BENTONVILLE — The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Friday approved an amended freshman assessment and placement policy that allows public higher education institutions to replace college algebra as a graduation requirement for most students.
The state Department of Higher Education recommended the move, which calls for the course to continue to be required for students in majors related to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Students outside of those majors may enroll in a “comparable college-level mathematics course” that wouldcount toward their degree, according to the new language in the policy adopted by the board.
“This is something that has been discussed nationally,” said Cynthia Moten, the department’s associate director for academic programs.
Moten said the department discussed the change with chief academic officersat the state’s public colleges and universities.
“There is general acceptance of it,” she said.
Charles Watson, an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, said five universities offered a potential alternative to college algebra this spring.
Universities offering thecourse were UCA, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and the University of Arkansas campuses in Little Rock and Pine Bluff, Watson said.
Called “Quantitative Literacy,” the course’s curriculum was determined by the colleges as part of a Completion Innovation Challenge grantawarded to Arkansas through Complete College America, an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he said.
The Mathematical Association of America has “made some very clear statements” that terms and problems found in college algebra courses are “not a part of people’s ev-eryday vocabulary,” Watson said.
For students who aren’t in majors related to science, technology, engineering and math, it’s important that they take a college math course that deals with areas such as finance and interpreting statistics that they might read about in a newspaper, he said.
The response was positive in his Quantitative Literacy class this spring, Watson said.
“I think we have somethinghere,” he said. “I think we’re ready to go. This is exciting for us.”
Board member David Leech of Stuttgart, who was attending his last meeting as a board member, enthusiastically made a motion to adopt the new policy.
“I’ve been waiting to make this motion for 16 years,” Leech said.
After the meeting, Leech said the change is an important step toward eliminating a “roadblock” to graduation for some students.
“We want to have more [college] graduates in the state of Arkansas,” he said,adding that he received two “C” grades in college, and one of them was in college algebra.
“College algebra is in the way of so many kids. They can’t [pass] it and they drop out of school. I’m not saying, ‘Dumb-down the curriculum.’ I’m just saying, ‘Let’s get stuff you can use for life.’”
Sarah Argue, a board member from Little Rock, said the idea to present an alternative to college algebra is “brilliant.”
“I think this is the direction we need to be moving,” she said.
The board also adoptednew language in the assessment and placement policy that would allow simultaneous enrollment in collegelevel credit and remedial courses.
Arkansas students are required to take noncredit remedial courses if they score below a 19 in a given area of the ACT college admissions test - which indicates they are unprepared for college level work in those subjects - and that will not change with the new policy, Moten said.
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Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 04/28/2012