A new approach to preparing students for college math success is moving away from the assumption that college algebra is the gateway college math course.
Debra Stuart said in a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, “Research shows us that the kind of math that’s needed out there in the real world and to be successful in most degree programs is not college algebra. Statistics is even used more than algebra right now out in the real world,”
Mathematics is valuable for everyone, but it needs to be relevant to the person’s field of study, she said.
According to Stuart, Oklahoma and the states of Washington, Missouri, Michigan and Arkansas are participating in a Mathematics Pathways to Completion project. There are two goals, increasing and accelerating student success, and teaching math that has value in student lives.
Stuart said Oklahoma and four other states — Washington, Missouri, Michigan and Arkansas — have been chosen to participate in a Mathematics Pathways to Completion project that has two goals.
“Part of what makes math difficult for most students is that they don’t see the value of it,” Stuart said. “It’s easier to learn if they see the value.”