Whatcom Math Project

Whatcom Math Project (WMP), formerly funded by a three year grant through the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, continues to operate in a more limited capacity while future funding is secured.

Partner Schools

WMP is a consortium of school districts and colleges: Blaine, Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Lynden Christian,Meridian, Mt. Baker, Nooksack Valley,Whatcom Tech Prep Consortium, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College, and Western Washington University.

Over the past year, WMP collected information on the current status of math instruction and professional development needs across the partnership both at the high school and college level.  This data is currently being compiled into a summary report for districts to share with their math departments as a reference tool and a barometer to examine where they are with their continuous developments and improvements of math curriculum and instruction.

Our Goal

High school students need to be taking more math courses. Washington State's current math graduation requirement for the classes of 2010-2012, that all high school students must take two years of math, does not adequately prepare kids for college or for most careers.   WMP hopes to inform students and parents about the importance of taking math classes throughout the four years of high school. Our main goal is to ensure that all students graduating from our area high schools will be ready to take college level mathematics and reduce the need for remediation.

The Bigger Picture

WA State educators are working to improve mathematics curriculum and instruction. To help put things in perspective, in 2007 8th graders in Washington State ranked 9th in mathematics compared to all nations who participated in the 2003 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). (Source: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind) Overall Washington is performing as well or better than a large portion of the foreign countries surveyed.  Yet much work remains.   The highest achieving states in the U.S.  are still significantly below the highest achieving countries.

Transition Math Project  

While eighth graders are on a par in mathematics performance with many of their peers in other countries, studies show that American high school seniors rank near the bottom in international tests of mathematics knowledge and more than a third rank below basic.  In Washington, as many as 46% of the 2008 high school graduates who entered the state's two-year colleges directly from high school needed to take pre-college (remedial) math before they were ready for credit math courses. (Source: WA State Board of Community and Technical Colleges Pre-College Courses Report-March 2009). The Transition Math Project (TMP) seeks to reverse this trend by supporting collaborative partnerships among high schools and post-secondary institutions as they work to improve student outcomes in mathematics.  WMP is one of those partnerships.