Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Approves Change to
Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Rules to Aid Implementation and Scale
of NMP
The Issue Institutions of higher education, including the 50 Texas community college districts participating in the New Mathways Project, are implementing multiple mathematics pathways and redesigning developmental prerequisites aligned to appropriate college-­‐level courses. To ease the implementation and scaling of these efforts, institutions asked the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for clarity and flexibility in the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) rules to determine when a student is college ready in mathematics if he or she completes developmental mathematics coursework other than intermediate algebra. Specifically, how should institutions determine when a student is college ready if he or she takes developmental coursework aligned to statistics or contemporary mathematics, instead of college algebra only? The Process •
January 2014: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board asked for nominations for a negotiated rulemaking committee to address this issue. Twenty-­‐six representatives from public universities, public technical colleges, and public community colleges were selected. •
April 2, 2014: The committee convened and came to a consensus on a recommendation (see below). •
April 2–April 15, 2014: Committee representatives conferred with their institutions to ensure the proposed rule change was acceptable. No significant issues emerged from this preliminary vetting. •
The recommended rule change is posted for open comment by all stakeholders in the state for the period of May 16, 2014–June 13, 2014. •
July 24, 2014: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board formally approves rule change. The Rule Change Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 4, Sections 4.53 Definitions, 4.54 Exemptions, Exceptions and Waivers, 4.58 Advisement and Plan for Academic Success, and 4.59 Determination of Readiness to Perform Freshman-­‐Level Academic Coursework have been modified to allow (but not require) institutions to designate two levels of college readiness in mathematics—one level for any freshman-­‐level mathematics course (MATH 1314/1414, 1324, 1342/1442, and 1332) and another level for students who are college ready for non-­‐
algebraically intensive mathematics courses, specifically statistics (MATH 1342/1442) and contemporary mathematics (MATH 1332). If a student becomes college-­‐ready in statistics or contemporary mathematics only, but later decides to pursue a major that requires college algebra or business mathematics, he or she may be required to complete additional August 2014
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Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on Texas Success Initiative (TSI)
Reaches Consensus to Aid Implementation and Scale of NMP
developmental work based on institutional discretion. Note that the rule change pertains to the characterization of college readiness once students have completed developmental coursework or interventions, not initial TSI assessment and placement decisions. The Benefits The rule change significantly aids implementation of the NMP in Texas by offering institutions options to offer multiple mathematics pathways to a larger population of students. The rule preserves institutional flexibility to determine which developmental courses or interventions are best suited to student needs. It allows institutions to more easily track student progress within pathways. At the same time, the rule change provides institutions with the assurance they need that students are adequately prepared for the appropriate college level courses required for students’ majors. Most importantly for the NMP, students can now be classified as TSI complete before registering for college-­‐level courses in statistics and contemporary mathematics. The change also supports rule 4.59’s requirement that “An institution shall, as soon as practicable and feasible, indicate a student's readiness in reading, mathematics, and writing on the transcript of each student.” May 14, 2014
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