DEVELOPMENTAL MATHEMATICS AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL
Murray Cox, M.A. Mathematics Education
Assistant Professor of Mathematics,
Southwest Adventist University
Keene, Texas 76059
College level developmental mathematics is part of the developmental education program, an all-encompassing approach to providing students with an improved ability to learn. The concept of developmental education involves putting into action strategies which help the under-prepared student academically. These strategies include the teaching of study skills, the provision of tutoring sessions, and the putting into place of prerequisite courses (Illich, Hagan, & McCallister, 2004).
The U.S. Department of Education (1996) defined developmental education as courses for college students who lack the skills needed to perform the required work of the attended institution. The classification of remedial depends upon who is using the term. Each college maintains its own standards, and, therefore, developmental education is defined by individual institutions (Kozeracki & Brooks, 2006). In other words, a remedial student is deemed as such only by the institutional standards of the college the student attends. A student is designated remedial by the particular test that he/she takes, and there is no consensus on a single metric. Finding the appropriate policies for the optimal placement of students continues to elude those who have tried (Rodgers & Wilding, 1998).
Mathematics courses such as introduction to algebra and intermediate algebra are typically part of the developmental mathematics program. Remedial courses, a subset of developmental education, are non-credit bearing courses and made up of content considered to be pre-college. Students who enroll in remedial courses are by definition remedial students (Boylan & Bonham, 2007). The purpose of these mathematics classes is to facilitate students’ transition into actual college-level courses. Prerequisite courses are put into place in order to improve students’ chances at overall collegiate success (Kozeracki & Brooks, 2006).
Standardized achievement tests are not typically sufficient for diagnostics as they do not indicate the source of poor achievement, and, unfortunately, little is truly known about the sources of mathematical disabilities (Geary, 1999). Students with disorders in mathematics by definition have a learning disability. Discrimination against individuals with disabilities is prohibited by two federal laws: the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both of these laws require the applicant to provide documentation of the disability (Arizona Center for Disability Law, 2001). Though special education services are typically provided on the basis of reading disability, difficulties in mathematics are just as pervasive as those found in reading. Students experience differing types and intensities of math dilemmas (Garnett, 1998).
Beyond using the words to label students is the question of their definition. In practice, the terms “remedial” and “developmental” are used synonymously. In actuality, there are a number of terms that refer to the same category of student. Young (2002) stated that students considered remedial are also given the term “under-prepared.” These students may be part of an educational program also termed developmental, remedial, or even preparatory, terms often used synonymously (Kozeracki & Brooks, 2006). Another term that is sometimes heard in similar discussions is that of the “at-risk” student. Though these students are often found in the same classes as remedial students, their classification is a bit different. Students referred to as at-risk are students guaranteed to fail if no intervention takes place (Young). Therefore, while neither remedial students nor at-risk students are performing at the college-level, remedial students may go on to find success while at-risk students will not succeed unless proper guidance is interjected on their behalf.
References
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