From Percentages to Algebra - Student Edition: Using Authentic Problem Contexts (When Will I Ever Use This?)

This text is all about percentages, a common measure of performance in diverse settings. Working with percentages is an important element of the PSAT/SAT Math test which includes multi-step applications that use ratios, percentages, and proportional reasoning to solve problems in science, social science, and other real-life situations. When do students practice these skills? This book contains fifteen scenarios where students analyze, problem solve, make decisions and model situations mathematically. The scenarios include stepping stones to algebra where students transition from percentages to writing expressions involving a variable, to solving simple algebraic equations. Each scenario requires the habits of mind supported in the mathematical practices: persevering, constructing viable arguments, reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, and modeling with mathematics.

Kenneth R. Chelst is a professor of operations research in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Wayne State University. Dr. Chelst has consulted on more than 100 projects in public safety services and engineering management. Thomas G. Edwards is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education at Wayne State University. He has also taught for more than two decades as a high school mathematics teacher. Deborah Ferry holds a MAT degree from Oakland University. With experiences as a math educator, consultant, and program developer, she is able to share insights on teaching, learning, and assessment. Marianne Srock holds an MA in Educational Leadership. For the last 40 years, she has worked in secondary math, administration, and consulting in the Detroit area, and has served on the board of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.