Mathematics Proficiency
By setting admissions standards in mathematics in 2003, the Montana University System hoped to increase the number of students who entered college with the skills they need to be successful in college. Effective 2010, the Board of Regents policy sets the threshold score for FULL admissions to match the threshold score for entry into college-level coursework.
Until 2010, students who enter the four-year programs of the Montana University System must earn minimum scores of 18 on the math portion of the ACT, 440 on the math section of the SAT, or 3 on an Advanced Placement calculus exam. However, those ACT and SAT scores place students into remedial courses, regardless of which campus (including the Colleges of Technology and Community Colleges) they attend. The new policy:
- aligns the threshold for full admission with placement into college level work;
- provides provisional admission status for students who place into remedial courses in a four-year program; and
- aligns thresholds for full admission with thresholds for demonstrating proficiency when students transfer from two-year to four-year programs.
If students complete a Rigorous High School Core, including four years of mathematics with grades of C or better, their test scores are waived. This Rigorous Core will be required of all students awarded the MUS Honors Scholarships in 2010.
Research shows higher ACT scores and completion of recommended core coursework are closely associated with higher college graduation/persistence rates. ACT recommends that students take four years of mathematics in high school for a solid college-preparatory core. ACT-tested college freshmen who report better academic preparation in high school earn higher ACT scores, earn better grades in college, and tend to complete degrees at higher rates than those who had less than core course work. Data also indicate that students with higher ACT scores have higher college freshman GPAs (Maxey, J, 2001, Selected Trends on ACT-Tested Students).
Teachers and students may also find it useful to compare typical high school math course titles with college-level course titles and study an illustration of the levels of difficulty, through a sample of one type of mathematics problem. See Transitioning through Algebra.
Other useful resources, mailed to high schools in 2002, are available to download: Looking Ahead to College Mathematics and Proficiency Admissions, posters, and Student Mathematics Proficiency Manual. The manual features a page describing freshman mathematics course offerings for each of the Montana University System campuses, the colleges of technology, and the tribal colleges; proficiency descriptors tied to the ACT test; and a set of math problems that college-ready students should be able to solve. A limited number of paper copies are available by request. Just email Jan Clinard.
The Commissioner of Higher Education supports teachers and professors as they explore ways to improve students' transition from high school to higher education and to facilitate transfers among campuses.
This office has funded several Title II projects focused on mathematics: BITL, Terrace, Probability and Statistics, Sharing Projects via the Internet, Professional Development Academy, Middle School Geometry, Pro-Math, Stats on the Lake. BITL, Before It's Too Late, is currently managed from The University of Montana. To apply for a Title II: Improving Teacher Quality Grant, download the RFP from the Title II Website.
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How do Students gain Math Proficiency? Which courses are remedial?
In May 2005, the Board of Regents approved a statement describing how transfer students can demonstrate math proficiency. Policy 301.15 was revised to include this statement (see section D).
The courses described in item D. (1) of the Policy that bring students to the proficiency level are colored gold in the Mathematics Coursework on Two-Year Campuses and the 4-year Development Coursework grids. Remedial courses (pink) and Program Specific courses (white) do not transfer into the MUS System Core or an approved general education program. Courses that transfer are coded green.
The Montana Council for Teachers of Mathematics has launched a professional development center on Canyon Ferry Lake.
The Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry
Already, several math workshops have been held in this facility.
Watch for more at:
http://montanalearning.org/
