Dr. Paul Nolting's Academic Success Press Blog: A Publication Dedicated to Math Success |
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On July 26, the Washington Post published an interesting article regarding entrance exams and remediation. Given the tenor of our last post, which recapitulated an article in the Journal of Developmental Education that advocated the reform not replacement of assessment tests, we thought we'd pass along information on a different approach being taken by Montgomery College in Maryland. The entire article is interesting—though we may quibble a bit with a few of its major points. While well-intentioned, the educators interviewed in the piece make the same basic argument leveled by comparably ardent anti-remedial forces. Rather than recognizing and fixing flaws within the developmental education system, they are putting more of an emphasis on avoidance, as evidenced in the quote below: Instead of relying on standardized test results, the pilot program also looks at high school transcripts. If students earn an A or B in Algebra 2, for example, they might be allowed to move into college-level math. If students earn similar grades in advanced placement or honors English and world history, they might be able to go into college-level English. This in itself is not necessarily a bad idea. Still, one has to wonder, how are these students going to perform when placed directly into college-level math courses? Let's say these same students who got an A or B in Algebra 2 took said course their junior year of high-school. After not taking a math course for more than a year, are they still prepared to take the hardest math course in which they've ever enrolled?
The answer to this question certainly remains up for debate.
1 Comment
Not all the students can grasp immediately when taught. There are students that need additional support with core skills in reading and mathematics prior to college. And not all schools are selecting students based on test scores, athletics or parents. College education is also about technical skills such as Nursing, Graphic Design, Architecture and more. These skills also require students to read, write and do numerical equations to pass exams or practices. If you are college educating students that passed high school with a standard Grade, have been educated in a poor school system, have a learning disability or do not speak English as a first language then there is a need for additional core classes so they can pass their college courses. I do understand your point about schools making extra money by offering courses to students that do not need them, but there is a population of students that do need the basics. They can learn through online websites like [url=https://www.transtutors.com/] Transtutors.com, assignment help, meritnation etc. these websites helped me in my learning too. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Nolting is a national expert in assessing math learning problems, developing effective student learning strategies, assessing institutional variables that affect math success and math study skills. He is also an expert in helping students with disabilities and Wounded Warriors become successful in math. He now assists colleges and universities in redesigning their math courses to meet new curriculum requirements. He is the author of two math study skills texts: Winning at Math and My Math Success Plan. Blog HighlightsAmerican Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges presenter, Senior Lecturer-Modular Reader Contributions
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