Statway MOU Discussion Notes
Monday, November 16, 2016
1:00-3:00 p.m. at UW Mary Gates Hall
Present: Joyce Hammer, Julie Garver, Janice DeCosmo, Darby Kaikkonen, Bill Moore, Victor Kuo, Megan
Daniels, Mary Wack, Mary Ellen O’Keefe, Wendy Rockhill, Mike Flodin (phone), Steve Vanderstaay
(phone), Emily Leggio, Dan Ratner, Tim England, Keith Klauss, Anne Cubilie
Background/Overview
After introductions and a review of current MOU, Janice led the discussion on how Statway is implemented
at Tacoma Community College (two quarters) and the Seattle Colleges (three quarters). Mike Flodin shared
that at Tacoma the curriculum and assessments are closely controlled by the Carnegie Foundation, leading
to a similar experience for students. Seattle Colleges require an additional precollege course in their model.
However, the outcomes for Statway lead to the commonly numbered statistics course offered at most
community and technical colleges (e.g. Math 136). Seattle Central has an additional workbook and course
that includes more intermediate algebra content. Pierce College has developed a similar Statway path to
Seattle Central’s.
Nationwide, 33 two-year colleges utilize Statway along with some four-year institutions (e.g. Cal-State
system). Note: the conversation raised the issue that content may “drift” over time as more colleges adopt
the model.
Flodin also relayed that Carnegie:
 Offers Statway training
 Uses Carnegie-owned curriculum
o Student purchase online access
o No variation in textbook
 Owns the registered trademark for the Statway name
 Provides common assessment
 Has a college-level statistics designation for Math 136
Bill Moore relayed that Washington is one of the states partnering in the Mathways project led by the Dana
Center at the University of Texas- Austin. This project will provide support for several states, including
Washington, to implement the Dana Center’s New Mathways approach to scale across the state; see
http://www.utdanacenter.org/higher-education/new-mathways-project/ for more details.
The question was raised what type of students pursue Statway? Flodin and Wendy Rockhill confirmed that
most students are in allied health, social science, art history, and other fields where statistics is required.
In addition they noted that advising is critical because the Statway pathway limits options for students
versus those who pursue the traditional intermediate algebra pathway. Janice DeCosmo stressed that there is
a concern that high school students enrolled in Running Start (RS) will take the Statway pathway to avoid
the traditional Calculus route, which may limit their options down the road in their educational pathway.
Flodin confirmed that RS students were not taking Statway with Joyce Hammer relaying that her message
to the community and technical college leadership was to make sure that RS students were not advised into
Statway for the above-mentioned concern. Flodin also mentioned that RS will not pay for developmental
classes so that is also a deterrent.
Concerns were also raised about making sure that students are advised accordingly and not limited by their
math course choices, especially if they decide on a field later on that might require the calculus-based track.
Moore notes that the Dana Center is also developing a bridge to calculus if students choose to change
pathways. Tacoma Community College is also developing a bridge class for Statway students to get back
into the calculus track.
Data Analysis Plan
Participants discussed the next steps in how to analyze students who take Statway and their success when
transferring from the two to four-year institutions. Below are some questions to address for this research
 How can we be assured that students in Statway are taking an appropriate pathway?
 What assurances are possible regarding course content, appropriate learning goals, and level of
mathematical learning achieved?
 How many students who complete 136 go on to higher statistics courses? (If too few “n”, what
could be learned from their experiences?)
 What is the connection of Statway to the Common Core? To definition of “college ready”?
 What data do we need? What data is readily available? (MRTE, Clearinghouse—Clearinghouse
data lack detail of MRTE, but can be timelier)
Next Steps

Tracking Statway students to see what happens to them (majors, etc.) at public baccalaureate
institutions (PBI)?
o Are they prepared for additional statistics classes when transferring?
o Do they switch to more math-oriented paths and need more math as a result of having taken
Statway?
o Assess time to degree for Statway students who transfer (vs. non-Statway students, both
transfer and native)? How do GPAs compare?
o Persistence to graduation (do they actually graduate?) On time?
o Do Statway students transfer with and without AA?
o How do Statway students compare to students who have taken Math& 146 and transferred?
o What’s the educational background/preparation of Statway students (course-taking in high
school and in CTCs), and how does it compare to other transfer students (and to native PBI
students as well)?

Inventory of majors and degree requirements at public baccalaureate institutions requiring
something other than statistics?

Qualitative survey post-course (and post-transfer)?
o What non-cognitive variables characteristics did students have before and after?
o To what extent do students transfer productive persistence skills to other non-math courses?
o Are students’ overall success improved due to productive persistence?
Other Notes
 San Jose State University did some data on students who completed Statway compared to other
students.
 Seattle Colleges have completed some research and data analysis involving Statway through a Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation grant.
 Work around guided pathways could inform this research.
 Senior year bridge courses are aligned to the Common Core.
 College readiness versus minimum state admission requirements needs to be clarified.
 Smarter Balanced Assessment may influence research.
 The Evergreen State College has experience assisting Statway students with transferring to TESC.
 With the CSU system adopting Statway, some additional data/ research may surface.