The study asked high school aged students who were following a pre-vocational engineering course to step into a work environment to understand the engineering at a railway station.  The employee “illustrated how he calculates the speed at which the trains should travel on a stretch of track” (Wake, 2014, p. 274).  The study showed that the employee understood very well how to calculate his specific task but did not consider that he was using mathematics.  However, the students observing the worker were struggling to understand the material being taught to them. The study went on to explain the many different influences lead to our understanding of different mathematics tasks and each student has their own set of factors that attribute to their own understandings of mathematics and how to apply it beyond the lesson.  My goal is very similar to the findings in the article and that is to transition my students from their general education classroom into a working environment where they can apply and participate in the task at hand.  “It is essential that future general mathematics curriculum specifications recognize the quickly changing nature and wide range of contexts in which mathematical principles are being applied” (Wake, 2014, p. 288).

            The goal of the study is to examine the students’ mathematical performance to the graduation rate in their post-secondary education.  Unfortunately, the study was inconclusive based on the data collected, however, the schools in North Carolina took action and implemented the same strategies that I plan to use for my senior mathematics class.  I plan to use college placement practice exams as a tool to measure a student’s strengths and areas of growth before leaving their high school setting.  “Most importantly, the non-threatening reality check supplied by NC EMPT spurs interest and allows time for students to strengthen important mathematical skills while still in high school” (Hilgoe, Brinkley, Hattingh, Bernhardt, 2016, p. 377).