Developmental Mathematics Reform: Choosing the Best Model

1. Developmental Mathematics Reform: Choosing the Best Model AMATYC Conference November 21, 2015 New Orleans, Louisiana Rita Eisele, Sylvia Walker, Janet Delgado, and Cathy Aguilar-Morgan New Mexico State University, Alamogordo

2. Core Principles • We used the core principles as outlined in "Core Principles for Transforming Remedial Education: A Joint Statement" as a guide for developing our models. http://www.jff.org/publications/core-principles-transforming-remedial-education-joint-statement

3. Core Principles • Principle 3. Enrollment in a gateway college-level course should be the default placement for many more students. • Principle 4. Additional academic support should be integrated with gateway college-level course content — as a co-requisite, not a pre-requisite. • Principle 5. Students who are significantly underprepared for college-level academic work need accelerated routes into programs of study. http://www.jff.org/publications/core-principles-transforming-remedial-education-joint-statement

4. Our Approach for Principle 5 Students who test into the lowest levels of math (Mathematics Preparation for College Success or Pre-Algebra) will be placed into a 3-semester track which will include: • Mathematics Preparation for College Success and Pre-Algebra • Beginning Algebra Part I/Beginning Algebra Part II (or Beginning Algebra with supplemental instruction) • Intermediate Algebra or Math Appreciation

5. Community College Developmental Math (CCDM) • A student who tests into our Mathematics Preparation for College Success usually spends two years in developmental courses before they can take a class that counts as college credit. • Title V grant (No Time to Lose) has helped us design and implement methods to speed up the process.

6. CCDM and Title V • Purpose of grant is to develop ways to fast-track developmental students so they can complete their STEM degrees in a more timely fashion. • Provides support for materials and professional development. • Purchase laptop computers • Manipulatives (Mathematics Preparation for College Success/Prealgebra) • Structural changes to lab.

7. Teaching Strategy • Develop a deeper conceptual understanding to prepare students for future classes. • Introduce critical thinking. • Meet every day to reinforce concepts. • Provide extra instruction in problem areas.

8. Mathematics Preparation for College Success/Prealgebra Strategy • Combine Mathematics Preparation for College Success and Prealgebra into one semester • Continue to use computer software (self-paced) and same learning outcomes • Meet 4 days per week • Use a variety of teaching strategies to address multiple learning styles. • Manipulatives • Self-paced • Group activities • Mini-lectures

9. Problem Areas • Fractions! • Understanding equivalent fractions • Finding GCF and LCM • Prime factorization • Simplifying fractions and rational expressions • Proportional reasoning • Factoring polynomials • Multiplying binomials

10. Some Success Stories • 7 students have completed either Intermediate Algebra or Math Appreciation. • 2 students have completed Intermediate Algebra, and are currently enrolled in my College Algebra class. • 4 students have completed Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, and Business Calculus or Introduction to Statistics • 1 student made it through Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Business Calculus, and Introduction to Statistics and also transferred to the main campus and was successful in taking a 300 level of Statistics course.

11. Student Quote • Basic math has given me the confidence to tackle, and has prepared me in more than one ways for my upper division math classes; it helped me identify and analyze patterns, solve real world problems, problems that occur in our day to day life, it also helped me develop logic and critical thinking, and finally it helped me realize the relationship between life and the importance of math.

12. Fall 2015 Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra • Our two sections of the course are participating in a study comparing online self-paced learning systems. • One section of the course is using ALEKS, while the other section is using Core Skills Mastery (CSM). • Both systems fill in gaps in students’ math skills, but CSM also teaches literacy skills.

13. Fall 2015 Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra(continued) • The sections use the same teaching strategies, including manipulatives, videos, and mini-lectures, differing only in the online learning system used. • The classes take the same weekly quizzes, and will take the same final exam. • Both sections took the Compass test at the beginning of the semester, and they will take it again at the end of the semester. Before and after scores will be compared.

14. College Algebra/Precalculus (compressed) • Offered as consecutive eight week classes in one semester to enable students who have passed Intermediate Algebra to take Calculus after only one semester of preparation. • Amount of time usually spent on review of college algebra material was reduced in the precalculus class.

15. Pass Rates for College Algebra paired with Precalculus(compressed)(with ‘C’ or better) *Compressed – 1st 8-week College Algebra course meeting 4 days a week, followed by 2nd 8-week Precalculuscourse meeting 4 days a week. **Students who enrolled only in Precalculus were informed before the first day of class that time spent on review would be reduced.

16. College Algebra Pass Rates(C or better)

17. Precalulus Pass Rates(C or better)

18. Summary • Success: All students who took both classes passed precalculus with a C or better. • Problem: In the two semesters the classes were offered, only 4 students took both classes.

19. Beginning Algebra/Intermediate Algebra Strategies • Provide an opportunity for students to complete the developmental math course and a gateway math course in a reduced time frame. • By using a combined Beginning and Intermediate Algebra book, the students will not have as much repetition of previously learned material, which would enable more class time for new material in Intermediate Algebra. • An additional benefit of using a combined book would be reduced college expenses for students.

20. Pass Rates for Mathematics Developmental course (Beginning Algebra) paired with a gateway course (Intermediate Algebra) (with ‘C’ or better) *Compressed – 8-week Beginning Algebra course meeting 4 days a week, followed by 8-week Intermediate Algebra course meeting 4 days a week. **Co-requisite – 16-week courses meeting two days a week. Beginning Algebra course met on days before the Intermediate Algebra courses.

21. Beginning Algebra Pass Rates (C or better)

22. Intermediate Algebra Pass Rate (C or better)

23. Advantages • With both the compressed and co-requisite courses, students are able to complete their developmental math course sequence sooner, and therefore, enroll in a college level course sooner. • Students met every day, which reinforces their math skills on a daily basis.

24. Disadvantages • These two courses combined are seven hours of students’ financial aid. • Incorrect placement of students in these courses may delay being able to advance in their math sequence. • Not all students are able to move at the faster pace of an eight week course or be able to juggle two math courses in one semester.

25. Developmental Math Redesign(Fall 2016) • Mathematics Preparation and Pre-algebra (5 credits) Intermediate Algebra (3 credits) or Math Appreciation (3 credits) Supplemental Instruction Supplemental Instruction Homework Lab

26. Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra Any student testing below Developmental Algebra I/II will be placed into Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra course. Best practices indicate multiple teaching strategies, such as: Learning Styles Manipulatives Student – student and student-instructor interaction Lecture Video Will AE (Adult Education) be able to assist if student has difficulty in Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra?

27. Gateway Courses • Intermediate Algebra • Student placing into Developmental Algebra I/II • Will be placed into Intermediate Algebra with supplemental instruction and homework lab • Student placing into Algebra Skills • Will be placed into Intermediate Algebra with supplemental instruction (homework lab optional)

28. Gateway Courses • Math Appreciation • Student placing into Developmental Algebra I/II • Will be placed into Math Appreciation with supplemental instruction and homework lab • Student placing into Algebra Skills • Will be placed into Math Appreciation with supplemental instruction (homework lab optional)

29. Students in Gateway Course • Students NOT testing into developmental have the option to enroll in supplemental instruction and/or homework lab. • Goal of supplemental instruction is to provide foundation for gateway course AND same best teaching practices, as in Mathematics Preparation and Pre-Algebra.

30. Developmental Math Redesign(Fall 2016) • Mathematics Preparation and Pre-algebra (5 credits) Intermediate Algebra (3 credits) or Math Appreciation (3 credits) Supplemental Instruction Supplemental Instruction Homework Lab

31. Math Appreciation • Math Appreciation • Change to Quantitative Reasoning? • Focus is on: • Percentages in the real world (relative change, of vs. more than/less than, recognizing problems with percent calculations) • Statistical studies (identifying characteristics and types of studies, evaluating studies) • Characteristics of data (descriptive statistics, graphs) • Inferential statistics (confidence intervals, natural variation, emphasis on interpretation, not calculation) • Financial literacy (exponential growth, characteristics of investments and types of debt) (information gathered from Fort Lewis College, First Year Experience)

32. Comments/Recommendations • Our math department is willing to continually adapt to the needs of the students. • The faculty’s goal is to help students successfully complete math courses through college-level math in as short a time as possible. • We have embedded student tutors in several of our math classes to help provide assistance to students. • The math faculty will continue working on student placement.

33. Thank you! Janet Delgado Assistant Professor of Mathematics NMSU Alamogordo 575.439.3773 jadelgad@nmsu.edu Rita Eisele Associate Professor of Mathematics NMSU Alamogordo 575.439.3774 reisele@nmsu.edu Cathy Aguilar-Morgan Professor of Mathematics NMSU Alamogordo 575.439.3768 cagmor@nmsu.edu Sylvia Walker Assistant Professor of Mathematics NMSU Alamogordo 575.439.3772 sewalker@nmsu.edu