Project Title:Eastern Kentucky University Mathematics Transitions InitiativeInstitution Name:Eastern Kentucky University
Innovation Category:Student Success
Project Director:Dr. Robert Thomas, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and StatisticsContact Information:(859) 353-2067,
robert.thomas@eku.eduWebsite: Project Description:The
EKU Mathematics Transitions Initiative was developed by a team of Mathematics
Education faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. For the
past three years, this team has assisted regional school districts across
Kentucky by working with mathematics teachers to help prepare their students to
be high school and college ready. They have also worked with the high
school mathematics teachers to design and implement ‘transition to college’
math courses. Under the new arrangement, the transition courses, taught by
teachers at the partnering schools, is based on the curricula and tests of the
MAT 090, 095 and 098 developmental mathematics courses (no academic credit) at
EKU. Students that pass the transition course and make a passing grade on the
KYOTE, a Council on Postsecondary Education standardized test, will be
recommended (if reading and writing scores are acceptable) to take Math 105 [Liberal
Arts Math] or MAT 107 [College Algebra] upon admission to EKU.
Objectives:Eastern
Kentucky University sought to develop mathematics transition programs in area
high schools to reduce the need for remediation at the college level, thereby
saving students and families’ valuable time and dollars. The transitional
algebra course targets seniors who have successfully completed algebra I,
geometry and algebra II, but do not have ACT math scores that allow them to
enroll in regular college math courses.
Outcomes:
- When
this Transitions Initiative was launched, Eastern Kentucky University entered into
pilot collaborative arrangements with six local school districts to develop a
math transition course. Today, EKU is currently assisting over 42 school
systems.
- Pilot data and preliminary program data indicate movement, on average, of 5 KYOTE
points in one semester course, 8 points in a full-year course [KYOTE – Kentucky
Online Tests – 30 questions].
- For students enrolled in full year Transitions Programs, ending mean ACT-Math was
20.74 and median was 22 [Over half were considered college ready in Math].
- Students not meeting the Kentucky benchmark or equivalent are moving up (on average) a
minimum of one developmental level
- (2010-11) Based on numbers of Transitions math students completing at least one
developmental course, qualifying for either college credit-bearing course in
liberal arts or college algebra, students collectively saved $2,209,800. [Estimated for 2,530 students].
Challenges/Problems Encountered:
- Half
of regional high school juniors have ACT Math scores in the bottom 25th
percentile [Estimated - Commonwealth of Kentucky ACT data for 11th
grade students – all 11th graders are required to take this test.
This is an estimate based on the examination of scores from 10 representative
school districts.]
- Internal
EKU studies showed that over the past 10 years approximately 60 percent of the
Madison County students (EKU’s home base) and students in the 22 county EKU service
region who took a developmental math class at EKU never went on to earn a
college degree. Additional data for a representative group of feeder high
schools showed similar failure and dropout rates.
- When
students begin with standardized test scores below benchmark levels and have to
work their way up to appropriate standards and competencies that postsecondary
institutions have set, they become discouraged, frustrated and, without
necessary support, can be faced with an insurmountable hurdle.
Evaluation Approach:The
number one indicator of college success is student aility
to pass college algebra without remediation. [ACT College Readiness Standards] Additional Resources:The
transition program was featured in the Nov. 15, 2011 edition of Education Week
news journal in an article entitled “Data Driving College Preparation:
College-Going Rates Rising, Remediation Rates Falling” (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/16/12data_ep.h31.html) CEO-to-CEO Contact:Michael Benson
, Presidentpresident@eku.edu
(859) 622-2977 Date Published: Monday, April 16, 2012