Steve Newman, Ph.D.
Professor
Office: MEP 431
Phone: (859) 572-5332
Email: newman@nku.edu
BIO
Education:
- Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. from University of Utah
Joined NKU in: 1972
Professional Interest: My professional interest in mathematics changed dramatically in 1997 when I became involved in curriculum alignment issues in mathematics resulting from the gaps between the mathematics learned in high school and the mathematics expected in college. Some of my colleagues and I worked with local high school mathematics teachers to identify and correct these gaps, sending the results and recommendations from our meetings to state education officials with the enthusiastic support from the Northern Kentucky Council of Partners, a local P-16 education group. With support from the Council, we began a local early mathematics testing program in 1998 that became the statewide Kentucky Early Mathematics Testing Program (KEMTP) in 2001 as a result of a bill passed unanimously by the 2000 General Assembly.
The purpose of the KEMTP test is to give high school sophomores and juniors a realistic assessment of their mathematical preparation for college early enough so they can take corrective action in high school to insure that they are prepared for college mathematics courses. I have served as director of the program since its inception. My involvement with the KEMTP has led to other opportunities to work on curriculum alignment issues in mathematics at the state and the national level.
I made important contributions to the American Diploma Project (ADP) benchmarks in mathematics as a member of the national panel that constructed them, to the Kentucky college readiness standards and placement policy as a member of Mathematics Postsecondary Placement Policy Group convened by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, and to the Core Content for Assessment in high school mathematics as a member of the Commissioner Task Force convened by the Kentucky Department of Education.
