themselves showing their negative feelings about their placement, preferably some statistics about the portion of students who feel misplaced. The students should be the judges based on their own knowledge of their own skills.
Secondly, from my own experience, I do not feel that students will be able to succeed in college mathematics without the algebraic manipulation skill that Gordon so casually dismisses. If students cannot, for example, quickly factor polynomials then they will have a tough road ahead in college mathematics. If students do not have these skills, perhaps it is better for them to take remedial or other math classes so that they are more prepared.
Gordon also claims that students perform poorly on the test because their understanding is more conceptual than procedural. From our reading in class, particularly the comparison between the 2 schools Amber Hill and Phoenix Park, I am convinced that if students have a solid conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts, then they should not have problems with these questions, in fact, they should score just as high or higher on the tests.