WILLISTON, N.D. - William Brown, a Williston High School student, and DeSean Squeque, a Williston State College student, recently achieved record setting goals with the ALEKS program.

Brown, who started using the program as a junior, passed College Algebra and planned to move on to Trigonometry for the 2017 summer semester. However, when he sat down and took the initial assessment, he scored a 203. For Trigonometry, a mastery of 202 topics are required. In other words, Brown surpassed the course goal without even taking the course.

Wanda Meyer, WSC's Title III Project Director, who manages the ALEKS program, had high praise for Brown's accomplishment.

"This is the highest score [we've had] in Trigonometry," Meyer said, "since the fall of 2015."

Meanwhile, Squeque's accomplishment is equally impressive. He took a Preparation for College Algebra course, which requires a mastery of 244 topics to pass. Squeque decided to keep working and surpass this goal, ultimately scoring a 297.

Meyer noted that this is the highest score ever received by a WSC student.

"[Squeque] did an outstanding job," she said.

Both students used their accomplishments as a springboard towards greater success.

Brown, a two-sport athlete, plans to enroll in Calculus I in the fall as a senior, while Squeque went on to pass College Algebra in the same semester he passed the course meant to prepare him for it.

ALEKS, which stands for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces, is software that designs a course shell for students based on their initial assessment taken at the start of the course. Course shells provide each student a successful learning path with positive reinforcement along the way. Students can learn the material at a rate that works best for them.

Funded through the Title III Grant established in 2012, ALEKS was listed as a choice in the grant to improve the retention rate from developmental mathematics courses through college algebra.

If you have any questions about ALEKS or Title III please contact Wanda Meyer at 701.774.4556.

For more information on WSC please visit www.willistonstate.edu
call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND