Three years ago, Florida State College at Jacksonville began donating math books to help Yulee High School students prepare for college algebra. According to a 2006 study by the Florida Legislatures, program evaluation office, more than two-thirds of students entering community colleges in Florida needed remediation in at least one subject because they were not prepared for college level courses.

The pilot program called the “Math Rigor and Readiness Project” was started to provide tougher high school math classes so that students coming out of the program would not need to take intermediate algebra, a remediation class that does not count toward a college degree. The college provides the school with textbooks, graphing calculators, and software. It also provides training for the teachers.

Each year the program has been more successful. Besides Yulee High, First Coast High and Sandalwood High have also begun using the program to help their students succeed. The schools tend to teach students math in a way that helps them prepare for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), but this program has helped the schools align the math classes with college-level classes. After taking Algebra II, the students take a college placement test to see if they are ready for College Algebra.

The college hopes to expand to other high schools in our area and help Florida students prepare for college classes. Yulee High School has had great success in the number of students that have passed the college placement test and gone on to take College Algebra.