Case Study: Palm Beach State College achieves higher certification pass rates with Edmentum (Northstar & Study Island)

Starting Early Learners on the Right Path

Palm Beach State College’s Health Science Department — which trains adult learners in dental assisting, medical assisting, and surgical technology — found that students who had the required skills in class were struggling to translate that knowledge to new online certification exams. Program director Jane Fisher identified a need to give students more exposure to online testing so they could improve exam performance.

The college adopted Edmentum’s Northstar Workforce Readiness and Study Island, customizing content for each certification, mandating practice time, and integrating online performance into course grades; a clicker system was also used to build speed and recall. The first cohort to use these tools completed programs in spring 2013 and saw higher certification pass rates, and the college is now considering expanding Northstar to other programs.

Palm Beach State College

Jane Fisher

Program Director