ERIC Number: EJ1043400
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Sep-30
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
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ISSN: ISSN-1938-5978
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Available Date: N/A
Math Task Force's Bad Calculation
Winders, Mike; Bisk, Richard
New England Journal of Higher Education, Sep 2014
The number of incoming college students who require development mathematics coursework is a national problem. This is an enormous area of concern for a number of reasons--such as the monetary cost to students who must take courses for which they are not granted credit, and colleges and universities who must pay instructors to teach such courses. In this article, the authors examine a policy change recently implemented by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (MBHE) that seeks to address this issue by drastically changing how students are placed into their first college-level math class. A decision to change this process was made in October 2013 when the MBHE decided to implement four "primary and comprehensive recommendations" made by the Task Force on Transforming Developmental Math Education. The task force recommended a data-driven redesign of the program, including careful statistical analysis of the effectiveness of the changes with efforts to increase students' awareness of the placement process, as well as to improve their mathematical preparation.
Descriptors: College Students, Developmental Programs, Remedial Mathematics, Mathematics Instruction, Statistical Analysis, Educational Change, Mathematics Skills, College Preparation, Student Placement, College Mathematics, High School Graduates, Grade Point Average, Educational Policy, Placement, Testing, Success, Predictor Variables, Cutting Scores
New England Board of Higher Education. 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111. Tel: 617-357-9620; Fax: 617-338-1577; e-mail: info@nebhe.org; Web site: http://www.nebhe.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
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