Advisors use placement test scores as a means of predicting students' proficiency in mathematics; however, there is a debate about how accurately these scores predict students' success. This nonexperimental quantitative study focused on one test, the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The purpose of the study was to determine whether the test is an accurate predictor of students' success in college algebra for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, and whether students who took the test continued pursuing a STEM major. The theoretical framework for this study was Tinto's theory of retention. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software was used to generate 500 random cases from 2,339 students ranging from 18 to 50 years of age who enrolled in Math 1414 during the Spring 2015 to Spring 2017 semesters at the Texas community college setting. Hierarchical multiple and logistic regression were performed to test whether the TSI scores significantly predicted students' math grade and retention. The hierarchical multiple regression revealed that the TSI score explained only 13% of the variance in math grades (R2 = .13). The logistic regression showed that the TSI score explained a variance of only 7% (Nagelkerke R2 = .07) and yielded a higher number of false positives in predicting retention in a STEM mathematics track after controlling for high school GPA, gender, ethnicity, and age. Findings revealed no significant relationship between TSI scores and students' academic success and retention. The results from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing academic advisors with additional knowledge of the best practice for placing students to achieve success in college math courses.

Summer bridge programs (SBPs) have been used as a means of increasing students' college readiness and academic skills. University Southeast implemented a SBP in 2013 for students placing into developmental courses on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). However, researchers have found mixed results when evaluating the effectiveness of SBPs, and at University Southeast, it has not been investigated. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference in TSIA score gains between first-time-in-college students with developmental-level test scores who attended a three-week SBP and those who did not. Tinto's longitudinal model of student departure guided the study examining how university-provided support may increase a student's skills and abilities before the start of college. The research questions focused on the gain scores on TSIA math, reading, and writing pre- and posttests for first-time-in-college students completing the SBP and a control group not participating in the SBP and taking the TSIA a second time. A total of 769 archived test scores from 2014 and 2015 were analyzed using an independent-samples t test. Data analysis found significant gains only in the area of TSIA math, which suggests that college administrators reevaluate the use of SBPs. This study contributes to positive social change because it provides research-based data to administrators of the local SBP and demonstrates the need to explore options that will increase college readiness while ensuring that institutional funds are being used effectively.