Why Write a Math
Assessment? Take a Math Course? Upgrade Math Skills?
Our registration sessions begin with a
presentation of the many courses and programs we offer.
Afterwards, almost all prospective students write a short
assessment of their English reading and writing skills, and
of their math skills. Regardless of the courses one plans to
pursue at our Centre, assessment of language and math skills
are vital in helping us place a student at course levels
which match the student’s current academic abilities,
knowledge, and study habits.
Many of our new students question the need
to evaluate their math skills, especially if they’re not
even planning to study math in the near future. The
following four scenarios, scenarios common to many of our
students, will help clarify the importance for students to
write our math assessments and demonstrate the purpose in
studying math at our Centre:
1) Let’s begin with considering a student
with strong English language skills, pursuing British
Columbia Secondary School Graduation. To graduate in the
secondary program, completing a math 11 course is one of the
Provincial requirements.
The qualifying math 11 courses we offer
include Essentials of Math 11, Principles of Math 11, and
Accounting 11. The student’s math assessment result, in
conjunction with his or her English assessment outcome, will
indicate the appropriate beginning math course for the
eventual success in a math 11 course.
2) In a second scenario, a student may
already hold a British Columbia Secondary School Graduation
Diploma, but perhaps just needs to complete a specific math
course in order to enter a Post-Secondary program at a
college, a university, or some other training facility.
For example, one may need to complete
Principles of Math 11 to enter a Registered Nursing Program,
or needs to complete Principles of Math 12 and/or Calculus
12 to enter a Computer Science Program. Our math assessment
will help determine such a student’s current math skills, so
that he or she will begin in the appropriate math level
commensurate with his or her present skills and abilities.
3) As a third situation, we can look again
at a student who has already attained his or her secondary
graduation, but this time wants to complete a secondary
school course requiring only some math skills, rather than a
math-specific course. For example, this student may wish to
complete at our Centre Chemistry 11 or 12, Physics 11 or 12,
Accounting 11 or 12, or perhaps Biology 11 or 12.
The math assessment portion of the
assessment test for such courses will help determine if the
student possesses the math related skills to succeed in the
desired course. We may find that the student needs to
upgrade his or her math skills before starting the planned
course.
4) As a last scenario, let’s consider a
non secondary school graduated student whose assessments
indicate fine math skills, but weak English reading and
writing skills. This student needs to upgrade his or her
language skills before entering the next level of courses.
In this situation, the student would begin with some of our
upgrade of language skills courses.
We offer upgrading in English Reading,
Writing, Literature and Composition, as well as upgrading in
Social Studies, Science, and Math. As this student begins
upgrading his or her language skills, we would likely also
assign concurrently an upgrade level math course even if the
assessed math skills are fine. Working with math vocabulary
and reading and solving math word-problems will certainly
facilitate the development of language skills.
To conclude, our math assessments, just as
our English and other assessments, are invaluable tools to
evaluate a student’s current skills and knowledge. The
results of any assessment written at our Centre will guide
our teachers in assigning students to course levels that
will maximize the probability of student success.
As for students taking our math courses,
it is usually for one of four reasons – to upgrade math
skills, to complete a math course toward secondary school
graduation completion, to gain specific math credits for
secondary school graduated students, or to facilitate the
improvement of language skills.
If you’re 19 years of age or older, or
even if you’re just approaching your nineteenth birthday,
then be sure to attend one of our registration sessions. We
can help you achieve your education goals. See you at our
Learning Centre!
Check the following helpful pages of
information about our Learning Centre:
Courses Available
Enroll Now – Registration and
Orientation
Classroom Courses and Times
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