ETS Launches Assessment Tool To Improve Retention

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has launched SuccessNavigator, an assessment tool designed to help improve retention and graduation rates among incoming college students.

The Web-based self-assessment takes 30 minutes to complete. Reports are then delivered to the student and their advisor, and an aggregate institutional report is also created. Advisor Reports include information on academic skills, commitment, self-management, and social support, and provide "next steps," suggestions for improvement that range from tutoring to health to career counseling.

"When paired with traditional cognitive placement exams, the SuccessNavigator assessment identifies those students who are candidates for acceleration through a developmental education sequence, or those who can bypass the final level of developmental coursework and be placed directly in credit-bearing classes," according to an ETS news release.

"The unique SuccessNavigator Advisor Reports will be pivotal in supporting our students' success," said Kevin Li, dean of instruction at Wilbur Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago, in a prepared statement. "Paired with City Colleges' placement examinations, the SuccessNavigator assessment has the potential to help us more accurately place — and when appropriate, accelerate students — to optimize our retention and graduation rates."

For more information about SuccessNavigator, visit ets.org.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • geometric pattern features abstract icons of a dollar sign, graduation cap, and document

    Maricopa Community Colleges Adopts Platform to Combat Student Application Fraud

    In an effort to secure its admissions and financial processes, Maricopa Community Colleges has partnered with A.M. Simpkins and Associates (AMSA) to implement the company's S.A.F.E (Student Application Fraudulent Examination) across the district's 10 institutions.

  • stylized figures, resumes, a graduation cap, and a laptop interconnected with geometric shapes

    OpenAI to Launch AI-Powered Jobs Platform

    OpenAI announced it will launch an AI-powered hiring platform by mid-2026, directly competing with LinkedIn and Indeed in the professional networking and recruitment space. The company announced the initiative alongside an expanded certification program designed to verify AI skills for job seekers.

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    New Nonprofit to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a new nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • hooded figure types on a laptop, with abstract manifesto-like posters taped to the wall behind them

    Hacktivism Is a Growing Threat to Higher Education

    In recent years, colleges and universities have faced an evolving array of cybersecurity challenges. But one threat is showing signs of becoming both more frequent and more politically charged: hacktivism.