Research on Math Pathways That Shows Educators How to Align Math With Programs of Study

WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility, working with Just Equations and the University of Michigan, clarified the types of math offerings in California community colleges and offered strategies for how colleges could provide the right quantitative skills for different majors.

The Challenge

For years, many colleges have required students to take math classes that follow the same path: several algebra courses that lead to calculus. But this pathway doesn’t match the kinds of quantitative skills that students actually need in their lives and jobs today. Students need other options to learn statistics, modeling, and practical problem-solving with numbers.

The need for alternative math pathways is underscored by research into the factors that limit college completion rates. Historically, many community college students have been required to take remedial math sequences that emphasize basic algebra and that are designed to prepare students for algebra-intensive pathways. Many students never make it out of basic math. This means they can’t fulfill requirements to graduate or transfer to a 4-year school.

For example, in California, only one out of four students took a nonremedial math course in their 1st year or finished a nonremedial math course before leaving college.

How We’re Taking Action

WestEd has worked for over a decade to help California community college students enroll directly in college-level math sequences. For example, in 2014, we supported an effort to improve community college math placement tests and conducted research on alternative ways to assess readiness for college-level courses.

In 2018, California passed a law that was designed to increase students’ likelihood of completing math requirements in 1 year or less. Early implementation was focused on the concept of enrolling students directly into college-level math courses. However, with the state also prioritizing Guided Pathways—an effort to help students understand and select a program of study—educators also needed information on how to help students take the right math course for their chosen pathway.

Working in partnership with Just Equations and the University of Michigan, WestEd released a report that analyzed math course-taking patterns in California community colleges before passage of the new law.

The study clarified

  • what types of non-algebra courses students were taking,
  • which courses could be transferred to a 4-year institution, and
  • whether those courses were aligned with non-STEM majors.

The study also showed that most students in certificate programs took remedial algebra-focused math, even though other types of quantitative reasoning skills are required for jobs like construction and healthcare.

Since 2018, when the law regarding math requirements changed, students’ experiences and outcomes have improved dramatically. Nearly all students enroll in a nonremedial math course in the 1st year, and completion of nonremedial math courses grew to 62 percent, with significant improvements across all student populations.

California community colleges have also worked to improve math courses associated with specific academic pathways. This includes preparing instructors who traditionally taught college algebra to teach statistics courses, redesigning supports for calculus courses that are required for business degrees, and promoting instructional practices in foundational STEM math courses that address both quantitative skills and mindsets.

Resources

Multiple Paths Forward: Diversifying Math Pathways as a Strategy for College Success

 

The Center for Economic Mobility brought key insights and analytical tools to identify the gateway math courses students need for a range of pathways. Colleges will benefit from the report’s recommendations on how to diversify the range of math courses available to students and to align those courses with students’ programs of study.

Pamela Burdman Executive Director, Just Equations

What Makes Us Different

Evidence-based reform – Rather than relying on anecdotes or assumptions, we conducted rigorous research to document the impact of existing practices and identify opportunities for improvement. 

Balancing access and rigor – We recognized that expanding access to college-level math courses didn’t mean lowering standards. Instead, it meant creating rigorous, relevant mathematical pathways that develop the specific quantitative skills students need for their major.

Connecting education to careers – Unlike approaches that focus solely on academic transfer, our work explicitly addressed how math education connects to workforce needs. We emphasized that different careers require different types of mathematical thinking and that college math pathways should reflect this diversity.