"Great Expectations" Mathematics Grant

Recommendations for a Successful First Year of Post-Secondary Mathematics

I. Introduction

Grant specifications

In 1996 the South Carolina General Assembly passed Act 359, which established goals for higher education in the state. A critical component of this process was to establish the ability of the South Carolina educational community to prepare its students for success in subsequent levels of academic study. For this purpose, the Commission on Higher Education established the "Great Expectations" Project in five areas, one of which was mathematics. In the context of mathematics, the primary activities sponsored by this project are 1) the definition of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students should possess in order to be ready for college in the area of mathematics and 2) the dissemination of this information to the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, parents, and especially to high school teachers in South Carolina.

The information in this report was formed through the diligent work of a committee composed of members from all parts of secondary and post-secondary mathematics education along with representatives from the business community. The report itself provides the major conduit for the information to reach the teachers and parents of prospective post-secondary students and provides the recommendations to the various state agencies. The primary focus of this report is to delineate the results of the comprehensive study of the knowledge, skills, and abilities high school students need to succeed as freshmen in post-secondary institutions; this includes a definition of "minimum academic expectations for prospective post-secondary students". In addition, this report provides suggestions for the inclusion of the recommendations of the report into professional development activities for pre-service and in-service training in mathematics.

The final outcome of the grant will be to make copies of this report available to students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, instructors of mathematics, the State Board of Education, the State Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education. In order to be more helpful, the report has retained its focus on implementation rather than philosophy. Since this emphasis on functionality prevails, it is the belief of the committee that the details of the recommendations will be given the utmost consideration and first priority for implementation within the various constituencies of the educational community. The success of our South Carolina students depends on the utmost attention to their needs.

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