The Quantitative Literacy Requirement 

Part of our recent curricular enhancement involves what has traditionally been known as “the math requirement.”  Many colleges have recently recognized that traditional mathematics programs are not always optimal for today’s liberal arts students. At Whittier College, we recognize several important facts:  

• Students come to college with a very wide range of mathematical experience and ability.

• Many students have had negative experiences with mathematics in high school, and are hesitant to approach the subject in college.

• Even some of the better mathematics programs and teachers can’t answer that all-important question “but how is any of this useful to me?”

• We’re in the midst of the 21st century, and there is no way anyone can avoid learning some important quantitative skills without suffering for it later on. 

Our Quantitative Literacy (QL)*  requirement attempts to address these issues.  In particular,  

1)  Before they graduate, all students in our Liberal Education program are required to take at least one course that satisfies the Quantitative Literacy (QL) requirement.  All QL courses contain substantial mathematical material and apply this material to one or more real-world contexts throughout the course.  We recommend that students finish their QL requirement as early as possible in their college careers, preferably during their first year at Whittier.  

2)  All QL courses are college-level experiences in which it is expected that you are proficient with high school level mathematics.  To ensure that you are prepared to take a QL course, we require that you take the Mathematics Placement Exam and obtain a passing score on the relevant parts of it, as explained next.  

The Mathematics Placement Exam 

Our placement exam is divided into seven sections, each covering a specific area of mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, geometry, etc.)  To qualify for enrollment in any QL course, you must earn a passing score on the relevant sections of the exam.  Most courses only require passing scores on the first five sections.  However, a few of our more advanced QL courses, usually those taken by students majoring in the sciences or business, require passing other parts of the exam as well.  Here are some of the important aspects of the Placement Exam: 

1)       The exam is given via computer.  Each section consists of ten multiple choice questions, each having five possible answers.  The questions are randomly chosen from a question bank, and shown in random order on each test.  The five possible answers to each question are shown in random order as well.  You will never see the same test repeated!   

2)       You may not use a calculator…and you won’t need one.  You will be provided scratch paper, and you’ll need to bring a pencil.  You’ll have a Placement Test account on our computer system.  You’re Login name will be your Surname.  You’re password will be your Student ID number.  Please bring your Student ID number to the exam!! 

* The Quantitative Literacy or (QL) requirement is also referred to as the Communication I requirement … one of the requirement areas in the Whittier College Liberal Education Program.  These names can generally be used interchangeably.

3)       You may take the exam as many times as it takes for you to pass all of the parts that are required for the QL course you plan to take.  I suggest, however, that if you do not pass a particular section of the test, you identify your areas of weakness, and review and study these before attempting that section again.  You may NOT take any section of the test more than one time per day.  We offer the exam several times throughout the year, including throughout the summer.  The dates and times the exam is offered can be found on the Placement Test website (see below).  You’ll need to sign up for this exam in advance, and you can do this on the website. 

4)       Each time you take the exam, you may choose any combination of sections to attempt.  You do NOT have to attempt every section each time.  Each section is graded independently.  Once you pass a particular section of the exam, you won’t need to take that section again UNLESS you find that you need a higher score on that section as a prerequisite for a particular course. 

5)       Immediately after you take the exam, you will be advised of your scores.  You might pass all required parts the first time you attempt them.  If not, then based on your scores, we’ll be able to discuss the best options for you in terms of how best to prepare for the next time you attempt the failed category.  We might suggest methods of self study, reference materials, tutoring offered by the Center for Academic Success, short seminars specifically covering the material you need, or enrollment in a special semester-long course.  We recommend that you first look at the Math Placement website to get more information about the specific areas of mathematics covered by our Placement Exam, then review your mathematical skills, sign up for the exam, and take it as early as possible. 

6)       Important:  The QL requirement of the Liberal Education program requires that you take the first 5 sections of the test at least every semester until you pass them all.  To ensure this, permission to register and choose courses is only given once you have attempted each section you have not yet passed.  By your Junior year, you must have PASSED each of the first five sections of the exam in order to register.  I STRONGLY urge you to complete the Placement Test portion of the QL requirement as soon as possible.  To be blunt, the more time that passes since your last Math course, the harder the exam will be to pass. 

The Math Placement Website

If you’ve read this far, you might just be a bit overwhelmed.  So we’ve created a web site which contains everything you’ll need to know about the QL requirement, the Math Placement exam, and all Communication I courses.  The website is:                                http://web.whittier.edu/jmiller/MathPlacementExam.htm 

You should add this website to your list of “favorites” on your web browser!  This website is constantly updated with important information, and you’ll need to refer to it frequently until you’ve completed the QL requirement.  In particular, the main page of the website gives dates and times of both test sessions and tutorial / review sessions.   

At the bottom of the main page are several links to more information pages, including: i) exams and detailed solutions for each of the seven test categories, ii) The seven Placement Test Categories, and topics covered, iii) Study resources, including a few Spanish language math tutorials,  iv) QL courses and the prerequisite Placement Test Scores, and v) Math requirements for each Major at Whittier College. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  My email is jmiller@whittier.edu. My office is 105-D in the Science Building.  It’s inside the Center for Academic Success (CAS).  I look forward to meeting you all soon, and wish you every success here at Whittier College.