Adding Up the Progress: Transforming Developmental Math Education

Adding Up the Progress:
Transforming Developmental Math Education
Board of Higher Education Meeting | April 28, 2015

2
Failure of Dev’l Math Education in MA
For every 100 students
enrolling in dev’l math in
2010 (n=11,037)…
60 completed
dev’l coursework…
But only 18 completed
a credit-bearing course
by 2012.
Community
College
Students

3
Failure of Dev’l Math Education in MA
86 completed
dev’l coursework…
But only 56 completed
a credit-bearing course
by 2012.
For every 100 students
enrolling in dev’l math in
2010 (n=1,554)…
State
University
Students

4
 Pilot began this academic year
 Campuses permitted to use
high school GPA as alternative placement
standard (in lieu of Accuplacer)
 BHE will review pilot results and
modify policies as necessary in fall 2015
AAC 14-12: Period of Experimentation

5
 Intermediate goal by fall 2018:
 20% increase in rate of students completing a first
college-level math course within two years of enrollment
 Campus strongly encouraged to:
 Pilot new GPA standards
 Design and implement general academic pathways
within credit-bearing programs
 Revise content, sequencing and timeframe of
dev’l math education offerings consistent with math
requirements of these pathways
AAC 14-19: Developmental Math Policy

6
 DHE charged with:
 Convening implementation planning team
▪ Developmental Math Implementation PlanningTeam
▪ Developmental Math Advisory Board to serve as
liaisons to campuses and DHE
 Promoting design & development of campuses’
general academic pathways
▪ Mathematics, including Developmental Math, is one of
the AY15–16 AcademicTransfer Pathways disciplines
 Promoting best practices in dev’l mathematics
▪ Convening planned for fall 2015
AAC 14-19: Developmental Math Policy

7
Non-Pilot
(Using Accuplacer)
Pilot for All
Students
Pilot for Some
Students
3 Community Colleges
+ 4 State Universities
7 Campuses
4 State Universities
+ 1 UMass
15 Campuses
+ 1 UMass
3 Campuses
Voluntary Campus Pilots
Note: 3 campuses did not participate.

8
Preliminary Results: Campus-Level
19%
9%
*
40%
55%
n/a n/a
35%
15%
24%
93%
60%
97%
72%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
% Placing into College-Level Math by Pilot Status:
Fall 2013 vs. Fall 2014
Community Colleges State Universities UMass
* Fall 2013 data not available for one community college.

9
50% 50%
47%
12%
20%
8%
19%
45% 47% 47%
9%
22%
2%
17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
% Enrolling in Developmental Math by Pilot Status:

10
16%
9%
17%
32%
50%
64%
54%
20%
12%
17%
33%
52%
65%
60%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Non-
Pilot
Pilot for
All
Pilot for
Some
% Enrolling in College-Level Math by Pilot Status:

11
Preliminary Results: Student-Level
79% 79%
62% 66% 69%
87% 91%
83% 87% 87% 84% 82%
67%
96%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% Completing College-Level Math in Fall 2014
by “College-Ready” Status

Quinsigamond
Community College
Dr. Leslie Bolinger Horton
Dean
School of Math & Science

GPA Pilot
 A total of 165 first-time degree seeking freshmen who were
identified as potential math participants registered for
college level MAT 100 in fall 2014.
Approximately one-third or
32% (n=52) of the math
pilot participants (MPP)
received a college level
placement via their
Accuplacer score, while
50% (n=83) would have
received a developmental
math placement via their
Accuplacer score. Eighteen
percent (n=30) did not take
the Accuplacer so their
placement is unknown.

Exploration of Math Code on
Academic Success in MAT 100
 MAT 100 Pass Rates Fall 2014 by Math Code and HS GPA

QCC Math Department Initiatives
 Emporium Math Classes
 Mastery learning
 Math Boot Camps
 92% Place at least one
level higher than initial
placement via Accuplacer
 Contextualization
 “…contextual learning theory, learning occurs only when students
process new information or knowledge in such a way that it makes
sense to them in their own frames of reference (their own inner
worlds of memory, experience, and response). The mind naturally
seeks meaning in context by searching for relationships that make
sense and appear useful.
(http://www.cord.org/contextual-learning-definition/ )
85 82 80
100
92 9598 97 97
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
MAT 090 MAT 095 MAT 099
Emporium Fall:
Took the Final Exam and Passed the Final Exam- Percentage
Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014

UMass Boston
Dr. Maura Mast
Associate Vice Provost
Undergraduate Studies

University of Massachusetts Boston
The university took the following approach to implement the BHE Policy on
Developmental Mathematics, effective for registrations for fall 2014:
• New freshmen with high school GPA above 2.7 were allowed to register
directly into College Algebra or Quantitative Reasoning, the entry-level
mathematics courses at UMass Boston.
• The university purchased access to ALEKS PPL, a new placement test
system, which has the following features:
• It is adaptive, meaning that one test is used for placement into mathematics courses
ranging from Developmental Mathematics to the Calculus sequence;
• Student may take the test online at any time;
• Students receive detailed feedback of strengths and areas for improvement;
• Students have 6 months of free access to an online learning module individually tailored
to their strengths and weaknesses in mathematics.
• All entering students were encouraged to take the new ALEKS PPL
placement test.
• Mathematics pathways for different majors were articulated and
disseminated to advisors.
• College Algebra faculty were invited to use the ALEKS PPL curriculum in
their classes.

Additional initiatives for this pilot
• Developmental math courses were combined so that students would take at most
one such course;
• Three College Algebra faculty were trained in using the ALEKS curriculum and their
courses were scheduled into a computer lab;
• Five sections of College Algebra were identified as appropriate for students who
tested into Developmental Math but chose to enroll in College Algebra;
• Pre-requisites for College Algebra and Quantitative Reasoning were adjusted to
allow continuing students to move directly into these courses;
• For Spring 2015, supplemental instruction was increased.

Changes in course enrollments
Course Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Fall 2014 Spring 2015
Developmental Math 10 sections
270 students
10 sections
121 students
5 sections
73 students
0 sections
0 students
College Algebra 19 sections
512 students
11 sections
290 students
18 sections
519 students
16 sections
362 students
Quantitative Reasoning 11 sections
226 students
7 sections
144 students
12 sections
274 students
12 sections
270 students
• Initial data suggest that student success in the entry-level courses is as strong as it
has been in the past, if not stronger.
• For fall 2015:
• Developmental math will be permanently removed from the curriculum;
• More faculty will be trained to use the ALEKS curriculum;
• Math department is exploring other pedagogical and curricular changes for
College Algebra;
• Pending budgetary approval, supplemental instruction will be further
increased and additional support will be provided for Quantitative Reasoning.

Westfield State University
Dr. Karin Vorwerk
Professor and Chair
Department of Mathematics

The Westfield State Model
No non-credit math courses
Specialized 100-level classes for different majors
• Math 110/111 – Mathematics for Liberal Arts
• Math 115 – Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences
• Math 116 – Mathematical Systems (Math Majors only)
• Math 123 – Mathematical Methods for Natural Sciences
• Math 153 – Mathematics for Elementary Education
SIP (Supplemental Instruction Program)
• Student teaching assistants
• TAs attend class and hold help sessions
• Too recent to evaluate effectiveness
Extended Time (ET) sections
• ET sections meet an extra hour per week to allow for review and remediation
Karin Vorwerk, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics, Westfield State University,
kvorwerk@westfield.ma.edu

Implementing New Guidelines
Prior to AY 2014-15
• Every incoming student took ACCUplacer test
• Lowest scoring students placed in special extended time (ET) sections
• Number of ET sections ranged from a high of 14/AY to a low of 3/AY
• For various reasons, morphed into ET only for ELED, BUSM
AY 2014-15 (New BHE Guidelines)
• Only students with high school GPA below 2.8 took ACCUplacer
• Offered only one ET section Fall 14 (Math 115)
• Data collection
• Validation of ACCUplacer/ ET model
• Evaluation of placement and predictors of success, such as high school GPA, high
school GPA (Math only), high school Math classes, Math SAT, ACCUplacer scores

Lessons learned so far
High school GPA is not sensitive enough
In AY 13-14, among students with GPA ≥2.8:
• 34% scored below 72 on ACCUplacer test
• 47% scored below 82 on ACCUplacer test
These students would now be exempt from taking ACCUplacer test.
ET sections work
• Data show increased completion rates and increased grades
• Some departments requested keeping ET sections
ET sections concerns
• ET sections are expensive
• Faculty receive four credits instead of three
• Lower class caps (25 vs 30-35)
• Only FT faculty teach ACCUplacer sections (office hours)
• Pressure to fill classes
• Scheduling four blocks instead of three

25
 Amend AAC 14-12 and extend period of
experimentation to spring 2016
 UMass Donohue Institute to conduct qualitative
study to complement quantitative analysis
 Developmental Math convening
 DHE report with recommendations
 BHE decision on placement standards in
December 2015, allowing campuses to begin
making changes, if necessary, spring 2016
Fall 2015

Adding Up the Progress: Transforming Developmental Math Education

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Adding Up the Progress: Transforming Developmental Math Education