An old syllabus for VCU MATH 131 lists a textbook Excursions in Modern Mathematics by Tannenbaum. A preview at Amazon includes the preface and contents: https://www.amazon.com/Excursions-Modern-Mathematics-Peter-Tannenbaum/dp/0134468376 . The preface does say that “As a general rule, the excursions in this text do not presume a background beyond standard high school mathematics – by and large, intermediate algebra and a little Euclidean geometry are appropriate and sufficient prerequisites.”
I wouldn’t compare mental disabilities with physical. Brain can find ways to go around the disability in the ways body doesn’t (or occasionally does, I think we all read stories about people without arms who learn to do things with their toes, etc.) Kids with dyslexia are taught to read, we’re not excusing them out of school - because reading is absolutely essential for functioning in a modern society. A friend’s daughter who has dyslexia explained recently to me what it’s like for her - basically, where we automatically read any words we see without even trying, she doesn’t and has to make a special effort. However, she’s in a great college and doing very well. While people don’t normally think algebra is necessary for everybody, I believe there are ways of teaching math to accommodate kids with dyscalculia, and it may be very useful to try and find a knowledgeable tutor.
I think we can all agree that a person can find a career that doesn’t involve advanced math. But, we need to get this girl into college first. I’m afraid that she is going to have a difficult time passing the CLEP exam if she struggles with algebra II (and the other courses that were also difficult). And, if she can pass the test, does she still need Algebra II on her transcript? I looked up the admissions requirements for the lowest-ranked public university in our state and you are still required to have Algebra II on your transcript and at least a 15 on the math part of the ACT to be admitted, and then you’re admitted conditionally.
BTW - my sympathies. My own D20 - who was quite adept at math in her younger years - really struggled with Algebra II and precalculus. She’s in AP stats and doing well. We’re hoping she’ll pass that test so that she doesn’t have to take math in college.
^^ True. My point was that the worst school in our state still required Algebra II. It’s tough to get around the requirement, which is what the OP is looking to do.
@tutumom2001 - you got my point exactly. While a previous poster noted that VCU does not “technically” require Algebra II for admission…if they are comparing applications of students from the same school/area which I’m told they do and they only take a certain % from same school/area…and we are in NOVA where D20 is surrounded by high achievers/AP/Honors math kids…well, you see where I’m going.
@MYOS1634 - her ACT diagnostic score was 22 composite, the math ACT score was 17. But that was with little to no prep. Her SAT diagnostic composite score was 1080, the math SAT was 470. She is having some one-on-one prep for the SAT with the goal of reaching 500 on her math SAT.
We are thinking that the ACT might be better suited to her and she agreed that she understood the ACT math better than the SAT math. Not sure what an ACT math score of 17 equates to in SAT math. But an ACT composite score of 22 compares to an 1100 on SAT which is why I think ACT suits her better.
Right now the plan is to have her take both the SAT and ACT, then see how she scores…and retake whichever one she is stronger in.
@scoutmom2002 Makes sense. In that case she might look at direct transfer agreements and complete her math requirements in CC, if she cannot get in to her desired program directly. Good luck!
@MmeZeeZee - yes, that’s not off the table. But for D20 that’s a last resort…to be used if she does not get into college of choice. Luckily we are blessed to be in VA with many good B public universities as well. I’m just covering the bases to see what we can do to give her the best shot at getting into the schools she’s interested in…and that we can afford…seeing as how we also have a S20 to put through school.
Top of her list right now is UMW. She liked the small campus and their unique gen ed requirements.
Virginia State (but 3 years math required "that must include the full Algebra I curriculum and two additional courses at or above the level of Algebra I. It is strongly recommended that students complete Geometry, Algebra II, and a fourth higher level math course" according to http://www.vsu.edu/admissions/apply/freshman-apply/freshman-requirements.php )
However, some of the above may be too competitive in admission, even if they technically do not require algebra 2. In addition, it is best to check the graduation requirements of any of the above that may be realistic for admission without algebra 2; if algebra 2 / intermediate algebra or a course with algebra 2 / intermediate algebra as a prerequisite is a graduation requirement, then entering such a school may just be kicking the can down the road.
UMW’s general education requirements are shown here. These include two quantitative reasoning courses from the given list. You may want to look up what those courses are. Some appear to be statistics or other courses that likely expect algebra 2 as a prerequisite, but some are not (e.g. Philosophy 151 (logic) and Music Theory 181). Also, check if the natural science or other general education requirements require courses where algebra 2 knowledge is expected.
I just want to clarify a point – I am not and would never say “never” about this young woman’s ability to take on more difficult math down the line, at the college level. I’m just saying that she needs an approach that is tailored to her current needs and she needs to have information & instruction presented to her in a way that she can make sense of. Because math really is sequential and in order to do higher level math, you need to have a fundamental grasp of basic concepts. And there are probably some very basic concepts that are missing within this person’s mental framework and giving rise to the other problems.
For example – a child who has memorized their multiplication tables but doesn’t really understand what multiplication is may seem to “know” multiplication — but that child may become hopelessly confused in algebra 1 when it comes to factoring numbers and working simple equations. So very often you have to go back to basics to figure out where the sticking points are.
So that’s why I wrote that it’s important to find a path where she can succeed. Because a series of small step successes is progress. And when she takes a class and ends up with a C- or a D after putting in her best effort, that simply reinforces the belief that she can’t do math.
I think taking this kid and signing her up for an online algebra course is like tossing a child who is fearful of water into the deep end of a swimming pool, with the expectation that the child will learn to swim that way. The OP’s daughter isn’t ready for Algebra 2 yet, because she doesn’t have sufficient mastery of foundation concepts. She may be ready at some time in the future.
UMW looks like there are quite a few “quantitative reasoning” options outside of direct math courses. It may be that down the line this student will do much better if the math concepts are given in the context of practical applications --and that music theory course looks like fun (“A conceptual explanation of basic music vocabulary and sound resources–rhythm, meter, modes, scales, clefs, intervals, notation, acoustics–with musical examples.”).
I only squeaked by in Algebra 2 because I went to a tutor every day after school. I wasn’t allowed to drop it because, in the words of the teacher, “your PSAT math scores were extremely high (top 15 percentile, probably).” Had I been a little older and wiser I would have asked if my Alg 2 classes could be multiple choice. The class I took in college to satisfy the math requirement was more of a logic class, and it wasn’t that difficult. I didn’t do very well on the quantitative portion of the GRE, but the stats class I took in grad school wasn’t very difficult; I think I had the highest grade I’d gotten in a math class since elementary school.
Neither kid had that much trouble in math. S18 hit a wall in calculus senior year, and only passed with his brother’s help. S16 was taking multivariable calculus and linear algebra in HS; yes, I’m sure he wasn’t switched at birth.
@scoutmom2002 what does S20 and D20 mean? I would have thought “daughter, 20 yrs old, or son, 20 years old” but your kids are high school juniors. I think I am missing the meaning for an acronym on this site.
The math requirements these days would not have worked for me back in the day, I never took Algebra 2 or a full geometry class when I was in high school. Thankfully my kids are smarter than me. I hope you find the right college fit for your daughter if her high school doesn’t have a good math course to fulfill her needs.
Just to give a bit of understanding of how Dycalcula can effect math skills ( and foreign language) my SAT score were Math 450 Verbal 700 ( in the olden days). My counselor had to get involved because of large discrepancy in the scores to tell them I had a numbers based learning disabity.
@scoutmom2002 , in our family’s experience, skip SAT and get a tutor for ACT.
DD also has learning disabilities. Took ACT 3 times. After the second, she finally agreed to allow her brother to help her learn the tricks of the ACT math and science. It helped immensely.
@Longhaul – yes we are leaning toward concentrating on ACT - she is actually doing both SAT and ACT prep…taking SAT on March 9 and ACT on April 13 (both with approved accommodations). She is getting both group and one-on-one SAT prep leading up the SAT and will also be getting both group and one-on-one ACT prep leading up to the ACT.
D20 has already agreed that she is better suited to the ACT, but let’s see what her actual SAT/ACT score ends up being and we’ll go from there. The prep center/tutor hopes to have Jessica score at least 500 on her Math SAT. We’ll see.
My S17 is dyscalculic, dysgraphic and dyslexic. He didn’t take Algebra 2 at all. With extensive tutoring, he managed a 24 in ACT math and a 27 composite. He did both SAT and ACT and preferred the ACT. Before tutoring, he had a 19 in math.
Although his college asked for 3 years of math, including Alg2/Trig, he was accepted, perhaps because he began in a BFA program. At my suggestion, he took math last summer at the local CC. It was intense and compressed, but he earned an A and said he finally understood math. He felt that the shorter time span didn’t allow him to forget too much from the beginning to the end of the class.
During HS, I had him tutored when he would agree to participate.