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Detecting Concepts Crucial for Success in Mathematics Courses from Knowledge State-based Placement Data

We show that individual topics and skills can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes of students in various mathematics courses at the University of Illinois. Data from the placement program at Illinois associates a knowledge state, a subset of 182 items and skills that a student is able to complete successfully and repeatedly, with their final grades in a variety of courses from college algebra through multivariate calculus. Using various conditional probabilities and odds ratios, we classify items based on their association with successful and unsuccessful course outcomes, showing that some skills that are advanced for some courses are fundamental or basic to more advanced courses. We examine the impact of specific items across the courses in the traditional college algebra, precalculus, and calculus sequence, as well as courses not typically covered by placement programs, such as higher calculus courses. Visualizations of the knowledge states associated to each student are given for some specific courses and for the entire collection of placement courses, allowing the impact of specific topics to be examined across the undergraduate curriculum.