1 Building Better Onramps to College Mathematics Philip Uri Treisman Professor of Mathematics and Public Affairs Executive Director, Charles A. Dana Center The University of Texas at Austin

2 Other Countries’ Average Scale Score Math Performance on 8 th Grade TIMSS Compared with the U.S. Source: Data taken from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), accessed Dec. 16, 2008 at Computations of categories by the Charles A. Dana Center.

3 CountryAve. Scale Score Mathematics Achievement at the 4 th Grade

4 CountryAve. Scale Score Science Achievement at the 4 th Grade

5 CountryAve. Scale Score Mathematics Achievement at the 8 th Grade

66 CountryAve. Scale Score Science Achievement at the 8 th Grade

7

8 8th Grade White

9 8th Grade Black

10 8th Grade Hispanic

11 8th Grade Eligible for National School Lunch Program

Nationally: – 60 percent of students enrolling in community colleges across the nation take remedial education classes. – 90 percent for low-income and minority students at some community colleges. – The number of students moving from remedial education classes to college-level courses can drop as low as 15 percent The Problem is Everywhere

California: Only 9 percent of students place into transfer-level math courses. Texas: 25 to 50 percent of students taking remedial math courses fail to complete them Florida: Only 15 percent of students who failed to complete developmental coursework remained in college. The Problem is Everywhere

14 Source: Calcagno & Long, Educational Outcome by Math College Placement Test Score and Estimated Discontinuity Florida data–1997 through 2000, entering cohorts tracked for 6 years

The Typical Math Onramp College Algebra English GE1GE2 (no pre-requisites) Inter. Algebra Elem. Algebra Pre- Algebra 1-semester EXIT Transfer Level Credits

Math College Algebra GE1GE2 Transfer Level Credits (no pre-requisites) English 1-YEAR Advanced Quantitative Reasoning College success course The Missing Pathway? Just-in-time Inter. Algebra Pre Algebra Elem. Algebra Just-in-time

17 Developmental Mathematics The improvement landscape

Carnegie is working with researchers and practitioners to improve the success rates of community college students in developmental math. A New Goal for Carnegie

Scalable Sustainable Systemic Looking for Solutions that are…

Honoring good work and best practices Following emerging practices – Many wrapped in local particulars – Assist with re-engineering for wider use Creating new models as a research and development enterprise Part of a Broad Ecology

21 Creating Change: Some Essentials 1.Supportive policy environment 2.Institutional strategies and prioritization 3.Mobilizing grassroots faculty action 4.New research and development engines reengineering best practices for use at scale surfacing practices worthy of attention new model building