COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
April 15, 2016
The Policy, Practice and
Research Behind Accelerated
Regency C, Hyatt
Regency Chicago
Developmental
Mathematics
(West Tower, Gold Level)
Innovative Practices in Developmental Mathematics Conference
LaGuardia Community College
Nikki Edgecombe
Senior Research Associate
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Today’s presentation
• “Accelerated” developmental education
• Select approaches and evidence base
• Implementation considerations
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April15,
15,2016
2016
April
“Accelerated”
developmental math
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April 15, 2016
Shift of focus from access to completion
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
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Leakage points in traditional dev ed
TOTAL
sequence are pronounced
PASSED:
Research helped to establish and amplify
the case for change and has evaluated
outcomes for reforms designed to alter:
• Course structure
• Curricula
Enrolled
• Assessment and placement
18%
Passed
• Student supports
6%
Enrolled
10%
Passed
14%
1 level
below
24%
Enrolled
34%
2 levels
below
Passed
50%
Enrolled
73%
Referred
to Level
3+
96,653
3+ levels
below
Not enrolled
14%
Not
completed
Not
enrolled
19%
22%
GK
Algebra
Not enrolled
6%
Not enrolled
4%
Not
completed
2%
Not
completed
4%
Not
completed
10%
Source: Virginia AtD 2001-2005
cohorts, tracked for three years
Additional information is available at the following link;
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/referral-enrollment5
completion-developmental-education.html.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Majority of community college students
assigned to developmental math
FTIC Cohort - Fall 2013
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
VCCS
NCCCS
CUNY CCs
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April15,
15,2016
2016
April
Select approaches
and evidence base
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Revisiting assessment and placement
Student
Ability
Placement According to Exam
Developmental
College Level
Developmental
College Level

Over-placed
Under-placed

(English – 29%)
(Math – 18%)
(English – 5%)
(Math – 6%)
Additional information on this analysis is available at the following link:
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/high-stakes-placement-exams-predict.html.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Multiple measures as an alternative
Decision Bands
(North Carolina)
Directed SelfPlacement
(Florida)
Placement
Algorithm
(LBCC, SUNY)
Review Panels
(Wisconsin)
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Potential measures available to colleges
Placement
Algorithm
(LBCC, SUNY)
• Placement test
• Non-cognitive
measures
• HS GPA
• HS standardized
test(s)
• Other HS transcript
info
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Modularization
How does it work?
Developmental course content is broken down into smaller pieces
(i.e., modules) to allow students to master narrower slices of
curricula at one time and to engage only the content in which they
have not shown proficiency, potentially accelerating completion of
remedial requirements
How is it implemented?
Typically students take diagnostic assessment at time of
placement and/or start of module(s); frequently delivered through
computer-mediated instructional delivery with self-pacing features
Large-Scale/
Institutionalized
Examples
VA redesigned development math; NC redesigned developmental
math; some TN CCs
Evidence of
Effectiveness
VA: Interrupted time series analysis comparing pre-reform and
post-reform cohorts found that post-reform students who place
into all modules are 0.6 percentage pts more likely to complete
college math with a C or higher compared to observably similar
pre-reform arithmetic-placed students (forthcoming CCRC ASDER
analysis)
Note: A forthcoming paper on modularized developmental mathematics from the ASDER project
will be available on the CCRC ASDER project webpage in the coming weeks http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/research-project/statewide-developmental-education-reform.html.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Compression
How does it work?
Students enroll in two sequential courses in a single semester or
content of sequential courses is combined into a single onesemester course, in order to accelerate completion of remedial
requirements
How is it implemented?
Typically sequential courses offered in 7- or 8-week “mini”mesters; single one-semester courses expand credit hours though
seek to streamline content (e.g., eliminate review) where possible
Large-Scale/
Institutionalized
Examples
Community College of Denver FastStart; many colleges offer 7- or
8-week courses
Evidence of
Effectiveness
FastStart: Regression analysis of pooled 2006, 2007 and 2008
cohorts found students enrolled in FastStart math courses were
significantly more likely to enroll in gatekeeper math and
significantly more likely to pass gatekeeper math than students
enrolled in the traditional developmental math sequence
(Edgecombe, Jaggars, Baker & Bailey, 2013)
Additional information on the FastStart analysis is available at the following link:
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/acceleration-through-holistic-support-model.html.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Math Pathways
How does it work?
Content of developmental mathematics courses is streamlined
and aligned to the mathematics requirements of varying degree
programs to ensure students take the type and amount of
mathematics they need, thus accelerating students’ progress
How is it implemented?
Typically students eligible for the equivalent of beginning algebra
are directed to the relevant pathway for their programs of study;
national initiatives integrate psycho-social development into
curriculum in addition to mathematical content
Large-Scale/
Institutionalized
Examples
Carnegie Statway/Quantway; New Mathways Project
Evidence of
Effectiveness
SW/QW: Descriptive statistics analyses of the fall 2011, 2012 and
2013 cohorts found 49% of students enrolled in Statway
successfully completed the year-long course compared to 15% of
the students enrolled in the baseline comparison group; 56% of
students enrolled in Quantway successfully completed the twocourse sequence compared to 29% of students enrolled in the
baseline comparison group (Sowers & Yamada, 2015)
Additional information on the Statway and Quantway analysis is available at the following link:
http://cdn.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pathways_impact_report_2015.pdf
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Corequisite
How does it work?
Students simultaneously enroll in college course and
supplementary remediation to eliminate exit point and accelerate
completion of gatekeeper course
How is it implemented?
Form of supplemental remediation varies, including a companion
course, lab time, supplemental instruction, etc.; gatekeeper
courses also vary
Large-Scale/
Institutionalized
Examples
TN, WV, IN, AR and 27 other CC systems tracked by CCA
Evidence of
Effectiveness
TN: Descriptive analyses of fall 2014 and spring 2015 pilots found
63.3% of students passed co-req Intro Statistics compared with
12.3% of students in old model and 66.9% of students passed coreq Freshman Comp compared to 30.9% of students in the old
model (TBR, 2015)
Additional information on the Tennessee corequisite pilot outcomes are available at the following link:
https://www.tbr.edu/news/tennessee-board-regents-co-requisite-remediation-model-produces-giant-leaps-student-success
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Pre-matriculation Intensives
How does it work?
Students enroll in intensive mathematics coursework prior to
matriculation in order to focus on completion of remedial
requirements or on improvement of placement level
How is it implemented?
Oftentimes described as bootcamps or brush-ups, intensives vary
in time requirement (e.g., 20 hours to full semesters) and mode of
instructional delivery (e.g., lecture, lab, computer-mediated,
hybrid)
Large-Scale/
Institutionalized
Examples
CUNY USIP (University Skills Immersion Program); CUNY Start
Evidence of
Effectiveness
CS: Regression analysis of fall 2007 cohort found students
enrolled in CS were 1.9 times as likely to complete a degree within
three years compared to students enrolled in traditional
developmental education (Allen, 2015)
Additional information about the Allen (2015) study is available at the following link:
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/site/ataglance/2015/06/study-by-doctoral-student-drew-allen-evaluates-remedialpathways-for-community-college-students.html.
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April15,
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2016
April
Implementation
considerations
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
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Student learning
How do we ensure
changes to
developmental
mathematics courses,
curricula, and
pedagogy have
positive implications
for student learning?
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April 15, 2016
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
ASDER learning assessment study
228 students participated in
primary measures:
20 students participated in oral
interviews:
• Customized written assessment (18
items)
• Discussed their approach as they
worked through math problems
• Background questionnaire
• Subset of 8 problems from the
written assessment
• Self-efficacy questionnaire
• Teacher judgment ratings
Two papers detailing the math learning assessment outcomes are forthcoming and will be available on the CCRC
ASDER project webpage: http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/research-project/statewide-developmental-education-reform.html. 18
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Student responses to a familiar, complex
word problem
Pat is making a circular tablecloth with a diameter of 5 feet. She is
cutting the circle from a square piece of fabric that is 5 feet on each
side. How much fabric is left over?
Use 3.14 as an approximation for
Student
N
Percentage responded
Response
9.3
29
19%
5.4*
26
17%
15.7
17
11%
No response
17
11%
31.4
10
6.5%
19.6
7
5%
78.5
5
3%
* denotes correct answer
Note: responses that are equivalent except for format or rounding are grouped together.
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April 15, 2016
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
Excerpt from student work
incorrect
correct
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Excerpt from student interview
Q: Can you tell me why you chose the
[circumference] formula that you did?
A: Because for the circle that’s
circumference and I thought that you
know since it said in the formula that
there was a Pi times D I just plugged
in the 5 for the diameter and then for….
Q: So you knew to choose that one because that one had a D in it and you
didn’t see a D in the other?
A: Right, yeah. But I guess I could have used the other one [referring to the
area formula]….with a radius…I guess I could….mmm no. No because then it
would be 2.5 as the radius…I guess I could.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Excerpt from student interview
A. I did the 3.14 times the 5 and I got this 15.7.
Q. And why did you do that?
A. Because those were the two key numbers that were in the problem.
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April 15, 2016
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
Contextual understanding:
Students score lowest on novel items
and complex word problems
Straightforward
word problem
Complex
word
problem
Familiar
Novel
Not a word
problem
Mean
58.0
24.1
60.0
74.0
32.3
Std. Dev.
18.1
27.1
23.0
20.8
23.5
• Not a word problem: No text needs to be parsed in order to reach a correct answer.
• Straightforward word problem: Straightforward word problems require students to parse text to reach a correct
answer. The numbers and operations necessary to reach the correct answer flow directly from the problem text.
• Complex word problem: Complex word problems require students to parse text to reach a correct answer. In
addition, they require some inference or additional step to reach the correct answer beyond performing operations
with the numbers given in the problem.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Equitable outcomes
How do we ensure
changes to developmental
mathematics courses,
curricula, and pedagogy
are generating equitable
outcomes across
subgroups of students?
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April 15, 2016
COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
ASDER math learning assessment scores
vary across student subgroups
Mean percentage
correct
Std. Dev.
Male
55.5
19.0
Female
51.2
17.0
Age 18-21
51.2
16.8
Age 22 to 35
57.8
19.9
Age 36+
49.3
16.5
White *
60.4
16.5
Non-White*
46.6
16.3
* Statistically significant at the 5% level.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Aggregate analyses can obscure variation in
subgroup outcomes
50%
35%
41%
31%
31%
College math completion rate
40%
40%
30%
40%
28%
23%
22%
20%
20%
Pre-Reform
(2010)
Post-Reform
(2013)
14%
10%
17 % pts (post)
10%
13 % pts (pre)
0%
Total
White
Black
Latino
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
What might be driving this achievement gap?
100%
Developmental math placement rate
92%
90%
82%
80%
70%
60%
20%
80%
79%
74%
34%
54%
40%
41%
48%
50%
47%
40%
30%
26 % pts (post)
Pre-Reform
(2010)
Post-Reform
(2013)
20%
12% pts (pre)
10%
0%
Total
White
Black
Latino
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
Other implementation considerations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Faculty engagement and professional learning
Institutional resources
Scaling and institutionalization
Professional roles, responsibilities, and identities
Fidelity (versus integrity)
Transfer articulation
Data availability for measuring effectiveness and refinement
Additional information on developmental education reform implementation is available at the following link:
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/strengthening-developmental-education-reforms.html.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER
April 15, 2016
For more information
Please visit us on the web at
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu
where you can download presentations, reports,
and briefs, and sign-up for news announcements.
We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.
Community College Research Center
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY 10027
E-mail: ccrc@columbia.edu Telephone: 212.678.3091
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