Kansas universities may scrap algebra requirement because too many students fail it

COLLEGE FIX STAFF


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Kansas universities may scrap their algebra graduation requirement because too many students fail the course, NPR Kansas reported.

“About one in three Kansas students fails college algebra the first time around. Some take it several times before they pass. Others get so frustrated that they drop out altogether. And that cuts into university graduation rates,” the news outlet reported Dec. 12.

With that, the Kansas Board of Regents is considering alternative requirements such as statistics and quantitative reasoning under what’s called a Math Pathways program, it added.

“We’re sending the majority of students down the college algebra road, which is really not necessary,” said Daniel Archer, vice president of academic affairs for the Kansas Board of Regents. “It’s not practical. It’s not really needed. And it’s not relevant for their fields.”

The pathways program aims to accelerate “students’ path through developmental math and enables them to take different paths through the math curriculum depending on their course of study,” the Daily Caller reported.

According to NPR Kansas, Regent Wint Winter said investigating the new pathway program is critical because enrollment continues to decline.

“It’s incumbent on us to be aware of all the roadblocks that are out there for students … reasons why they’re leaving, reasons why they’re not graduating,” Winter said. “So I would urge us all to … find ways to find the bandwidth to keep this moving along.”

They fail algebra because your instructors suck. You still need algebra in statistics, morons.

I don't understand what's so hard about algebra to be honest. I had no issues with any math course I took in high school until I got to calculus and that was the first that was actually challenging for me. Still passed it though. But I can't imagine that first year college algebra would be more difficult than that.

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Originally Posted by Teh One Who Knocks

I don't understand what's so hard about algebra to be honest. I had no issues with any math course I took in high school until I got to calculus and that was the first that was actually challenging for me. Still passed it though. But I can't imagine that first year college algebra would be more difficult than that.

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They only thing I could think of that would make it harder than high school is that college algebra is covered in a semester rather than the entire year that high school has to go over it, so you're seeing everything compressed in a smaller amount of time in college. But really, that shouldn't be an issue either, because you've likely seen it already by the time you get to it in college.

Calculus is easy, provided that you don't question a few foundational things. I've found that a lot of people that had a hard time with Calculus made the mistake of trying too hard to understand some things that you should just let come naturally. I had no idea what the hell my instructor was talking about the first time I saw limits, but I just shrugged and went along with it, mimicking everything I saw until it just kind of clicked. It wasn't until I got to Real Analysis that everything I took on faith became logically sound and crystal clear to me.

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Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX

They only thing I could think of that would make it harder than high school is that college algebra is covered in a semester rather than the entire year that high school has to go over it, so you're seeing everything compressed in a smaller amount of time in college. But really, that shouldn't be an issue either, because you've likely seen it already by the time you get to it in college.

Calculus is easy, provided that you don't question a few foundational things. I've found that a lot of people that had a hard time with Calculus made the mistake of trying too hard to understand some things that you should just let come naturally. I had no idea what the hell my instructor was talking about the first time I saw limits, but I just shrugged and went along with it, mimicking everything I saw until it just kind of clicked. It wasn't until I got to Real Analysis that everything I took on faith became logically sound and crystal clear to me.

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Our final in Calculus was only 5 questions long and we had an hour and 45 minutes to complete it and I didn't finish because I ran out of time :lol:

I've forgotten it all.

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Originally Posted by lost in melb.

I've forgotten it all.

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Do you need it?

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Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX

Do you need it?

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No, good point. I think my algebra is ok but I haven't used calculus in 30 years :dunno:

:facepalm: