Quantitative Literacy Assessment – Prospectus

By Aimee J. Ellington

The mathematics department at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is conducting an assessment of the quantitative literacy skills of students majoring in fields that are not mathematically intensive. The goal is to determine the influence of VCU general education mathematics classes on the quantitative reasoning abilities of students taking the classes.

Participating Courses:

Three classes are the focus of the assessment: Math 131, Contemporary Mathematics; Math 141, College Algebra; and Math 151 Precalculus. Math 131 is an activity-based course where students are engaged in developing skills needed in real world situations. Math 141 is a college algebra course designed to strengthen fundamental skills before students take more advanced mathematics courses. Math 151 covers the traditional precalculus topics in small lecture-based class meetings.

Project Status:

A set of questions to assess the quantitative literacy skills of students in these courses has been designed. The multiple choice questions cover a wide range of topics including unit analysis, interpretation of graphs, proportional reasoning, counting principles, percents, and the use of mathematical formulas. A preliminary test of the questions was conducted with students taking Math 131 and Math 151 final exams in May 2002. Changes were made to the set and other questions were added based on the results. Four questions from the set have been included in different versions of the mathematics placement test that is being taken by each entering student before the fall semester. A similar series of four questions will be included on versions of final exams given at the end of each course. The types of questions will be equally distributed on the placement tests and final exams.

Method of Analysis:

The sample will consist of students taking both the placement test and one of the aforementioned courses. With the data gathered in the fall semester, statistical comparisons of the proportion of students getting each type of question correct on the placement test with the proportion of students who took the placement test getting each type of question correct on the final exam will be conducted.

Plans for Case Study:

The case study will contain (1) a summary of the questions used for assessment, (2) a description of the courses participating in the assessment, (3) an outline of the statistical methods used, and (4) the results of data analysis. The case study will focus on the results of the pretest/posttest analysis. The combined results, as well as the results of the three individual courses will be outlined. The latter will allow us to determine whether one VCU general education mathematics course better prepares students in quantitative reasoning when compared to the other courses.

This study will help us determine whether VCU general education mathematics courses are enhancing the quantitative reasoning skills of students taking the courses. The results will lead to improvements in the general education mathematics curriculum at VCU. Quantitative literacy is an important topic at all levels of the educational hierarchy. This method of assessment and the subsequent results will be useful for other members of the mathematics community as they reflect on the topic of quantitative reasoning and their particular situation in which this topic needs to be addressed.