The purpose of this study was to determine if the 1 – and 2-term retention rates for students with the same ACT mathematics subsection scores were different between students who took a regular section of Probability and Statistics and students who took a learning support section of the same course. The subjects of this study were 2,714 students enrolled in a Probability and Statistics course (either regular sections or learning support sections) at a 4-year institution from the 2013 summer semester to the 2014 fall semester. As expected, students who scored a 19 or greater on the mathematics section of the ACT were significantly more likely to be enrolled in later semesters than students who scored below a 19. When students were grouped by matching ACT mathematics sub scores there was not a significant difference in 1-term and 2-term retention rates between students who took a 4-hour learning support section of probability and statistics and students who opted to take a regular 3-hour version of the same course.

This study examined the use of an institutionally-specific risk prediction model in the university's College of Education. Set in a large, urban, public university, the risk model predicted incoming students' first-semester GPAs, which, in turn, predicted the students' risk of attrition. Additionally, the study investigated advising practices within the College of Education via semi-structured interviews with the College's advising staff and a document analysis of students' advising notes in an attempt to find thematic links between undergraduate retention and usage of an advising center. Data were analyzed to determine the accuracy of the risk model in the College of Education. The results of this study are used to inform the College of Education's administration, faculty, and staff about the implications of risk prediction and to suggest potential treatments to increase retention rates. Furthermore, recommendations for future research are discussed for this study's institution and for the field of education. / Educational Psychology