What is MUST?

[LibbyPhillips]

Diana Mason, who developed the Math Up Skills Test (MUST) for general chemistry, drew inspiration from a journal by Hartman and Nelson, detailing a study in which a group of students was given a baseline assessment with or without a calculator. Interestingly, without a calculator was a better predictor of success.

An accomplished chemical education researcher, Diana brought this idea to the state of Texas and created the MUST. In her own IRB-approved study, Diana compared the test results to students’ final grades at universities and colleges across the state.

What she found was that student performance on this fifteen minute, twenty question assessment, given in the first week of class, showed a significant correlation between student performance in Gen Chem I and Gen Chem II.

Watch the video below to hear more about Diana’s story in creating the MUST.

[glennalesko558]

That's an insightful approach to assessing foundational skills! Tools like the MUST highlight how early diagnostics can predict future performance. For those who appreciate educational calculators and resources, https://lacapitalrecursos.com/la-calculadora-de-alicia/ is another useful platform for quick and reliable calculations across various subjects.

[cassian234]

Diana Mason’s development of the Math Up Skills Test (MUST) resonates with the goals of the Alice Calculator, which is designed to support learners in developing true number sense rather than depending solely on automated answers. Just as Mason’s research found that calculator-free assessments better predict chemistry success, the Alice Calculator encourages students to engage actively with mathematical concepts, fostering deeper understanding and long-term retention—key factors for success in STEM fields.