In March 2016, a group of high school teachers, mathematicians, mathematics and science education researchers, state and district supervisors of mathematics, and representatives of organizations with a stake in these issues including the College Board and the National Academy of Sciences, met for three days in Washington, DC to clarify what we know and what we need to know about the role of calculus in the transition from high school to college mathematics. These are a few of the graphics shared at this meeting. The report from this meeting will appear in 2017 as a joint publication of MAA and NCTM. AP® Calculus Exams 450,000 NSF #1550484 First College Math for those who took Calculus in High School* (thousands) 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 800 200,000 150,000 700 100,000 50,000 600 0 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 16 14 12 10 08 06 04 02 00 98 96 94 92 90 88 86 84 82 80 by students before grade 12 20 20 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 all exams 500 by students before grade 11 400 In 2015–16, at least 800,000 U.S. high school students were enrolled in a calculus class. More than 130,000 students took the AP® Calculus exam by the end of grade 11, more than 13,000 by the end of grade 10. 300 200 100 Calc II or higher Calc I, earn A or B Calc I, earn C or lower Business Calc, Stat, or no math Precalc, College Algebra, or lower 0 * Best estimates based on a variety of sources The many routes to College Calculus. Nearly 30% of students taking Calculus I in college also take precalculus in college, even though they did well in precalculus or even calculus in high school. Sadler, P. & Sonnert, G. (In Press.) The Path to College Calculus: The Impact of High School Coursework. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. Traditional Precalculus in college is of little benefit to most students, and actually harms stronger students. Graph shows regression discontinuity gaps in college calculus grade through the range of cut-offs of mathematics preparation for simulated compulsory college precalculus placement. Calculus in High School Improves Performance in College Calculus. Results of a regression model (including college instructor, demographics, and the two variables of interest, along with significant quadratic terms and interactions) are shown, with separate curves for those students taking or not taking high school calculus. Students with a strong preparation for calculus composite were more likely to enroll in high school calculus than those with weaker scores. Sadler, P. & Sonnert, G. (In Press). The Path to College Calculus: The Impact of High School Coursework. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Sonnert, G., & Sadler, P. M. (2014). The impact of taking a college precalculus course on students’ college calculus performance. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(8), 1188-1207. Support for this work is funded by the National Science Foundation under grants No. 0910240 & 1420389. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
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