1) The document summarizes the results of implementing a revised emporium model curriculum for developmental mathematics courses at Quinsigamond Community College. 2) Key findings include higher pass rates on final exams for students in the emporium model compared to traditional courses, and more students completing courses early. 3) The emporium model also helped increase the percentage of students satisfying mastery requirements who then passed final exams. 4) Additional initiatives discussed include an Algebraic Reasoning program in Worcester public schools and math boot camps showing improved Accuplacer scores.

1. Developmental Mathematics
March 18, 2014
Presented by:
Dr. Leslie Bolinger Horton
Dean for the School of Math & Science
Quinsigamond Community College
Lhorton@qcc.mass.edu

2. Quinsigamond Community College
Vision #1 Project
2013 - 2014
Justification
Math
Conduct a revised Emporium curriculum, building in Modularized
approach at QCC 5 Teaching Assistants @ $25.06 per Hour $27,641
Teaching Assistants are essential in Modularized
Approach
Accuplacer coordination 133 hours x $15 Proctoring in the WPS
Fall/2013 - 133 hours x $15.00 $4,000
Accuplacer Scores needed to determine Math
Levels/QCC Proctors @ $15.00 per hour
2 - Math Boot Camps at QCC during Intersession $1,800 x 2 for
20 hours per week $3,600
Math Readiness for up coming WPS students
2- Math Pre-Assessment Workshops (MPAWS) 1 at WPS and 1
Bootcamp at QCC $1,800 x 2 $3,600
Math Readiness for up coming WPS students
2 College Level courses offered @ WPS $3,000 x 2
$6,000
Courses offered for students who meet Accuplacer
requirements for College Math
Fringe Costs (Math)
$1,000
Supplies (Math):
Math Codes $85 X 93
$7,905
Needed for students supplies
Travel (Math):
Bus passes for taking Accuplacer tests, attending Math Pre-
Assessment Workshops (MPAWS) at QCC, attending Math
classes at QCC, etc.131 passes x $3.30 per pass
$500
For students taking Accuplacer
Clerical Assistant 20 hrs x 26 week = 520 hrs x $10.00 per hr =
$5,200
Total $59,446

3. Vision Project
5 Vision Project Key Outcome Areas
1) Increase college-going rates of high school graduates
 Developmental Education – Philomena D’Alessandro
 K-12 Partnership / Algebraic Reasoning-Haynalka Caton
2) Increase graduation and student success rates
 Mathematics Boot Camps – Sheiba Mas-Oud
3) Workforce alignment
4) Improve academic achievements on campus-level and
national assessments of learning
5) Achieve comparable learning outcomes among different
student population groups

4. Structure Of Emporium
Classrooms

5. Jerome Bruner The Process of Education (1999)
We begin with the hypothesis that any subject
can be taught effectively in some intellectually
honest form…at any stage of development (p. 33)
A curriculum as it develops should revisit…basic
ideas repeatedly, building upon them until the
student has grasped the full formal apparatus
that goes with them
(p. 13).
QCC Emporium Spiraled Curriculum

6. Table F Number of
Students
Enrolled at the
End of the
Semester
Number of
Students
who Took
the Final
Exam
Number of
Students who
Passed the
Final Exam
Percentage of
Students who Took
and Passed the Final
Exam (≥73)
Percentage of Students
who Passed the Final
Exam out of all
Students Enrolled at
the End of the Semester
MAT
090
Emporium
SP 2013
61 49 41 (41/49) 84% (41/61) 67%
Emporium
SP 2012
44 30 30 (30/30) 100% (30/44) 68%
Non-
Emporium
Sp 2012
270 206 168 (168/206) 82% (168/270) 62%
MAT
095
Emporium
SP 2013
64 46 41 (41/46) 89% (41/64) 64%
Emporium
SP 2012
55 42 37 (37/42) 88% (37/55) 67%
Non-
Emporium
SP 2012
579 454 355 (355/454) 78% (355/579) 61%
MAT
099
Emporium
SP 2013
63 55 35 (35/55) 64% (35/63) 56%
Emporium
SP 2012
55 37 22 (22/37) 59% (22/55) 40%
Non-
Emporium
SP 2012
665 533 366 (366/533) 69% (366/665) 55%
Results: Spring 2012 – Spring 2013

7. Fall 2012 Emporium vs. Non-Emporium:
Final Exam Pass Rates
Table E Number of
Students
Enrolled at
Beginning
of the
Semester
Percentage
of Students
who Passed
the Final
Exam (≥73)
Number of
Students
who Took
the Final
Exam
Percentage of
Students who
Took and Passed
the Final Exam
(≥73)
Percentage of
Students who
Dropped the
Course (after the
withdraw period)
or did not take the
final exam
MAT 090
Emporium 58 (35/58) 60% 41 (35/41) 85% (17/58) 29%
Non-
Emporium
563 (370/563)
66%
452 (370/452) 82% (111/563) 20%
MAT 095
Emporium 55 (27/55) 49% 33 (27/33) 82% (22/55) 40%
Non-
Emporium
589 (365/589)
62%
460 (365/460) 79% (129/589) 22%
MAT 099
Emporium 61 (40/61) 66% 50 (40/50) 80%* (11/61) 18%
Non-
Emporium
859 (481/859)
56%
709 (481/709) 68% (150/859) 17%

8. Finishing the Course Early &
Passed the Final Exam
MAT 090 MAT 095 MAT 099
Spring 2012 8 27 6
Fall 2012 10 4 5
Spring 2013 12 20* 9
*Note 1: One MAT 095 student completed both MAT 095 and MAT 099 in the same
semester.
The early completion numbers suggest that our students would continue to benefit from
course options that allow them to complete developmental math courses at a quicker pace.
The fall 2013 modularized courses made it easier for students to finish the developmental
math sequence in fewer than three semesters, since module progress was saved from
semester to semester. Students who cannot complete an entire developmental course in a
single semester may also benefit from their progress being saved and, eventually, complete
the developmental sequence faster than originally possible. Decreasing the time that
students spend in developmental math will hopefully increase their chance of success in

9. Spring 2013
Final Exam Pass Rates vs.
Mastery Requirement Percentage: Students who
Satisfied the Mastery
Requirement & Passed the Final
Exam (≥73) / All Students who
Satisfied the Mastery
Requirement & Took the Final
Exam
Percentage: Students who Took
the Final Exam without Satisfying
the Mastery Requirement & Passed
the Final Exam (≥73) / All Students
who Took the Final Exam without
Satisfying the Mastery
Requirement
MAT 090 (29/32) 91% (12/17) 71%
MAT 095 (41/41) 100% (5/10) 50%
MAT 099 (27/37) 73% (8/18) 44%
Note 1: Meeting the mastery requirement is defined as completing every assignment in the
MyMathLab course with a grade of 80% or higher.
Satisfying the mastery requirement did not guarantee that a student would pass the
departmental final exam in all courses. However, in the spring 2013 semester, a higher
percentage of students who satisfied the mastery requirement did pass the final exam verses
the percentage of students who passed the final exam without satisfying the mastery
requirement.

10. Algebraic Reasoning
Intended to accelerate student learning in Algebra where
curricular gaps may exist.
Upon successful completion the student will be prepared for
entry-level college coursework in mathematics.
Equivalent to Quinsigamond’s MAT 095 (Beginning
Algebra) and MAT 099 (Intermediate Algebra) courses.
Worcester Public Schools ≈ 350 students served
Worcester Technical High School
Doherty High School
South High School
North High School

11. Worcester Technical High
School Fall 2013
Implemented to replace a 4th
year Math
requirement, offered during school hours
Tested all the juniors (current seniors) in the
Spring of 2013
Based on the Accuplacer scores, students
were placed into 3 different classes:
MAT 090-Basic Math / MAT 095
MAT 095- Beginning Algebra / MAT 099
MAT 099- Intermediate Algebra / MAT 100

12. WTHS Fall 2013
MAT 090 MAT 095 MAT 099 All MAT
Students
Percent
Passed
94% 85% 69% 81%
Total
Passed
44 61 46 151
Total
Students
47 72 67 186

13. Mass Manufacturing Extension
Partnership
Boot Camp Results
Sessions run from 12:00-4:00pm
5 consecutive working days
Attending all 5 days is a requirement
In a program for employment
Initial Accuplacer: Did not test into MAT 090
Tested Into Number of Students Total Number of
Students
Percentage
College Level Math
(MAT 100/121/
122/123/233)
2 11 18%
Intermediate Algebra
(MAT 099)
2 11 18%
Beginning Algebra
(MAT 095)
7 11 64%

14. “This group was amazing and I am really
proud of them. A lot of the expressed interest in
the QCC manufacturing program so we did
something a little bit different. I invited the
Dean of Business, Engineering and
Technology, Kathy Rentsch, to talk with them
about enrolling into one of our manufacturing
program and she did a fantastic job explaining
all questions and details about the program.”
(Sheiba Mas-Oud)