Placement Exam

The content on this page may is meant to be cut and pasted into course syllabi. The information is meant to reflect the most recent goals, guidelines and assessment objectives of Whittier College.

Students should develop an understanding of, and competency in, the use of signs and symbols to construct, create, perceive, and communicate meaning (II).

The Communication I requirement should not be confused with an explicit Mathematics requirement. According to the National Council on Education, quantitative literacy, also known as numeracy, is

not so much about understanding abstract concepts as about applying elementary tools in sophisticated settings. . . . [N]umeracy and mathematics should be complementary aspects of the school curriculum. . . . Mathematics thrived as a discipline and as a school subject because it was (and still is) the tool par excellence for comprehending ideas of the scientific age. Numeracy will thrive similarly because it is the natural tool for comprehending information in the computer age. As variables and equations created the mathematical language of science, so digital data are creating a new language of information technology. Numeracy embodies the capacity to communicate in this new language.[1]

The focus of the Communication I requirement is on the application of quantitative skills to diverse fields of inquiry at the college level. Any course that satisfies this requirement should give the student an opportunity to use numerical tools to (a) analyze problems and/or situations, and (b) communicate the results of that analysis. Whenever possible, students should have the opportunity to satisfy this requirement by applying their quantitative skills in a course related to their academic interests.

[1] Lynn Arthur Steen, ed. Mathematics and Democracy: The Case for Quantitative Literacy (National Council on Education and the Disciplines), http://www.maa.org/ql/mathanddemocracy.html.

1. Communication I courses should offer quantitative reasoning skills in one or more disciplinary context. They should emphasize the importance of the quantitative subject matter to at least one other discipline, and should develop students' written and oral communication skills in the language of mathematics.

2. A course qualifies as a Communication I course if the quantitative reasoning and mathematical methodologies are integral to the course content, and are offered in a context that is "natural" to the subject throughout the semester. The integrated part of the course, which contains the math incorporated within the subject matter, must exceed two thirds of the material covered. A course that is somewhat quantitative cannot become a Communication I course simply by increasing the number of quantitative assignments.

3. The course syllabus for all Communication I courses should outline specific outcomes that students will achieve in quantitative literacy after taking the course. The course is intended to improve students' quantitative skills materially, beyond the level demonstrated in the math proficiency exam.

4. To promote active and interactive student learning and to facilitate the use of computers and other technology in the classroom, the course should enroll no more than thirty students.

5. The course must be a college-level experience in the application of quantitative skills, not a remedial math experience. This implies that more than mere computation and data crunching will be expected of students. Students must be required to think about the meaning of numerical results and to draw conclusions from them. They must learn to discern implications inherent in the results.

1. Interpret mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics, and draw inferences from them.

A) Buying in bulk generally decreases the per unit price of goods. Which is the best graph of unit price versus quantity bought?

B) Extremely contagious diseases can sometimes grow exponentially. In which of the following states, from a far away country,

is this the case, according to the table below? The data given refers to ``total cases each month''.

2. Represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically, and verbally.

A) The tidal level, or height, at the beach on Tuesday is given by the formula: h(t) = 3.7sin(t/2.2 - 4.1). High tide will occur

B) In words (orally or written), analyze the claim from a politician running for President:

''I'll get the Federal deficit down to zero. Having paid off what we owe, we'll be able to devote

3. Use arithmetical, algebraic, geometric and statistical methods to solve problems.

This week, a home on Nixon Avenue sold for $100,000 over last week's median home price. That is,

4. Estimate and check answers to mathematical problems in order to determine reasonableness, identify alternatives, and select optimal results.

A) The following graph represents my investment portfolio over the past 5 years. The vertical axis is given in tens of thousands of

If I look 5 more years into the future, (and my investments continue growing as they have), my investments should be

A) Though a lifelong Californian, I can still make the following claim: ``The correlation between my age and the population

of Wyoming, over the last 10 years, is equal to 0.883''. Which of the following must be true?

	June	July	August
Old York	10,000	13,000	15,000
East Carolina	200	300	410
South Virgina	500	250	125
West Dakota	16,000	32,000	48,000
Mistersippi	5 Million	10 Million	12 Million