Interviews with 10 of those interviewed, however, indicated that views could change. An admissions officer at a public research university said they “dissuade” readers of applications from believing that “good” students are taking calculus courses. “So yeah, we had to really emphasize that in our reader training,” the admissions officer said. Another respondent said, “In a vacuum, yes, calculus trumps all others, but if we’re not pursuing a STEM and especially engineering program, we’re looking at statistics or data science as a fourth grade math class. »
At the same time, other respondents said that test-optional admission made them place more emphasis on calculus. An admissions officer at a large public university said they previously relied on SAT scores to determine math readiness, but now place more emphasis on calculus, especially for engineering applicants .
Some admissions officers said they felt pressure from college professors to give preference to applicants with numeracy skills. Giving more weight to calculus is a “deeply ingrained practice,” said Burdman of Just Equations, and because admissions officers must cater to a wide range of audiences, they are wary of the change.
Changing hearts and minds within college admissions departments can take time. Burdman says that if selective institutions can show that students who don’t take calculus courses do well in college, then colleges will have “more confidence” in admitting students who choose alternatives, such as statistics.
Until then, students struggling with limits and derivatives may just have to wait for the proofs to add up.
Contact the editor Jill Barshay at 212-678-3595 or barshay@hechingerreport.org.
This story about high school calculus was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger reportan independent, nonprofit news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Register for Proof points and others Hechinger Newsletters.
