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I-HEMTAC launched in 2020

Purposes of IHEMTAC: Goal Statements Link

Serve as a recommending body for the purpose of developing and issuing guidance on matters relating to the mathematics transition students make between high school and college. In particular:

Creating and adopting consensus positions regarding expectations of mathematical preparedness, such as college and career readiness and mathematics placement policies,
Crafting recommendations for transition coursework at both the high school and college levels, and
Cooperating with other entities engaged in similar work.

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I-HEMTAC was launched

November 2020

Faculty and staff from 2- and 4-year colleges and from high schools formed three action groups to focus on the following areas of discussion:

Effective High School Pathways

Effective Mathematics Transition from High School to College

Effective Initial Math Courses

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Summit held: April 2021

Summit sponsored by:

Jacobson Institute for Innovation in

Education at Grand View University

Iowa Department of Education

Iowa State University Math Department

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Summit: We Talked and Listened

Number of total attendees: About 120

Breakdown of participants: 40 high school, 40 community college, 30 university, and 10 other

“Bringing together folks who come from different spaces and backgrounds yet have a common goal resulted in a rich dialogue. Plus, it's imperative that folks from K-12 and HE continue to be proactive about coming together and having these important discussions but then also committing to action. I also enjoyed the keynote speaker and his inspiring message.”

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Action Teams May - August 2021

Action Team Outcomes/Output:

Action Group 1: Summary, Working on a brochure to inform HS guidance counselors, parents, and students

Action Group 2: Summary, Working on a Mathematics Placement Guide, Paper

Action Group 3: Summary, Working towards a communication plan focused on high schools.

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Action Team 2: Placement Guide

As we think about effective mathematics placement processes, how do we ensure that we also take into account the broader issues of mathematics education and research?

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Guiding Principles for Effective Mathematics Course Placement

Promote student success, equity, and access to mathematics for all students.
Empower the student as the primary decision maker.
Realistically assess students’ readiness, but not be a barrier.
Help students become college-ready, and help colleges become student-ready.

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Guiding Principles for Effective Mathematics Course Placement

Support robust mathematics teaching, learning, and content.
Bring high schools and colleges together with regard to mathematics teaching, learning, and content, through a clearly articulated and proactively compatible process.
Capture the whole student story.

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Action Team 2: Recommendations

Use multiple measures

Use judicious minimal testing

Increase transparency and reduce placement test anxiety

Use multiple measures: Use a multiple-measures placement process, designed to ascertain the student's whole mathematics story, for example by using all sources below when available:

An initial automated flow-chart survey that gathers information about and assesses a student's background (including date of last course taken), plans, and dispositions.
High school math GPA and overall GPA (e.g., utilizing the forthcoming statewide e-transcript system).
Non-cognitive factors (such as, effort, commitment, growth mindset, math anxiety)
External test scores such as ACT and SAT as supplemental sources of information.
An appropriate skills test compatible with the Guiding Principles above.

Use judicious minimal testing: Test only the minimum necessary number of students. Not everyone needs a placement test. For example, if a student has four years of successful mathematics in high school, or if a student has recently passed a concurrent enrollment course in high school, then they should automatically be eligible to enroll in a credit-bearing college mathematics course.
Increase transparency and reduce placement test anxiety: Clearly specify what topics will be on placement tests, to students, high schools, and colleges, so that students can study and prepare for the experience. When possible, provide non-proctored, non-binding practice tests ahead of time to reduce test anxiety.

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Recommendations, cont.:

Maintain mathematical and pedacology integrity

Allow appropriate use of technology

Avoid unnecessary placement in developmental coursework

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Recommendations, cont.:

Allow for just-in-time review and co-requisite models

Coordinate with multiple pathways

Strive for consistent placement processes statewide, with flexibility

Allow for just-in-time review and co-requisite models: Acknowledge the applicability of just-in-time review and broader co-requisite models to advance students into higher level courses rather than necessarily placing them into lower courses.

Coordinate with multiple pathways: Tailor the placement process so that it flexibly adapts to different mathematics pathways at high school and college. For instance, non-calculus pathways, such as statistics and data science, and non-STEM pathways are becoming more common, and placement processes must accommodate these pathways.

Strive for consistent placement processes statewide, while recognizing differences and the need for flexibility: Recognize that different institutions have different needs and constraints so that a single placement process may not be universally applied statewide, yet strive for consistency, coordination, and clear communication of placement processes across institutions that reflects best-practices and recommendations of national organizations and professional communities.

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Recommendations, cont.:

Ensure clear communication of course expectations

Provide effective advising

Consider when as well as what for the first college mathematics course

Ensure clear communication of course expectations: Recognize that not all similarly-titled high school and college courses address the exact same content, mathematical practices, or rigor, and therefore provide students, high schools, and colleges with ample information about course expectations to facilitate the best course placement decisions.

Provide effective advising: Effective course placement requires effective advising. With careful and knowledgeable advising, remedial no-credit courses and placement tests can be offered but need not be required. With appropriate advising students will be empowered to choose their own placement to best suit their needs. This requires well-informed advice from school counselors, college student support staff, and faculty.

Consider when as well as what for the first college mathematics course: Generally speaking, students should take their first mathematics course in college during the first year in order to retain previously learned skills and understandings. At times, it may be beneficial to delay the first course until the second semester (e.g. biology, chemistry, and business) in order to develop independent study skills, and some majors require mathematics upon entry to college (e.g. engineering, physics, mathematics).

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Case Studies

We crafted case studies to illustrate complexities in math placement and how the guiding principles may be applied in a variety of situations.

We realize that it will take time for institutions to implement needed changes overtime and that there may be difference between institutions.
However, if we can obtain buy-in conceptually across the state, HS teachers and academic counselors will have a better sense of how to prepare students.

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Placement Case Study 1

Consider a high school student who expects to be a non-STEM major in college and has successfully completed three years of high school mathematics with no mathematics in his senior year.

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Placement Case Study 1

What is an effective mathematics course placement process for his first college mathematics course?

What would your current placement policy require of this student?

What do the guiding principles suggest?

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Placement Case Study 2

Consider a high school student who desires to enter a STEM major in college, took four years of high school math, but struggled in the last course due to a family situation that created turmoil in the students’ life for most of the academic year. The student’s grades for all previous mathematics courses were either A’s or B’s, but she earned a low C in the final year of precalculus. The student also has some testing anxiety, and she is from an under-represented population within STEM fields.

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Placement Case Study 2

What is an effective mathematics course placement process for his first college mathematics course?

What would your current placement policy require of this student?

What do the guiding principles suggest?

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Placement Case Study 3

A student joined the military immediately upon high school graduation and served in a technical field. After four years of service, the student decides to attend a community college pursuing a degree in a STEM related area with the intention of transferring to a four-year university.

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Placement Case Study 3

What is an effective mathematics course placement process for his first college mathematics course?

What would your current placement policy require of this student?

What do the guiding principles suggest?

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Placement Case Study 4

A student withdrew from high school during her last semester and earned her high school equivalency diploma. She performed well overall in high school and is eager to enroll in college and continue her education.

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Placement Case Study 4

What is an effective mathematics course placement process for his first college mathematics course?

What would your current placement policy require of this student?

What do the guiding principles suggest?

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Resources and References

POSITION STATEMENT

INITIAL PLACEMENT OF TWO-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS INTO THE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM

https://amatyc.org/page/PositionInitialPlace

AMATYC (2014). Position Statement of the American Mathematical Association of Two-year Colleges:The Appropriate Use of Intermediate Algebra as a Prerequisite Course. Available at : https://amatyc.org/page/PositionInterAlg

Crossroads in Mathematics: Standards for Introductory College Mathematics Before Calculus states that placement tests should provide a measure of students’ abilities not only to show mastery of algorithmic skills but also to think critically and solve problems (AMATYC, 1995).

Developmental Education: Recommendations to Improve Postsecondary Student Success (Iowa DOE, 2019)

https://educateiowa.gov/documents/publications/2021/05/developmental-education-recommendations-improve-postsecondary-student

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(Resources & References, continued)

College Transitions: Ensuring High School Graduates are College Ready through Partnerships with the Community College (Iowa DOE, 2018)

https://educateiowa.gov/documents/boards-commissions-committees-councils-and-task-forces/2021/05/college-transitions

Bressound, D. (2016). The Role of Calculus in the Transition from High School to College Mathematics. MAA & NCTM.

Huey, Maryann and Eric Hart (2020). Objectives and Broader Educational Context for Iowa's Planned Work on the Mathematics Transition from High School through College. Available at:

Research for Action. (2021). Multiple measures placement assessments: Benefits and challenges to consider. Benefits and challenges of the measures commonly found across the eight campuses included in Research for Action’s spring 2016 field work on multiple measures implementation.

https://ordj93404cx3hdh7vxlhkvz0-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Multiple-Measures-Assessment-Pros-and-Cons-Final.pdf

Transitional Math Course like Illinois https://pearson.wistia.com/medias/mjio1900eh

Zachry Rutschow, Elizabeth (2019). The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop on Understanding Success and Failure of Students in Developmental Mathematics: Developmental Mathematics Reforms. Available at: Microsoft Word - Zachry Rutschow_The Current Landscape of Developmental Mathematics Reform Efforts.doc (nationalacademies.org)

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Action Group 2 Members

David Busch, ICCC, busch@iowacentral.edu

Julie Hartzler, DMACC, jehartzler@dmacc.edu

Richard Velasco, UIowa, richard-velasco@uiowa.edu

Maryann Huey, Drake, maryann.huey@drake.edu

Eric Hart, Grand View University, ehart@grandview.edu

Chris Russell, IDOE, chris.russell@iowa.gov

Matt Miller, Iowa City Schools, miller.matt@iowacityschools.org