Washington Student Completion Initiative The Student Completion Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Washington State Legislature will support new and promising efforts to improve access and completions for low- income young adults in Washington state over the next three years. The $5.521 million grant will help break down key barriers to student completion in the community and technical college system by funding three projects:  Open Course Library $1,801,000 (Project Director: Cable Green)  Re-Thinking Pre-College Math $1,970,000 (Project Director: Bill Moore)  I-BEST for Developmental Education $1,750,000 (Project Director: Tina Bloomer)

Re-Thinking Pre-College Math: Project Overview and Proposal Submission Process & Guidelines Bill Moore, Project Director Policy Associate, SBCTC

Re-Thinking the Pre-College Math Curriculum The traditional developmental math program was designed to remediate high school algebra deficiencies. Students were required to study topics not relevant to their majors, take an entire course even though they were deficient in only some topics and to learn at the same pace using the same instructional strategies as the entire class… Carol Twigg, National Center for Academic Transformation, “Increasing Success in Developmental Math: SMART Math at Jackson State Community College”

Project Overview Builds on and extends the Transition Math Project (TMP), shifting focus to pre-college math programsTransition Math Project (TMP) Focus includes all of pre-college math courses (both Adult Basic Education and Developmental Math levels) Long-term ends: improving student achievement in math –Persistence through pre-college-level math sequence –Adequate preparation for college math expectations –Performance in math courses and beyond Primary means: Support selected colleges in re-thinking their pre-college mathematics programs

Defining Characteristics of Project Collective approach, supported by department/ program as a whole Addressing core areas of educational practice Taking an inquiry stance toward practice (emphasis on evidence) Collaborating in going to “scale” (community of practice)

Re-Thinking Pre-College Math: Joining a ‘Joyful Conspiracy’ TMP 2009 Institute September 8-10,

Core Areas of Educational Practice What math is taughtHow it is learned How it is assessed We put an enormous amount of energy into changing structures and usually leave instructional practice untouched…We are attracted and drawn to these [efforts] because they’re visible and, believe it or not, easier to do than to make the hard changes, which are in instructional practice… Richard Elmore, January 2002, “The Limits of ‘Change’”

Faculty support through professional “community of practice” Improving Student Learning in Math: Core Educational Practice Curricular Restructuring Classroom & Diagnostic Assessments Instructional Approaches

Taking a Stance of Inquiry Toward Practice Emphasize evidence around student learning, instructional approaches Consider how new ideas, other resources and knowledge might be useful (as tools rather than “truth”) Shift the emphasis from implementing program to adapting innovations, generating new knowledge Deborah Loewenberg Ball, 1994, Developing Mathematics Reform…”

Building a Project Community of Practice Common language, conceptual framework Shared experiences, exposure to multiple approaches/methods Forum for sharing resources and practices Scale at the organization level means, are people working in concert around a set of ideas about what curriculum and pedagogy should look like, and is it obvious in their practice? Richard Elmore, “Improvement of Teaching at Scale”, January 2006

Project Timeline September 2009TMP Institute Oct Jan. 2010Site visits to interested colleges January 28-29Re-Thinking Pre-College Math convening for college teams February 17Grant proposals due to SBCTC February 25Review group recommends colleges to be included March 17-18Grants approved at SBCTC meeting April 1, 2010Selected colleges formally begin project April 20-21, 2010 (tentative) Kick-off event for core teams from colleges August 23-26, st RPM Project Summer Institute September 2010Phase II Funding begins September 2011Phase III Funding begins August 2012Grant funding ends

Selection Criteria  Clarity of Goals: strategies and goals that are clear and consistent with conceptual framework for project, focusing on defined core areas of educational practice  Commitment: clear and strong support for project from institutional administrative leadership and the math department and grounds proposed plans in institutional priorities  Capacity: demonstrated evidence of institutional and faculty capacity to accomplish project plan  Sustainability: potential for sustaining, and if possible scaling up, the work beyond the grant period  Feasibility: work plan and budget that is realistic given the time frame of the grant and the existing institutional capacity

Expectations of Participating Colleges Demonstrate clear and visible department-wide and institutional commitment to the project Engage relevant faculty (including adjuncts) in substantive focus on core areas of educational practice Support cross-campus connections and sharing of practice within the project and across the system Utilize technical support and assistance provided by project leadership Address sustainability (life after the grant) from the beginning Participate in project-wide data collection and analysis for the purposes of formative and summative evaluation

Expectations of Project Leadership Team Provide technical assistance and support to coalition colleges Encourage and assist grantees in the development of linkages across projects and to other state and national math initiatives Maintain ongoing communication with and between project colleges through variety of means Orchestrate and oversee evaluation studies and data collection activities

Logistical Details Duration: Fall 2009-Fall 2012 (college sub- grants begin April 2010) Grant Amounts: Up to $120,000 per college in 3 phases: $20,000 (max.) 4/10-8/10, $50,000 (max.) for 9/10-8/11 & 9/11-8/12 (new application updates for Phase II and III) Proposal submission process: deadline 2/17, 11:30 p.m., submitted electronically through the Online Grants Management System (OGMS)

 Applications must be submitted through the SBCTC’s Online Grants Management System (OGMS)  OGMS:  Contact your college OGMS security contact for system and grant access  User Manual available under “How To” tab  Questions?Lynette Anderson Application Process

Program Questions? Questions about the overall Re-Thinking Pre-College Math project: Contact Dr. Bill Moore, ,