2007 – 2009 Mathematics Intervention at Highline Community College Amy Ehrlich, Jason Ramirez, Erik Scott

Results of Planning Year Highline focused on students who: –Can transition from ABE/ESL to credit courses –Have multiple developmental-level placements –Are taking mid-level developmental math courses

Math Intervention Target population –Students in Beginning Algebra (Math 091) and Intermediate Algebra (Math 097) courses Goals –Increase by 3 to 5 percent the number of students who complete Math 091 and 097 successfully, enroll continuously in math courses, and express satisfaction with the course(s). Intervention strategy –Years 1 and 2: mentor students to help them succeed in the current educational system –Years 3 and 4: redesign precollege curriculum to increase its relevance to the mathematical needs of our students

First Year of Implementation: Mentor Program Participants –10 faculty (8 Math, 1 Writing, 1 Psychology) –32 students in Math 091 or 097 in Fall 2007 Features of the program –Recruitment via mail –Orientation –One-on-one meetings with mentors for two quarters –Students earn early registration

First Year of Implementation: Mentor Program Curriculum Fall: The goal is to help students –demonstrate intellectual engagement, –take responsibility for their own learning, –persevere when faced with time-consuming or complex tasks, and –pay attention to detail. Winter: The goal is to help students –internalize the student attributes, –create a two-year (or longer) academic plan, –create a plan to finance their education, and –become aware of, and participate in a variety of programs or activities that lead to a more meaningful and successful college experience.

First Year of Implementation: Mentor Program Results 68.8% completed Math 091 or 097 with a 2.0 or better [vs. 46.5% for comparison group in same courses] 50% enrolled in the next course in Winter quarter [vs. 36.7% of comparison group] 40.6% of the original group continued to enroll in math in Spring quarter [vs. 26.2%]

Revisions for the Second Year of Implementation Critiques of program –One-on-one mentoring was very time-intensive and scheduling was complicated –Many of the participating students did not seem to need the assistance offered by the program –Mentors had conflicting views on the level of detail needed in the manual –Collection of reporting forms from mentors was inconsistent Adjustments –Expanded pool of mentors –Imposed criteria for student eligibility –Revised mentor manual –Mentors met with each other on a set schedule –Adapted curriculum for a college success course

Second Year of Implementation: Fall 2008 Data Student recruitment remains an obstacle –232 were invited, 27 attended the orientation, and 18 participated in the program, a decline from the previous year. –Of the students in the college success course, approximately 20% were in the target population, and over 80% were in Running Start. Though the demographic profile remained similar, achievement did not –44.4% in the mentoring program passed Math 091 or 097 [vs. 68.8% for the previous intervention group] –50% enrolled in next math course in next quarter [same as previous year]

Next Steps Cease mentoring program Explore options for ensuring all students are exposed to topics in the mentoring program –Make College 100 mandatory –Incorporate elements of mentoring program into mathematics or other courses Explore the value of mandatory enrollment in math courses early in a student’s academic program Redesign precollege math courses

Overview of Proposed Revision of Math Curriculum Two-quarter precollege sequence, with mandatory third quarter for students needing precalculus Two-quarter sequence emphasizes –Quantitative reasoning (analyzing, representing, and interpreting data) –Functions –Topics and applications likely to be reinforced in non-math courses as well as daily experience –Development of successful learning habits Third quarter emphasizes specialized algebraic skills and concepts (rational expressions, completing the square, etc.)

For More Information Visit Highline’s Achieving the Dream website