Parent's Corner

We have put together some helpful resources for parents. If you have any other suggestions, please contact projecttime@greenriver.edu

Requirements for High School

College Placement

At colleges and universities across the country, students must take a placement test to determine in which level math course they may enroll. At GRCC and many other community colleges in Washington State, this placement test is called the COMPASS Test. GRCC students have additional options. They may also take an Entrance Exam given by the Math Division as a second chance to be properly placed.

Unfortunately, many students do not score well enough on either exam to enter college-level mathematics.  If the students are recent high school graduates, they may use their high school transcripts with a Translation Table.  Learn more at: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/DIV-Math/Advising/default.htm

An Alternative Senior Math Course

In an effort to encourage seniors in high school to take mathematics, Project TIME, in a collaborative venture between GRCC and the Kent, Auburn, Renton and Sumner school districts, is developing an alternative senior math class.

Usually, students have few options for a math course in their senior year - typically pre-calculus or calculus. If they have met the high school graduation requirement, rather than taking a math course in which they have little interest, many choose not to take any math at all. But math skills atrophy quickly after taking a year or two off.

With the senior math class, students can retain their algebra skills and acquire other mathematical knowledge without being in the pre-calculus environment.

Secondly, the senior math class is designed to excite students about math who aren’t always reached by the traditional course sequence. Many have grown accustomed to seeing math in an isolated textbook setting, surrounded by the sense that what they are learning will never be used again. But in the alternative senior math class, the emphasis is on real world settings for problem solving. The content is varied because students who are enjoying math are more likely to succeed in math. And with a comprehensive review of background material built into the course, students should be able to retain their skills and perform well on placement exams as a result.

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