New high school course aims to reduce math remediation
One college freshman, plus one math remediation class, equals a student falling short of a degree.
At least that’s the most common equation for Oklahoma students, which is why the state Department of Education is promoting a new senior-year math class.
Eighty-one percent of Oklahoma community college students who are required to take a math remediation class fail to graduate within three years. Around 70 percent of students who take a math remediation class at a four-year university fail to graduate within six years.
“That’s because, by and large, students don’t take a senior-level math course in high school,” said Levi Patrick, director of secondary mathematics for the state Department of Education.
In total, nearly 40 percent of all Oklahoma students enter college with a requirement to take a math remediation course because of an ACT score of 18 or lower on the math portion. The remediation courses are designed to catch students up to a college-level understanding of math.
Remediation courses costs students tuition — $22.2 million annually in Oklahoma — but do not go toward college credit.
Beyond two years of algebra and one year of geometry, Oklahoma’s high school students have no additional requirement for math classes. That often means a high school senior is not enrolled in a math class and that year off can lead to a low ACT score, Patrick said.
Nearly 70 percent of Oklahoma high schools lack a fourth year of math, which is why the state is launching a college career math-ready course that it hopes schools will take advantage of to give students a fourth year of mathematics training.
“We want to redefine the senior year,” state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said.
Hofmeister joined other Department of Education leaders last week to unveil the new college career math-ready class that can be an option alongside statistics, calculus, trigonometry and other typical senior-level math courses.
Hofmeister said the gap-closing math class would not only save students money in college, but will also better prepare students for a future when a majority of careers will require some type of postsecondary training.
The new course is optional for high schools next year, but the curriculum is free. The state Department of Education and the Southern Regional Education Board are also hosting free training sessions this spring and summer that are required for educators who teach the new course.
Ready to roll out
Kathy Dunn, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Mid-Del schools, said the college career math-ready course is something her district plans to offer next year.
“We do want to offer math-ready at all three of our high schools,” Dunn said. “We had some folks who attended a training on it last year and we were really pleased with the way the course is taught. It’s application of math concepts that students have had in the past, but this is a chance to solidify that knowledge.”
Dunn said math remediation isn’t a problem she has seen grown, but it wasn’t getting better.
Colleges and universities use the ACT score to determine an incoming student’s level of mathematics knowledge, but some Oklahoma universities administer math placement tests for new students and a low score on this exam could require a math remediation course.
However, the state Department of Education plans to recommend that a student who earns an A or B in the new college career math-ready course be considered proficient.
Since the new course is optional for high schools and it requires a certified math teacher who has completed the state’s training seminar, Hofmeister acknowledged the current teacher shortage could hold back some schools from implementing the class.
“The teacher shortage is great,” Hofmeister said. “But the need for improving our math outcomes is also great.”
The state hopes implementation of the new course will not only improve ACT scores and math retention, but also give students quicker access to college credit.
“Too many Oklahoma students are not prepared and that last-chance effort at remediation in college is too late,” Patrick said. “Students are essentially spending a semester, if not two, in college before taking a credit-bearing math course.”