We are very excited to share an important upcoming change to the math placement system at URI. This year, (target date January 1, 2024) the adaptive math placement system, ALEKS PPL (Placement, Preparation, and Learning), will be replacing the current math placement test used at URI. The cost of the new system is paid entirely by URI.

ALEKS PPL by McGraw-Hill has developed over the past 20+ years into a sophisticated placement system based on artificial intelligence and billions of data points. ALEKS is used by most universities nationwide (including our peers e.g. University of Vermont (UVM) and University of New Hampshire (UNH)). Placement cut scores are largely common among the universities – students placing into calculus at UVM or UNH will also be placing into calculus at URI. We will be able to easily accept transfers of ALEKS results.

With ALEKS a student will be able to attempt the online exam multiple times. Between each two attempts a student is guided through an individualized set of learning modules – student’s own learning path – designed by ALEKS based on the results of the student’s latest placement attempt. The student is likely to place higher on the next test attempt and if not, the learning modules will better prepare the student for success in the course they placed into. Advisors will have full access to students’ performance on each attempt. People designated as system administrators will have complete access to all placement data for all students and will be able to share it easily whenever requested.

Our target date to launch ALEKS is January 1, 2024 – we will have an informational website set up with complete details very soon. Students who need to take a math placement test before the launch date can request a pre-release access to ALEKS PPL by emailing Barbara Kaskosz (bkaskosz@uri.edu) or James Baglama (jbaglama@uri.edu) of the Math Department.