Transforming Post Secondary Mathematics Education: A 50-State Scan

By Helen Burn & Joan Zoellner

In recent years, a wave of reforms has swept through post secondary mathematics education, with the goal of improving student success and graduation rates. The central focus? Ensuring that students successfully complete an introductory or gateway mathematics course relevant to their programs of study within their first year of college. This milestone is crucial for their academic journey.

But how do these ambitious goals translate into tangible changes in mathematics education? And how do we keep track of where each of the reforms is being implemented?

The 50-State Scan

The implementation of mandates, laws, policies, and associated guidance plays a pivotal role in reforming postsecondary math education. We led a dedicated team of researchers affiliated with the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges to assess the extent of state-level practices and policies in postsecondary mathematics reforms across the country. Our team—which included Dr. Alvina Atkinson, Dr. Megan Breit-Goodwin, Kate Kozak, and Dr. Trisha White—was inspired by a conversation at the 2022 annual AMATYC conference and a just-released analysis of state-level policies and practices in high school mathematics.

From left to right: Trisha White, Joan Zoellner, Helen Burn, Alvina Atkinson, Kate Kozak

With support from the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative, a 22-state collaborative effort, our 50-State Scan research project unfolded throughout the 2022–2023 academic year. In addition to collecting data around postsecondary mathematics reforms across all states and the District of Columbia, we interviewed AMATYC leadership and other officials to gain valuable insights into the prevalence of each of the reforms.

Key Policy Areas Explored in the 50-State Scan

While the scan looked at more than a dozen categories of policies, practices, and structures, we were most interested in policies related to: math placement, developmental math and/or corequisites, and math pathways. These three categories reflect the changing higher education math landscape over the past decade as the field has been working to improve student success and retention and to make math less of a barrier to earning a postsecondary credential or diploma. Understanding how widespread each reform is can help us identify states to investigate in future research on the efficacy and variation of these reforms.

Mathematics Placement

  • Accurate placement is crucial for student access and success. States are refining their placement processes to ensure students are appropriately positioned into their initial math courses and are given additional support when needed. By matching students’ skills with the right level of coursework and support, we can reduce remediation rates and enhance success.

  • Overall, 20 states have policies around mathematics placement that apply to both 2- and 4-year institutions. Additionally, 9 states have policies specific to either 2-year colleges or 4-year colleges (n = 5 and 8, respectively).

Developmental Mathematics and Corequisite Courses

  • The traditional developmental math sequence, often a stumbling block for students, is undergoing transformation so that more students complete their developmental sequence and earn college-level math credit as quickly as possible.

  • Overall, 32 states offer guidance or policy around developmental mathematics.

  • Twenty-nine states are exploring various approaches, such as corequisite models, to accelerate progress and minimize time spent in remedial courses.

Mathematics Pathways

  • More colleges are offering students a choice of entry-level mathematics courses relevant to their programs of study. Multiple math pathways are a response to the failure of “college algebra for all” and equips students with mathematics they need for their future academic courses and careers.

  • The majority of states (n = 28) provide state-level policy/guidance on offering multiple math pathways, as shown below. The most popular number of pathways is three, typically including STEM/algebra, statistics, and quantitative reasoning pathways.

  • Importantly, while 20 states lack specific guidance around mathematics pathways, this does not necessarily preclude colleges within those states from offering multiple math pathways.

Tile map showing the intensity of policies and/or guidance around mathematics pathways. In three states (MS, NJ, NY), further research is needed to determine the number of pathways.

A Collaborative Effort

Together, we are shaping and improving the landscape of postsecondary mathematics education, ensuring that students have the tools they need to succeed. As we continue our collaborative journey, let’s celebrate the progress thus far and remain committed to enhancing mathematics in the first two years of college. After all, a strong foundation in math opens doors to countless opportunities.

For those interested, the raw data are available in an openly accessible database maintained and updated annually by the Dana Center. Keep an eye out for featured articles in upcoming issues of MAA Focus and MathAMATYC Educator (a refereed publication of AMATYC) that delve more fully into the 50-State Scan findings.

Helen Burn, Ph.D., is faculty member in the department of mathematics and serves as director of the Curriculum Research Group at Highline College. She holds a B.S. from The Evergreen State College, an M.S. in mathematics from Western Washington University, and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. She is the chair of the Mathematical Association of America’s Special Interest Group (SIGMAA) on Statistics and Data Science.

Joan Zoellner leads the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative, which seeks to usher in a new paradigm to support students with math pathways that are aligned to their goals. Joan also supports the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of innovative professional learning offerings in both virtual and face-to-face settings. She is the chair of the MAA’s Subcommittee on Articulation and Placement and is a member of the AMATYC Developmental Education and Pathways ANets. Prior to joining the Dana Center, Joan was a mathematics professor at a community college in Washington state for 8 years.

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