Why is college attendance
a good idea?
Median Income by
Educational
Attainment Washington State,
2006
No High School
Diploma
$19,140 Annual Income
High School Diploma
Advanced Degree
$57,409 Annual Income
$27,235 Annual Income
Bachelor’s Degree
$46,931 Annual Income
If you don’t
believe me, look
it up.
Source: 2006 American Community Survey, U.S. Census
What do you learn in math
classes?
Habits of Mind
These characteristics describe
me perfectly. They can
describe you too... no matter
which math class you chose!
• Demonstrates intellectual
engagement
• Takes responsibility for own
learning
• Perseveres when faced with
time-consuming or complex
tasks
• Pays attention to detail
Connection to college?
“Of all pre-college curricula, the highest
level of mathematics one studies in
secondary school has the strongest
continuing influence on bachelors
degree completion..”
Adelman, C. 1999. Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance
Patterns, and Bachelor's Degree Attainment. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Education.
Is the level of high school
math learning important?
What if you take
a placement test,
but don’t place
into college-level
math?
Developmental vs. College-Level
Mathematics Coursework
Developmental Math
Courses bring a
student up to
college level. They
do not transfer or
count for college
credit.
Pre-Algebra
Courses
(Community Colleges)
Basic Algebra Courses
Intermediate Algebra
Courses
Precalculus
Math for
Liberal Arts
Finite Math
Math for
Elem. Ed.
Why does it matter?
Probability/
Statistics
Other
The cost of placement into
developmental mathematics…
more time to degree
more money
more frustration in college courses
that use mathematics
A Closer Look at the Costs
# of Dev. Ed.
Classes
Taken
Additional cost
at
SCC or SFCC*
Additional
cost
at EWU*
Additional
cost
at WSU*
1
$370.50
$713
$1470
2
$741
$1426
$2940
3
$1111.50
$2139
$4410
4
$1482
$2852
$5880
* Based on 2006-2007 tuition rates for 5 undergraduate credits.
Math Placement at SFCC and SCC
2005 High School Graduates for 2005-6 school year
Spokane
Mead
Central
Valley
Cheney, EV,
Gonzaga,
Lakeside, WV,
Valley
Christian
PreColl.
84.5%
83.4%
89.5%
83.9%
College
15.5%
16.6%
10.5%
16.1%
PreColl.
98.6%
90.9%
97.4%
91.8%
College
1.4%
9.1%
2.6%
8.2%
District/
Schools
SFCC
SCC
Source: SFCC Institutional Research
August 14, 2007
14
Success rates in Coursework for recent HS graduates during the
first year of College
(Success being a 2.0 or better)
2005-6 students who graduated the year prior
Source: SFCC Institutional Research
August 14, 2007
15
Math Placement at EWU for 2006 High School Graduates for 20067 school year
Spokane
Mead
Central
Valley
Cheney,
EV,
Gonzaga,
Lakeside,
WV, Valley
Christian
PreColl
.
33.1%
24.3%
28.8%
33.1%
39.9%
College
43.5%
40.5%
49.2%
55.9%
40.3%
No Test
23.4%
35.1%
22.0%
11.0%
19.8%
District/
Schools
EWU
Source: EWU Institutional Research
August 14, 2007
All Students
16
The higher students start, the better chance they have of
success in PreCollege Mathematics
SFCC – Students beginning PreCollege Mathematics in 2004-5
First Course
Math 90
Math 91
Math 92
Math 99
Number
393
1166
224
293
% of group who
eventually pass
Math 99
11%
29%
44%
67%
Overall - 32.7% of students starting in Math 90, 91, 92 or 99 successfully completed Math
99.
Source: SFCC Institutional Research Report
August 14, 2007
17
The higher students start, the better chance they have of
success in PreCollege Mathematics
SCC – Asset Placement for 2004-5
First-time freshman excluding Running Start
Recommended
Placement
Math 20/21
Math 91
Math 96
Math 99
Below Min.
Cutoff
Number
147
158
69
18
13
% of total
36%
39%
17%
4%
3%
8%
31%
48%
89%
38%
% of group who
eventually pass
Math 99
Overall, 29% of these students eventually passed Math 99
Source: SCC Institutional Research Report
August 14, 2007
18
This chart shows a lot of things, but
mostly that Calculus students are
best prepared for college. If you’re
If I do well in Precalculus, will I
do well in Calculus?
Pre-Calculus is a critical math
course for many college majors.
• ______ of the students who pass Pre-Calculus
do not pass their next Calculus course
• ______ of the students who had an A in PreCalculus completed Calculus with an A.
• Approx _____ of the students who had a A in
Pre-Calculus did not pass Calculus
• Approx _____ of the students with a C or C+
failed Calculus
Pre-Calculus is a critical math
course for many college majors.
• Half of the students who pass Pre-Calculus do
not pass their next Calculus course
• 29% of the students who had an A in PreCalculus completed Calculus with an A.
• Approx 30% of the students who had a A in PreCalculus did not pass Calculus
• Approx 70% of the students with a C or C+
failed Calculus
Did you know that more
than 80 % of high school
graduates say they would
work harder, and take
tougher courses, if they
could do high school over
again?
www.achieve.org/files/pollrelease.pdf
Jill placed into Basic
Algebra (a developmental
course) at EWU in the Fall
of 2005.
“I really think math should be a four-year
requirement. If I had had a better experience in
high school, I would have been more successful in
college-level math.”
Take math seriously. Retain as much as you can, or
you will just be wasting time in high school. You'll
also be wasting time in college trying to catch up.
Take math. It's worth it !