1. Results for Year 1 2007-2008 Developmental Mathematics Intervention:
A Guide to Success
Jason Ramirez and Erik Scott, Highline Community College
Results for Year 1
Why Math?
The Biggest Bang for the Buck
The algebra classes Math 91 and 97
place the highest demand on the Tutoring Center,
are required for nearly all students in transfer programs who do not place into college-level math,
are consistently among the 10 highest-enrolled courses, and
rank 4th and 5th, respectively, among courses with the largest number of students receiving grades below 2.0.
Why Mentoring?
There’s More to Learn than Content
A mentor can help students
understand and navigate the policies and expectations of the college,
become familiar with the resources available to help them overcome academic and personal obstacles,
examine and improve their learning strategies, and
define and make progress toward their academic goals.
What Did We Do?
In August 2007, mailed invitation letters to 256 students who were enrolled in a fall section of Math 91 or 97.
Matched each of the 32 students who attended one of two Opening Week orientations with one of 10 faculty mentors.
Mentors met with each mentee individually six times in fall and up to four times in winter.
Fall mentoring sessions emphasized attributes that help students be successful in individual classes. These are described in the Transition Math Project’s College Readiness Standards as
Demonstrate intellectual engagement
Take responsibility for your own learning
Persevere when faced with time-consuming or complex tasks
Pay attention to detail
Winter mentoring sessions emphasized the development of a long-term academic plan.
Highline and Achieving the Dream
Achieving the Dream is a multi-year national initiative whose focus is on student success, particularly students who have faced significant barriers in higher education. Highline Community College received an Achieving the Dream grant in 2006 from the Lumina Foundation.