The Charge to the Task Force (from Dr. Edward Yaw, NJPC Chair, January 2007)
I. Background
While New Jersey’s higher education system serves many students well, significant issues have persisted since the establishment of community colleges in the 1960s in regard to student transfer from community college associate degree programs into baccalaureate programs in the state’s colleges and universities. Chief among these issues has been General Education, i.e., “What do our students need to know to be educated citizens?”
The longstanding debates within the mathematics community as to what students need to know at all levels of the education system—K-16—is complicated by changing standards in high school graduation requirements and the impact of these changes on colleges and universities. The New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee is currently leading a “statewide conversation on high school reform,” whose focus on “required skills for students entering the workforce or going on to further education” has again brought high school mathematics standards under public scrutiny. This process is likely to lead to upgraded statewide high school graduation requirements that may require all graduates to demonstrate proficiency at the intermediate algebra level.
2. large numbers of adult students who completed high school years ago, many of whom did not attend high school in New Jersey;
3. large numbers of other students for whom there has been a length of time since the last math course;
4. large numbers of students pursuing non-mathematics-intensive majors; and
5. relative ease of mathematics course credit transfers into baccalaureate programs in reputable out-of-state institutions.
II. Review of the Mathematics Component of the Statewide Transfer Agreement
2. The Task Force recognizes a need for further review of the professional standards for algebra from appropriate professional organizations.
3. The Task Force recognizes the need for colleges to continue to deliver for college credit in non-mathematics-intensive programs General Education mathematics courses that have a prerequisite of elementary algebra and are consistent with the guidelines and standards of major professional organizations.
III. Recommendations
2. The Task Force recommends that the NJPC establish a working group among mathematics faculty members in all sectors to continue a purposeful dialogue on best practices in mathematics education, with a particular focus on ensuring a seamless transfer process for students.
2. Transfer of Courses in Intermediate Algebra The policies that apply to “native” students at the baccalaureate institution shall determine whether the New Statewide Transfer Agreement requires a baccalaureate institution to grant, or permits it not to grant General Education transfer credit for courses in intermediate algebra:
b. If a baccalaureate institution does not grant credit for intermediate algebra courses to its “native” students, then it is not required to accept intermediate algebra course credits toward fulfillment of bachelor’s degree requirements. In the event that a transfer student does not have 60/64 credits exclusive of intermediate algebra, then Item A.4 of the New Statewide Transfer Agreement shall be deemed applicable, and the baccalaureate institution may require the student to take an additional course.
3. Transfer of Mathematics Courses Prerequisite to a Baccalaureate Major’s Requirements For students transferring into a mathematics-intensive bachelor’s degree major (i.e., one in which the baccalaureate institution does not grant “native” students graduation credit for credit-bearing mathematics courses that are prerequisites to the program’s first required mathematics course), Item A.4 of the New Statewide Transfer Agreement shall be deemed applicable.
4. Importance of Student Advisement Each participating institution must ensure that its students are fully advised of the impact of their mathematics course selections in their planning for a major and for transferring credits.