High School to College:
Bridging the Mathematics Gap
Susan Hudson Hull, Ph.D.
Mathematics Director,
Charles A. Dana Center
CAMT July 12, 2005
Charles A. Dana Center
The University of Texas at Austin
Creating resources and support for
• mathematics and science
teachers
• administrators and leaders
• districts
• higher education mathematics
faculty
American Diploma Project
• Partnership of Achieve, Inc.; The Education Trust;
and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
• Current ADP network of 18 states, including Texas.
• Involved wide variety of K–12, higher education and
business representatives.
• Created end-of-high-school benchmarks to convey
the knowledge and skills graduates will need to be
successful in college and the workplace.
• Key finding: Unprecedented convergence of skills
required for success in college and work.
Achieve, 2005
Secondary and PostSecondary Mathematics
Where do we want to be and why?
Where are we now?
Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board goal: Close the
Gaps in Participation
By 2015, close the gaps in
enrollment rates across Texas to
add 500,000 more students.
105.3 percent of the overall 2005 target was reached in
2003, including 100.9 percent of the African-American
target, 53.2 percent of the Hispanic target, and 268
percent of the White target.
THECB Progress Report, July 2004
Three-Year 157,420 Increase: Largest
in Texas History
157,420
THECB Progress Report, July 2004
Findings from THECB thus far …
• The percent of students entering from public
high schools has remained steady.
• There are large increases in the percent of
entering students with the recommended or
above graduation requirements.
• Texas sends fewer students to higher education
compared to other states.
• Economically disadvantaged students are less
likely to enroll in higher education.
• Hispanic Bachelor’s, Associate’s, and Certificates
continue to fall short.
THECB Progress Report, July 2004
A high school diploma is not the last
educational stop required
Share of new jobs, 2000–10
60%
40%
36%
31%
22%
20%
Achieve, 2005
10%
0%
High school
dropout
• Jobs that require
at least some
postsecondary
education will
make up more
than two-thirds
of new jobs.
High school
diploma
Some
postsecondary
Bachelor's
degree
Source: Carnevale, Anthony P.
and Donna M. Desrochers,
Standards for What? The
Economic Roots of K–16 Reform,
Educational T esting Service,
2003.
Today’s graduates need more
knowledge and skills
25%
37%
38%
Share of Jobs
• Highly Paid Professional
Jobs Earnings: $40,000+
Projected Job Growth Rate:
20%
• Well-Paid, Skilled Jobs
Earnings: $25,000–$40,000
Projected Job Growth Rate:
12%
• Low-Paid or Low-Skilled
Jobs Earnings: Less than
$25,000 Projected Job
Growth Rate: 15%
Source: American Diploma Project, 2002.
Achieve, 2005
What does it take to succeed in
“good” jobs?
ADP research found that:
• 84 percent of highly paid professionals (top tier
of pyramid) took Algebra II or higher in high
school.
• Employers emphasize importance of workers
being able to think creatively and logically and to
identify and solve problems.
• Fastest growing occupations require some
education beyond high school (e.g., certificate,
bachelor’s degree, associate degree, on-the-job
training).
Achieve, 2005
American Diploma Project
• How well prepared are our students for the
world a2er high school?
• What does it mean to be prepared for college
and work?
• Do we expect all of our students to be
prepared?
• Closing the expectations gap — what will it
take?
Achieve, 2005
Percentage of 9th grade students
graduating on time college ready
Very few high school graduates
are “college ready”
100%
75%
45%
50%
27%
34%
25%
0%
Lowest: Alaska
United States
Highest: New Jersey
Source: Manhattan Institute, Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991–2002, February 2005,
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
Achieve, 2005
Too few minority students in U.S.
graduate from high school
“college ready”
Source: Manhattan Institute, Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991–2002, February 2005,
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
Achieve, 2005
College bound does not necessarily
mean college ready
Percentage of U.S. first-year students in two-year and
four-year institutions requiring remediation
Reading
Writing
11%
•
14%
Math
22%
Reading, writing
or math
0%
28%
20%
40%
60%
Nearly three
in 10 firstyear students
are placed
immediately
into a
remedial
college course.
Achieve, 2005
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Remedial Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions in Fall
2000, 2003.
Most U.S. college students who take
remedial courses fail to earn degrees
Percentage not earning degree by type of
remedial coursework
Many college
students who
need remediation,
especially in
reading and math,
do not earn either
an associate’s or
a bachelor’s
degree.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education, 2004.
Achieve, 2005
Many high school graduates cite
gaps in preparation
How well did your high school education prepare you for
college or the work/jobs you hope to get in the future?
 Very well: generally able to do what’s expected
 Extremely well: prepared for everything
 Somewhat well: some gaps
 Not well: large gaps/struggling
61%
53%
46%
39%
High school graduates who
went to college
High school graduates who
did not go to college
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
College instructors/employers confirm
high school graduates’ lack of preparation
Average estimated proportions of recent high school
graduates who are not prepared
42%
High school graduates not
prepared for college-level
classes
45%
High school graduates not prepared
to advance beyond entry-level jobs
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
“The strongest predictor of bachelor’s
degree completion was the intensity
and quality of students’ high school
curriculum.”
- Adelman, 1999
A strong high school curriculum*
improves college completion and
narrows gaps
13%
30%
30%
*Completing at least Algebra II plus other courses.
Source: Adapted from Adelman, Clifford, U.S. Department of Education, Answers in the Toolbox, 1999.
Achieve, 2005
Understanding the landscape
•
•
•
•
TEKS
TAKS
Algebra II for All, but no accountability
3 years of math required: Alg I, Geom, Alg II, but
no requirement for 4 years of HS mathematics
• Nationwide approximately 50% of students
entering college require remediation (63% for
those entering community colleges, USDOE 2001)
The Texas High School
Mathematics Program
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
Precalculus
Mathematical Models w/ Applications
AP Statistics
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
When is Algebra II required for all?
All incoming freshman in 2004-2005 must
graduate under the
Recommended High School Program.
And…
this means all students need to succeed in Alg II
as defined by the TEKS.
HB 1144
20 states require Algebra I
MN
SD
IN
UT
KY
CA
NM
OK
TX
WV VA
NC
TN
AR
MD
MS AL GA
LA
FL
Source: Achieve, Inc., The Expectations
Gap: A 50-State Review of High School
Graduation Requirements, 2004.
Achieve, 2005
13 states require Geometry
MN
IN
UT
KY
OK
TX
AR
WV VA
MD
MS AL
LA
Source: Achieve, Inc., The Expectations
Gap: A 50-State Review of High School
Graduation Requirements, 2004.
Achieve, 2005
Only 3 states require Algebra II
IN
AR
TX
Source: Achieve, Inc., The Expectations
Gap: A 50-State Review of High School
Graduation Requirements, 2004.
Achieve, 2005
“ Will the students who meet the state’s new
requirements for high school graduation be
prepared to enter college without
remediation, should they choose to do so?”
- The Education Trust, 1999
To be college and work ready,
students need to complete a rigorous
sequence of courses
To cover the content in the ADP benchmarks, high
school graduates need:
•
In math:
– Four courses
– Content equivalent
to Algebra I and II,
Geometry, and
Data, Probability &
Statistics
• In English:
– Four courses
– Content equivalent
to four years of
grade-level English
or higher (i.e.,
honors or AP
English)
Achieve, 2005
What can we do (together)?
1. Encourage a common understanding K-16 about
what students need to know and be able to do to
succeed in either post-secondary education or the
workplace.
2. Raise expectations and provide support for all
students to be ready for college or the workplace.
3. Support teachers and faculty and provide resources
for them to teach students a quality mathematics
curriculum.
4. Develop an aligned mathematics curriculum K-16.
1. Encourage a common understanding K-16 about
what students need to know and be able to do to
succeed in either post-secondary education or the
workplace.
1. Encourage a common understanding K-16 about
what students need to know and be able to do to
succeed in either post-secondary education or the
workplace.
Reality check:
• Where do we start to build consensus?
• What is college-level mathematics?
Response:
• In Texas, business, community, and higher ed involved in
setting K-12 standards
• And nationally, Achieve’s American Diploma Project starts
the conversation.
“A college and workplace readiness curriculum
should be a graduation requirement, not an
option, for all high school students.”
- Achieve’s American Diploma Project, 2004
2. Raise expectations and provide support for all
students to be ready for college or the workplace.
Reality check:
• Many students don’t have the skills for college-level
mathematics (Adelman, 1998)
• Students who need remediation graduate from college at
significantly lower rates than others (Mortenson, 1999)
• Students are not required to take 4 years of mathematics
• Students who take only Alg, Geom, and Alg II still not
prepared for college-level math (ACT, 2004)
• 2-year college admission o2en open to all: Are we
sending the right message to students? (CCRC, 1999)
2. Raise expectations and provide support for all
students to be ready for college or the workplace.
“Well, I think the biggest thing for them is, here,
they’ve graduated from high school but they
come and take our placement test and they’re still
in pre-college … math and they don’t understand
that if they stop taking math in their sophomore
year that, you know, they don’t get it…
and I think the sad thing is that they say…‘no one
told me that I should be taking math all the way
through’.”
-community college advisor (Stanford University Project report, 2004)
Most high school graduates were
moderately challenged
All high school
graduates
College
students
Students who did
not go to college
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
Graduates who faced high expectations
in high school twice as likely to feel
prepared for future
Percentage saying they were extremely/very well prepared
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
Algebra II critical for college and work
High school graduates extremely or very well prepared for
expectations of college/work
100%
Completed less than Algebra II
Completed Algebra II/more
75%
68%
60%
46%
50%
26%
25%
0%
College students
Students who did not go to college
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
Knowing what they know today, high
school graduates would have worked
harder
100%
Would have applied myself more
77%
75%
65%
50%
25%
0%
High school
graduates who
went to college
High school
graduates who did
not go to college
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
If high school had demanded more,
graduates would have worked harder
 Would have worked harder
 Strongly feel I would have worked harder
82%
 Wouldn’t have worked harder
80%
18%
17%
64%
63%
15%
High school graduates
who went to college
18%
High school graduates who did
not go to college
Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates
Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
Majority of graduates would have taken
harder courses
Knowing what you know today about the expectations of
college/work …
Would have taken more
challenging courses in at
least one area
Would have taken
more challenging
courses in:
Math
Science
English
Source: Peter D. Hart Research
Associates/Public Opinion Strategies,
Rising to the Challenge: Are High
School Graduates Prepared for
College and Work? prepared for
Achieve, Inc., 2005.
Achieve, 2005
2. Raise expectations and provide support for
all students to be ready for college or the
workplace.
Response:
• In Texas, continuing to raise expectations (revised
TEKS, revised TAKS)
• Alg II now required (with talk of an End-ofCourse exam sometime in the future)
• Push for 4 solid years of mathematics in high
school; many districts set this as a requirement
• Push for success as evidenced by TAKS beyond
just passing; 2200 is college-readiness cutoff
3. Support teachers and faculty and provide
resources for them to teach students a quality
mathematics curriculum.
Reality check:
• 9-12 mathematics teachers can learn from higher
ed faculty (ie, teachers may need help with
increasing their own content understanding)
• Higher ed faculty can learn from 9-12 teachers
(ie, faculty may need help with increasing their
own understanding of pedagogy)
• Alternative certification is growing - with or
without us
3. Support teachers and faculty and provide
resources for them to teach students a quality
mathematics curriculum.
Response:
• TEKS-aligned professional development and
curricular resources for 9-12 mathematics
• TEKS-aligned resources for faculty to use with
preservice teachers
• TEKS-aligned resources for faculty to use with
inservice teachers
Alg I, Geometry, and Alg II Resources
(Dana Center)
• Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II Assessments
• Practice-based professional development for
the assessments (TEXTEAMS)
• TEXTEAMS institutes
• Scope and sequence, clarifying activities and
lessons, and research links in the Mathematics
TEKS Toolkit
Mathematics TEKS Toolkit
www.mathtekstoolkit.org
The Math TEKS Toolkit, from the Dana
Center, continues to be a great resource for
studying the TEKS, choosing assessments,
and creating lessons (check out Supporting
TEKS and TAKS)
REVISION IN PROCESS!
Support for Current and Prospective
Mathematics Teachers
Goal: Broaden and diversify the network of
faculty and other key stakeholders who take
leadership roles in implementing standardsbased reform in the preparation and continued
learning of mathematics teachers
• Supporting and Strengthening Standards-based
Mathematics Teacher Preparation (Guidelines)
• Teacher Quality Modules to build teacher content
knowledge and improve instructional practice
4.
Develop an aligned mathematics
curriculum K-16.
4.
Develop an aligned mathematics
curriculum K-16.
Reality check:
• Historical disconnection between K-12 and colleges and
universities
• (Continuing disconnect among elem/MS/HS)
• Few incentives to collaborate
• K-12 TAKS includes a college-readiness standard;
expectation is that students who score 2200 are ready for
College Algebra
• Graphing calculators are required on TAKS - where are
they in higher ed math courses?
• Disconnect between TEKS, TAKS, high school course
taking and college placement tests
4.
Develop an aligned mathematics
curriculum K-16.
Response :
• There is alignment in K-12 mathematics within
the TEKS
• Districts are beginning to pay attention to
vertical teaming and collaboration (but it’s hard)
• But what about for 9-14??? We’ve got to talk!
Closing the expectations gap
requires us to take action
• Align high school standards and assessments with
the knowledge and skills required for success in
postsecondary education and work.
• Administer a college- and work-ready assessment,
aligned to state standards [and align collegeplacement tests to what’s needed].
• Require all students to take a college- and workready curriculum to earn a high school diploma.
•
• Hold high schools accountable for graduating
students who are college ready, AND hold
postsecondary institutions accountable for their
success once enrolled.
Achieve, 2005
Postsecondary must be involved
What does it take to align high school
standards with “college-ready” standards?
• A clear, consistent definition of “college
ready” from state postsecondary
institutions.
But above all it’s about …
“ What many argue is needed is much stronger
communication and collaborations between
secondary and postsecondary systems (Orr,
1998; 1999); communication that will help
students understand what they need to
know and be able to do to achieve the
ambitions that so many have.”
- Bailey, Hughes, Karp, 2002
Thought for the day…
What would it take for public schools to
provide a mathematics program so strong
and inviting that a large percentage of
students–perhaps every student–could be
prepared to successfully complete
challenging and rigorous mathematics
courses throughout their four years in high
school?
How can we together help this to happen?
Contact information:
Susan Hudson Hull
Mathematics Director
Charles A. Dana Center
shhull@mail.utexas.edu
Presentation available
under Resources:
www.mathtekstoolkit.org