No matter what path they choose after the high school, students who have taken more demanding math courses are better prepared for work or college.
A new study by ACT compares the skills needed for success in freshman courses in college and compared them to skills needed for training programs in occupations that offer a salary sufficient to support a family of four. The jobs and the freshman courses require a comparable level of math skills in algebra, geometry, data analysis and statistics.
Research is clear – but it may be surprising to adults who did not take higher level math courses when they were in school – that taking challenging mathematics in high school is the gatekeeper that can either open or shut the door of opportunity.
Landmark federal studies have found that the highest level of math taken in high school has the most powerful relationship to earning a bachelor’s degree, regardless of student ethnicity, family income or parents’ education levels. Students who complete Algebra II in high school MORE THAN DOUBLE THEIR CHANCES of earning a four-year college degree. Those who do not take challenging math courses are much more likely to end up in remedial courses and are more likely to drop out.
Two-year colleges also require rigorous math. Although most community colleges allow students with a high school diploma to attend, they cannot get into credit-bearing courses unless they meet a certain level on placement tests in reading, writing and mathematics. Math placement tests usually include both geometry and advanced algebra. And most certificate and degree programs at two-year colleges require at least one credit-bearing math course.
Well-paying jobs that pay a living wage and allow for career advancement also require strong math, problem solving and reasoning skills. Due to advancements in technology, manufacturing companies need employees with strong math skills to operate the machinery on the factory floor.
Eastman Chemical in Texas evaluates apprentices on their ability to perform tasks that require solving multiple-step math problems and presenting solutions in the appropriate unit of measure and dimension. Construction workers also need higher math skills, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Electricians, pipe fitters, sheet metal workers, draftsmen and surveyors all need algebra, geometry, trigonometry and physics to
be successful.
In a national poll of recent high school graduates, more than two-thirds who took Algebra II in high school reported that they were well prepared for the demands they faced in college and the workplace. In contrast, of the graduates who took less than Algebra II, only four of 10 say they were well prepared. Statistics were similar whether graduates went to college or directly to the workplace.
When it comes to math, one-third of college students and half of those who went straight to the workplace would take more rigorous high school courses if they could go back and do high school over again.