Math Phenomenon
One would think that if a student has taken integrated math incorporating algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus, college math should be a breeze. That is not the case and colleges are becoming very concerned.
Marie Wilde of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA is very concerned about math skills at the college level. "Many bright students are hurried through algebra and trigonometry courses on their way toward statistics and calculus." Wilde is the chairwoman of the mathematical and information sciences program at Cedar Crest. [Genevieve Marshall, The Morning Call, mcall.com, July 5, 2007]
Remedial Classes
Colleges are overwhelmed with students needing remedial classes in math. The problem is becoming so large that colleges are forced to rewrite textbooks, do more reteaching, and even force students to take remedial courses without credit.
American College Testing
The ACT newsletter, Activity, states in spring of 2007 that the gap between what high schools are graduating and what colleges need to see is widening. ACT states, "The study, which surveyed college and high school instructors across the country, reveals that colleges generally want incoming students to have in-depth understanding of a selected number of fundamental skills and knowledge, while high schools tend to provide less in-depth instruction of a broader range of skills and topics." To sum that up:
- High schools offer general information in many areas.
- Colleges prefer in-depth information in fewer areas.
According to Cynthia Schmeiser, president and chief operating officer, ACT education division, "State learning standards are often too wide and not deep enough," said Schmeiser. "They are trying to cover too much ground—more ground than colleges deem necessary—in the limited time they have with students. As a result, key academic skills needed for success in college get short shrift. This is a serious problem that states must address to better prepare our young people for success after high school." [ACTIVITY, act.org, spring 2007]
Integrated Math
In the 1990s, the traditional math was replaced in many schools with "integrated math" which combined algebra and geometry. It also required large amounts of reading and writing to identify the math problems. Many students ended up problem solving math concepts on their own. Colleges want more understand of the basics. [Genevieve Marshall, The Morning Call, mcall.com, July 5, 2007]
Higher Placement
Another area where taking many advanced classes is harmful is advanced placement classes in college. Students are honored that they do not need to take basic college science or math classes. They took advanced classes and may now move ahead other students and take higher level classes. The danger in this is that the student assumes that his high school curriculum in Geometry or Advanced Biology equals the college level Biology or Geometry. This is very unlikely. Therefore, a student has an over inflated opinion of how good they actually are. Two weeks into the class and the student is going down in flames and now realizes his high school curriculum was covered in the first ten days of class.
AP Classes
Advanced Placement classes can help students compare apples to apples. If a student takes a high school AP class and the test that follows, this procedure gives the student a much better view of what college expectations will be. This student is less likely to jump toward advance classes in college unless the foundation is truly in place.
Mastery Is Key
Pushing students in math and science before they attain mastery of the basic concepts serves no purpose. Colleges want competent students, well-educated in the basics. That is more important than calculus and statistics. Many high schools that realize this problem are teaching Algebra 1 over two years allowing time for mastery.
Related articles: Daughters, Dads and Math, Colleges Reconsider Admission
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
