Prepare all entering college students for credit mathematics or English instead having many first-year students need remedial courses? What a concept!
This is the heart of a current proposal from the National Governors' Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Consideration of this proposal is generating attention and support from many different associations and educators. The most recent draft of the document can be found here. This is not a federal initiative. It has state-level support and organization.
It is, however, in part associated with the planned availability of some $4.5 billion federal stimulus money that will be open for state proposals in the fall of 2010. This stimulus money is a broad-based infusion to improve state education achievements. In order to receive any of the available funds (There is not enough for all states.), the successful applicant states have to agree to a number of conditions. For example, some of the conditions are that any state receiving federal monetary support will have to have:
- higher and better standards and assessment
- good teachers and leaders
- a data system that tracks teacher efficiency
- a plan that turns around the lowest five percent of schools.
This is part of the U.S. Department of Education "Race to the Top" initiative. Click here for more information. There is a short timeline for preparing the state proposals. Since some states require legislative approval for curriculum, it has been stated that the NGA and the CCSSO expect to complete the national K-12 mathematics and English standards by February 2010.
For the proposed mathematics initiative, there were two recent invitational meetings to discuss K-12 mathematics education in the US. It is fascinating that many people from different domains are speaking with one voice on the need to improve student mathematics learning.
The American Council on Education (ACE) convened a panel of mathematicians on Sunday, October 4 in Reston, VA to discuss the college mathematics readiness document of the NGA and the CCSSO. ACE plans to publish a policy statement on the proposal and wished to get input from mathematicians. Twenty college mathematicians from a broad-spectrum of institutional types across the US were present for a day of wide-ranging and intense discussions. There were three two-year college persons at the table: Darlene Winnington (Teacher Preparation Committee Chair of the American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges -AMATYC) and Dr. Susan Wood and Dr. Virginia Carson, both NACCTEP Past Presidents. In the main, there was agreement on areas of support for the NGA proposals. [Note: ACE also convened separately a national panel to discuss the NGA/CCSSO proposals for English learning.]
The Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) convened its second annual Forum, October 4-6, also in Reston, VA. There were approximately 175 people representing very diverse interests, institutions, and associations. This Forum also addressed the NGA/CCSSO college mathematics readiness work. Again, in the main there was support for the development. There are perhaps some differing voices on how to accomplish the outcomes. The CBMS will publish a policy document as a result of the Forum.
There was certainly attention at both gatherings to the differences in high school preparation for students who plan to major in mathematics-intensive programs in college. While the meetings gave some attention to the needs of this group, the conversations focused on college mathematics readiness for students who are not in mathematics-intensive fields. [Note: There was careful use of the phraseology "mathematics intensive," since "STEM" does not encompass disciplines such as economics and others that also require significant mathematics.]
These are truly interesting times! |
