American children who are behind in
math tend to stay behind in math throughout their academic career. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Remedial math needed in college
It is a shocking fact that in America
today, while more and more high school graduates move on to college, many of
them discover that they cannot immediately start taking college level
classes. They find out they need
remedial work in English, math, or both, to prepare for the credit bearing courses
they will need for their degree. Depending
on the state, anywhere from 10% to 49% of all first time college students are immediately
placed in remedial courses. In 2014 the
California University System recommended remediation for 40% of their incoming
students.
Remedial classes cost money
In New York City, the cost of this
“remediation tax” was recently estimated to be $63 million. And
while a public school education is paid for by taxpayers, no such universal entitlement
exists for college. Prerequisite
remedial classes cost money, and can even add additional living expenses. Students in private colleges are spending an
average of $12,000 to complete remedial work.
And, even besides the financial factor, the failure to come to college
fully prepared has lasting effects.
Students are failing to graduate on time
Consider these statistics:
· The average college graduation rate in
the U.S. is slightly under 55%.
· At Michigan State University, only
48% of students graduate within 6 years!
· At the University of Arizona, only
34% of students graduate within 6 years!
· When they need remediation, students
are 75% less likely to finish their degree at all.
Finally, lack of a degree has a profound impact on a person’s lifetime earnings, not to mention the ability to simply repay
student loan debt.
When it starts
Issues of college readiness can begin
long before high school graduation. When
a child struggles in the early years, they rarely catch up. According to the national testing group ACT, “students
who have fallen far behind academically in 4th and 8th grade have less than a 1
in 3 chance of being ready for college or a career by the end of high school”. These statistics may seem bleak but they are
even more serious given the fact that the student population measured is not
the general population. The American College
Testing organization was only counting the students who have actually taken their
test. So, they are only measuring
college bound students who should be stronger than average academically to
begin with.
Obviously strong groundwork in grade
school and middle school is needed for kids to do well in high school. Children need to know their letters before
they can read. Kids need to be
proficient in the basics such as multiplication before they can conquer
algebra. Early math fluency is in
particular is crucial – it has been shown to more strongly predict later
academic success than even reading skills.
What can parents do to keep their kids from falling behind?
Regardless of where they go to
school, or what teachers they have, parents are crucial to a child’s success. And math competence in particular is essential
to long term academic success. Without a
foundation in basic skills, kids can’t learn higher level abstract math. Kids don’t only develop math skills in the
classroom. Parents can go a long way
with kids in math. For example, they can:
Involve kids in math adults come
across every day:
· Measuring ingredients for cooking
· Counting change
· Estimating the time needed to
complete a household chore
· Telling time
· Dividing a cake or pizza into
fractions
· Comparing prices in the supermarket
Read books that make math fun, such
as:
· A Very Improbable Story
· Circumference & The Round Table
· How Much is a Million?
Play games that are fun but also
teach skills:
Games can help kids understand a
variety of math concepts, such as positive and negative numbers and counting in
groups of tens. Here are some games that make math fun for
kids:
Guess Who – concept of process of
elimination
Chutes & Ladders – group of 10
number system
Qwirkle – strategy & pattern
recognition
Escape Medusa’s Rage – concept of
positive & negative numbers
