Collaborating to Improve Students’ Transitions From High School Mathematics to College: Characteristics and Outcomes of a Cross-Sector Professional Development Project

Abstract

In this article, the authors discuss the characteristics and outcomes of a secondarypostsecondary collaborative professional development project. This project was initiated to address the issue of students' difficulties transitioning from secondary mathematics to postsecondary courses. Key characteristics include a climate of mutual respect, the opportunity to share perspectives on instructional approaches and student work over an extended time, and commitment to identifying and trying "little changes" based on their context and beliefs.

Investigating Predictors of Academic Success in a Foundational Business Mathematics Course

“…In high school, students believe they are being prepared for college and trust when their teachers tell them they are collegeready. In college, however, professors often have a different connotation of readiness, and students may feel overwhelmed by the unanticipated differences in teaching and learning practices (Frost et al, 2009;Long et al, 2009). In my opinion, this indicates that colleges are not adequately prepared to meet the needs of incoming students.…”

“…A limitation of socio-cultural learning is that it focuses on the group before the individual, which challenges some of the current competitive, egocentric educational settings. Some educators believe that because each learning experience is likely to be different for each student, a more competitive environment would foster a deeper desire to learn (Frost et al, 2009;Levy & Petrulis, 2012;Long et al, 2009). Many college classrooms (as well as many K-12 classrooms) adapt a deficit-thinking, meritocracybased climate and encourage competition over cooperation; leading students to believe that those who work the hardest are most likely to succeed.…”

“…Their findings are described in the next section. Furthermore, because of the recognized importance of mathematical literacy and competency in the working world, coupled with the general lack of preparedness that young adults in the United States seem to have to apply mathematical concepts to everyday situations, the overall performance of college freshmen in mathematics courses has also been closely examined and described below (Corbishley & Truxaw, 2010;Frost et al, 2009;Long et al, 2009;Reisel et al, 2012;Zelkowski, 2011).…”

“…A key weakness in the literature is the general lack of proposed solutions to these problems. While some broad, systemic solutions are offered (Frost et al, 2009;Long et al, 2009;Thiel et al, 2008;Zelkowski, 2011), most emphasize K-12 teaching solutions; very few focus on proposed changes in higher education. Most quantitative research on success in college mathematics has focused on test scores and demographics (Marcus, Fukawa-Connelly, Conklin, & Fey, 2008;Smith & Schumacher, 2005;Truell & Woosley, 2008).…”

“…However, these vital skills are generally not explicitly taught in high schools (Frost et al, 2009).…”