Is Your Child Math Ready for College?

Even if your child does not plan a career in a mathematics intensive subject, math still plays an important role in their acceptance into the college or university of their choice.

Why is Math Required for College?

Although you might not think so, math is about more than just solving for “x”. The foundation of math is set in problem solving and critical thinking. While high school students are usually just trying to finish their math homework as fast as possible and still get all the right answers, each problem tests both their memory of equations and algorithms as well as their critical thinking abilities by combining different problem solving strategies. Your child may not have a future career in Algebra or Calculus, however, the foundational skill set they gain by completing all of their high school math classes will carry over to any job or even family problem they may encounter in the future.

Due to the importance of math, most colleges look at how many years of math your child took. They also consider what classes they took and how successful they were in those classes. Most four-year institutions require four years of high school math, starting with Algebra I. However, by taking more than four years of math or completing higher level math classes, your child can potentially earn college credit and possibly get into a better university. Higher level math classes also set up an admirable challenge for students to complete and they show colleges the student is dedicated to their education and to improving their thinking skills. The challenge these classes show colleges may actually matter more than the grade they get. For example, if one student gets straight A’s but is taking low-level classes, another student getting all B’s in honors or advanced courses may actually look better to a college admissions officer.

The Gap Between Enrolling in College and Being Ready for College

Just taking math may not be enough, however. Students must also be successful in their math classes and understand the concepts each course entails. Their success or lack of success in higher-level high school math courses may very well be an indicator of their ability to succeed at the college-level. For example, at two-year colleges eligibility for enrollment is typically just a high school diploma or the equivalent — the minimum. Unfortunately, only about one-quarter of incoming students to these institutions are fully prepared for college-level studies. The remaining 75% need remedial work in English, mathematics, or both.

Eligibility for enrollment in less-selective four-year institutions (often the "state colleges") typically includes a high school diploma and some additional college-preparatory coursework. Experience shows that these additional eligibility requirements still leave about half of incoming freshmen under-prepared for college.

If they are not ready for college, your child will likely be placed in a college remediation course. Every year in the United States, nearly 60% of first-year college students discover that, despite being fully eligible to attend college, they are not ready for postsecondary studies. After enrolling, these students learn that they must take remedial courses in English or mathematics or both. Even those students who have done everything they were told to do to prepare for college find, often after they arrive, that their new institution has deemed them unprepared. Their high school diploma, college-preparatory curriculum, and high school exit examination scores did not ensure college readiness.
According to Chalkbeat.org, 40% of Colorado’s class of 2011 enrolled in a Colorado college or university needed remedial education courses in at least one subject in order to catch up to college-level work. Nearly two-thirds of Colorado high school graduates students enrolled in a state community college needed remedial coursework, and most of these students — 51 percent — required remediation in math.

Lack of college readiness is a major culprit in low college graduation rates. Studies show the majority of students who begin in remedial courses — which cost both time and money and do not result in course credit toward graduation — never complete their college degrees. About 40% of community college students placed in remedial courses never complete these remediation tracks, and 70% never attempt a college-level math course. Furthermore, financial aid does not cover the cost of remedial courses.

Throughout all of your child’s schooling, math has been required in order to help them truly succeed later in life. Like it or not, math will be key in order for them to achieve their college and career goals because although colleges and universities vary in their actual requirements for high school math, your child’s high school record is the single most important component of their college application. It should show they've taken the most challenging courses possible.  Additionally, your child’s success in upper-level math courses is a great indicator that they can succeed in college, and success at the higher levels of math will show them just how gifted they are at thinking at deeper, more effective levels.

Is your child “math” ready for college?

Why not find out? Schedule a No Risk Assessment at Mathnasium of Littleton and find out! This in-depth, two hour look at your child’s math history is designed to determine what their strengths are as well as to ferret out any foundational skill gaps they may have. Once you have this information, you can choose what to do with it — including enrolling in Mathnasium to help your child be better prepared for college before it is too late. Find out now and take advantage of our intensive summer programs.

Article written in conjunction with Madeline Helfer, Mathnasium of Littleton instructor.

Resources:
http://co.chalkbeat.org/2013/04/16/forty-percent-of-colorado-grads-need-remediation/#.VSSSw2ZY07A

http://www.highereducation.org/reports/college_readiness/gap.shtml

http://edsource.org/2014/reworking-remedial-education/69786#.VSSRa2ZY07A

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/grades-vs-tough-courses.htm