News & Events

January 10, 2008

Math Teachers Come Together at Cascadia to Solve Tough Problem

Bothell, WA - Math teachers from the Northshore School District are teaming up with faculty at Cascadia Community College to tackle the tough problem of ensuring a smooth transition from high school to college. Unfortunately, about 50 percent of high school students are not ready to take college-level math courses after graduation. Now, educators are asking a question: How can they ensure that students have the proper math skills to achieve their post-graduation goals?

Last night (1/9/08) at CCC, educators from Northshore high schools and junior high schools attended the Northshore Math Symposium, organized by Cascadia math instructor David Whittaker. The event is a first step in working more collaboratively with educators in Cascadia’s service area, to approach this challenge. The symposium provided a rare chance for K-12 teachers and college faculty to discuss their common goal of improved student learning.

“It is giving us the opportunity to start the discussion,” said Cascadia math instructor Sharon Saxton. “This is the first time that we’ve had discussions with teachers from junior highs and the high schools. It’s a great way to start a dialogue so we can focus on students, and make their transitions from high school into college much easier.”

Teachers agree that schools at all levels need to pay attention to how state requirements for high school students match-up with colleges.

“A lot of the big challenges are just making sure our curriculum is aligned with the standards; making sure that they’re thorough across each grade level,” noted Skyview Junior High math teacher Bill Shields.

The symposium looked at many other issues involved in improving student success in math, including the importance of encouraging students to take higher level math courses than they might otherwise pursue.

The symposium was funded through a grant by the Transition Math Project (TMP), which receives support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The TMP is a statewide initiative to improve math success among students at the K-12 level, in order to ensure their success at Washington’s public community and technical colleges and universities.

For more information on the TMP, visit: http://transitionmathproject.org/

About Cascadia Community College: Cascadia Community College is a fully-accredited, public community college, located in Bothell, WA. Cascadia is committed to innovative instruction in small classes that emphasize active and collaborative learning by students. More than 2,500 students are enrolled each quarter.

Check us out at: www.Cascadia.edu
Ranked #2 in the USA!

For more information contact:

Eric Ballas, Communications Coordinator
425.352.8256
eballas@cascadia.edu

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