Nation's High School, College Teachers In Agreement On Most Important Math and Science Skills

November 18, 2003

IOWA CITY, Iowa—High school and college teachers largely agree on which math and science skills are most important for students to learn and know, according to the results of ACT's National Curriculum Survey. The results show strong alignment between what high school teachers think students should know and what college faculty expect of incoming students in the areas of math and science.

"The fact that the nation's high school math and science curricula are aligned with college expectations is encouraging," said Cynthia Schmeiser, ACT's senior vice president of research and development. "Our research has shown that when high schools teach critical college-ready skills, students are more likely to be prepared for college-level work and, as a result, they are more likely to stay in college and graduate."

In the area of science, the findings of the Curriculum Survey suggest high school and college science instructors are in large agreement that process skills are more important for students to possess than content knowledge. In other words, knowing how to process information is more important than memorizing specific pieces of information.

"As a college professor, I expect entering students to have critical thinking skills and be well read with college-level vocabularies and writing skills, not necessarily well versed with specific content knowledge," said Dr. Barbara Christie-Pope, associate professor of biology and environmental studies at Cornell College.

The science process skills that rank highest in importance among middle school and high school teachers and that college instructors indicated are most important as prerequisites to their classes include:

• Understanding the basic features of (or data points in) tables or graphs
• Understanding basic scientific concepts or assumptions underlying given information
• Translating data or information into a graph or diagram
• Understanding the components of an experimental design or procedure
• Determining whether data/information supports or is consistent with a stated hypothesis or conclusion

In the area of mathematics, the skills that are ranked highest by both secondary math teachers and instructors of first-year college math courses include the following:

• Planning and carrying out a strategy for solving multi-step problems
• Solving problems posed in real-world settings and interpreting the solution
• Reading and interpreting graphs, charts, and other data representations
• Quickly recalling basic facts, definitions, formulas, and algebraic procedures and using them to correctly solve a problem
• Applying mathematical ideas to new concepts

ACT recommends that high school students take at least three years each of mathematics (Algebra I and higher) and natural sciences—along with four years of English and three years of social studies—to prepare themselves for college. Students wishing to pursue college majors and careers that involve extensive math or science skills are advised to go beyond this core curriculum by taking four years each of math and science coursework in high school.

"Our challenge is to make sure that students, parents, teachers, and counselors understand how important it is to take this rigorous coursework to prepare for college," said Schmeiser. "When high school students take the right courses, study hard, and learn the material, they will be prepared to succeed in college-level coursework. Unfortunately, our data suggest far too few students are doing this now."

Nearly four out of 10 graduates in the class of 2003 who took the ACT did not take the basic core college preparatory coursework in high school. In addition, ACT score results suggested an alarming number of those college-bound students were not well prepared for college coursework. Only a fourth earned a score of 24 or higher on the ACT Science Test, while just four in 10 earned a score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math Test. ACT research has shown that students who attain these college readiness benchmarks are more likely than others to be ready for college biology and algebra courses, respectively.

ACT conducts its National Curriculum Survey every three to four years to determine what specific knowledge and skills are being taught in America's high schools and expected of incoming college freshmen. The findings are used to evaluate and refine ACT's curriculum-based tests, including EXPLORE for 8th and 9th graders, PLAN for 10th graders, and the ACT Assessment college entrance and placement exam.

The samples for the surveys included 324 college math instructors, 850 secondary math teachers/department chairs, 737 college science instructors, and 1,169 secondary science teachers/department chairs from across the nation. College math and science instructors rated each math/science skill according to its importance as a prerequisite for students' success in their classes. Secondary teachers indicated whether each skill was or was not taught in a particular course they teach and the importance placed on each skill in that course.

The survey respondents included individuals from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Surveys were mailed to 11,792 potential respondents, yielding an overall response rate of 26 percent.

The results of ACT's National Curriculum Survey in English and reading were released earlier this year. In general, the results suggested that college and high school teachers also largely agree, with a few exceptions, on the writing and reading skills that are most important for college-bound students to learn and know.

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