Along with household chores and eating vegetables, doing homework, especially math assignments, is among the things that most students would like to avoid doing.
However, educators in colleges and universities across the state are encouraging students, parents and high school officials to make mathematics a higher priority.
Far too many students, educators say, are not taking enough math courses in high school, and are therefore in a weaker academic position by the time they enter college.
“A growing concern Indiana’s campus administrators share is the recognition that many high school students are failing to take mathematics in their senior year,” said Stan Jones, Indiana’s commissioner for higher education.
Jones noted that the number of students going to college directly from high school has increased over the last decade, but that good news is offset by the fact that an unacceptable number of students are not actually completing their degree programs.
Jones cited his information from the higher education commission’s recent study, Reaching Higher: Strategic Initiatives for Higher Education in Indiana. According to the study, Indiana must produce 10,000 more college degrees a year for students to be competitive in the world economy.
Jones believes taking math courses during all four years of high school, especially during the senior year, can increase a student’s chance of completing degree requirements. The stakes are high for students who choose to “sit out” from math courses just because they are not required.
“Completing math courses in high school has a greater influence on whether students will graduate from college than any other factor,” said Jones. “Students who continue to use math their high school senior year are better equipped with the problem solving skills they need for college level work.”
Results of the latest ISTEP exams, which were released by the Department of Education on Dec. 4, seem to confirm that a broader math study is needed urgently among Indiana students.
According to the results, 31 percent of 10th-graders failed the math portion of the exam, and only seventh graders actually made improvements on their math score.
Even Gov. Mitch Daniels cited the importance of math courses in his proposal to consolidate different areas of local government in Indiana, which was unveiled last week. As part of the plan, the operations of school districts in a county with less than 1,000 students will be combined.
“In Indiana, small school corporations offer far fewer advanced placement courses, foreign languages and advanced math courses than corporations with more than 1,000 students,” Daniels said.
On Friday, Indiana college and university presidents added statements to a letter that Jones distributed to superintendents in all 290 of Indiana’s school districts.
In her remarks, Ball State University President Jo Ann Gora noted that the ability to master math courses is helpful in dealing with other analytical “problem-solving” courses on the college level related to philosophy, sociology, and other subjects.
“Substantive mathematics course work during the senior year is critical to ensuring a successful transition to the logical and analytical skills that will be needed in nearly every college class,” said Gora.
Indiana University President Michael McRobbie believes a strong grounding in mathematics is essential to the success of any college students, regardless of their major.
“It greatly increases the odds that they will be ready to handle the rigor of college level academics,” said McRobbie.
Purdue University President France Cordova has encouraged her students to remember that stability in math courses will help prepare them for fast growing career fields, especially in sciences and technology.
“A solid foundation in math courses also gives students an edge with college admissions officers,” Cordova said. “They know a student who completed a math course beyond the level of Algebra 2- trigonometry for example- has more than doubled his/her chance of graduating with a bachelors degree.”
