Innovations in Pre-College Math

State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

March 27, 2014

• Pre-college enrollments and students

• Statewide initiatives to accelerate college readiness

• Highline Community College

• Everett Community College

• Strategic plan for math acceleration

Agenda

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http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/education/12-2RoleofPre-CollegeEduc_000.pdf

• In 2012-13, pre-college courses were 9% of all state supported full-time equivalent enrollments (FTES)

• Colleges enrolled 13,665 FTES in pre-college courses.

• Pre-college math accounts for 72% of all pre-college FTES. English makes up most of the rest.

Pre-College Enrollments

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• In 2012-13, nearly 71,000 students enrolled in pre-college courses.

• 45% were recent high school graduates. Over half were older students, vast majority 25+ years.

• Younger students enroll primarily for transfer. Older students primarily enroll for workforce education.

• 40% of new transfer and workforce students enrolled in pre-college math or English.

• Low socioeconomic students (SES) are most likely to be below college-ready when they start college.

Students in Pre-College Courses

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Statewide Initiatives to Transform Pre-College

Education

Governance Institute for Student Success• Funded by Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation• Four states including Washington• Series of workshops for all trustees and

presidents in 2011, 2012, 2013• Focused on student success metrics and

change strategies

Institutional leadership and policy

Achieving the Dream• Focused on first year success for low

income, precollege students• Strong focus on success in gatekeeper

courses like pre-college and college math• At 19 colleges, Washington has highest

share of colleges engaged in Achieving the Dream in the nation

• Regional “Culture of Evidence” and “Evidence Based Practices” workshops for all colleges in state

National efforts to improve completion

Student Achievement Initiative

• Community and technical college system performance funding system

• From 2007 to 2013, college readiness points increased 28%

• Revised metrics provide greater emphasis on acceleration, achievement points for completing remedial sequence instead of remedial courses, and for completing freshman math and English courses

Align policy with system strategies

I-BESTRe-Thinking

Precollege Math

Open Course Library

Student Achievement

Initiative

Student Completion Initiative

Foundational System Work

Core to College

Use Smarter Balanced 11th grade assessment as part of college placement process

Co-design college readiness (“transition”) courses offered to 12th grade students who are not yet college-ready

Develop and/or sustain local college/school district partnerships

Acceleration by Design: “Avoidance”

Improving Placement Assessment

Emphasize identifying skills/needs, not screening students into precollege level

Use multiple measures and offer students options

Simplify and clarify process for students

Acceleration by Design: “Diagnosis”

Course Redesign

Statewide acceleration model developed based on national research and college best practices

Meaningful pathways with relevant, challenging math

Infuse technology to support student learning

Incorporate intentional strategies to help students as math learners

Acceleration by Design: “Relevance & Focus”

What We’ve Learned

Sustaining Improvements in Student Achievement

and Completion

Collective responsibili

ty for shared vision

Networks for

professional learning

Principles and

people, not just “best practices”

Highline Community

College District

Jeff Wagnitz Vice President of

Instruction

College District Initiatives

Everett Community

College

Al FriedmanDean of Math and Science