PACE | Partnerships to Improve Equity in Math Course-Taking

Introduction

Heather Huff, the executive director of PACE, introduces the webinar and the presenters. She also provides some housekeeping notes.

• The webinar is about partnerships to improve equity and math course taking.

• There will be three presenters: McCall Curlander, Sherry Reed, and Asvaldo Soto.

• Questions can be asked in a Q&A box during the presentation.

• The webinar will end by 12:50 pm.

High School Math Courses

McCall Kerlander talks about high school math courses and their impact on post-secondary outcomes.

• Advanced math course-taking has been associated with positive post-secondary outcomes such as college entry, completion, and wages.

• A recent study shows that 12th-grade course-taking has a positive impact on college eligibility, enrollment, and persistence.

• There are persistent disparities in academic preparation by student and school characteristics.

• Course selection is a key factor in student choice and school decisions.

Landscape of Math Course Taking in California

McCall Kerlander discusses a report on math course taking in California.

• The report focuses on 12th-grade math course enrollment pre-pandemic in 2018-19.

• Disparities exist in math course-taking by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES).

• Students from low SES backgrounds are less likely to take advanced math courses than their higher SES peers.

• Black students are less likely to take calculus than white or Asian students.

Overview of Math Course Taking in California High Schools

The speaker discusses the report on math course taking in California high schools. They explain that not all courses add up to 75 because some students take more than one math course, and they encourage viewers to check out the report for more information.

Math Course Taking by Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

• The report breaks down math course taking by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic disadvantage status, and English learners.

• Asian students have significantly higher rates of math participation as seniors compared to other groups.

• The report also looks at 12th grade math course taking by 11th grade Smarter Balance assessment levels.

Diversifying High School Math Pathways

• High school math course taking is largely oriented around a path to calculus but there is inconclusive evidence about this pathway.

• A third of students on accelerated math pathways repeat courses. There is a need for diverse options for students with varying interests and goals professionally.

• Expanding high school math opportunities can better align courses with college preparation needed for different fields of study.

Policy Context for Diversifying High School Math Course Taking

The speaker discusses policy mechanisms supporting the expansion and diversification of high school math in California.

Governor Jerry Brown's Initiative

• In 2016, Governor Jerry Brown allocated $3 million to create the California Math Readiness Challenge Initiative (CMRCI).

• CMRCI was a competitive grant program that established partnerships between K-12 educators and higher education institutions to develop alternative college-level math courses.

CSU System Proposal

• The CSU system proposed an additional year of high school math, bringing the total to four years of high school math for admissions eligibility criteria.

• While this proposal was not adopted, it accelerated the discussion about excessive availability and accessibility of high school math courses.

Mathematics Framework

• The State Board of Education is expected to adopt a proposed mathematics framework that reflects efforts to diversify math courses.

Efforts to Diversify Math Pathways in California

The speaker discusses six efforts across California to diversify math pathways.

Partnerships between K-12 Educators and Higher Education

• Partnerships have been established to develop and implement alternative college-level math courses.

Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP)

• MDTP provides diagnostic tests aligned with Common Core State Standards for grades 6 through 12.

Early Assessment Program (EAP)

• EAP provides opportunities for students in grade 11 to measure their readiness for college-level English and mathematics before they start their senior year.

California Acceleration Project (CAP)

• CAP aims to increase equity in higher education by redesigning remediation practices in community colleges.

Community College Pathways (CCP)

• CCP provides multiple pathways for students who are not ready for transfer-level coursework in mathematics.

California Mathematics Council (CMC)

• CMC supports teachers and administrators in implementing effective teaching practices that promote student success.

Overview of the Partnerships and Courses

The speaker discusses the partnerships between higher education and K-12 systems to develop Advanced Innovative Math (AIM) courses. These courses target college-bound students who may not be interested or ready for calculus, with a goal of improving quantitative reasoning and student confidence in math.

Key Points

• Researchers worked with six partnerships over three years to understand the reach and impact of AIM courses.

• In 2018-19, these partnerships collectively served about 2% of seniors in California but served between 12% and 20% of high school seniors in schools implementing these courses.

• Enrollment in AIM courses is representative of the racial/ethnic composition of the cohort at large.

• The partnerships embody key tenets of effective intersegmental partnership, including collaboration between higher ed and K-12 systems, shared purpose targeting college-bound students, commitment to equity, building community amongst developers and teachers, developing teacher capacity through professional development, and a focus on improved student outcomes.

Pedagogy and Teacher Capacity Building

The speaker discusses the pedagogical approach used in AIM courses as well as how teacher capacity was developed through extensive professional development.

Key Points

• AIM courses use a student-centered pedagogy focused on problem-solving project-based learning activities that encourage collaboration, cooperative learning, and independent thinking.

• Teachers reported increased confidence after participating in professional development for teaching AIM courses. They also reported using strategies learned from teaching these particular courses in other math classes they taught.

• Students also reported increased confidence in their mathematical abilities after taking AIM courses.

The Impact of AIM Courses on Student Outcomes

In this section, Sherry McCall discusses the impact of AIM courses on student outcomes. She explains that through advanced quantitative methods and leveraging student-level course data, they were able to observe a causal impact of these courses on students' likelihood of completing the A to G requirements or the requirements to be eligible for UC and CSU by three to ten percentage points depending on which course they're looking at. They also observed an improvement in students' high school GPA in math and an increase in the likelihood of post-secondary enrollment.

Positive Impact of AIM Courses

• AIM courses have a positive impact on student outcomes.

• Advanced quantitative methods were used to compare similar students and control for observable characteristics like prior math course taking and prior academic achievement.

• Through this, they observed a causal impact of these AIM courses on students' likelihood of completing the A to G requirements or the requirements to be eligible for UC and CSU by three to ten percentage points depending on which course they're looking at.

• They also observed an improvement in students' high school GPA in math and an increase in the likelihood of post-secondary enrollment.

Continued Investment Needed

• Continuing to diversify these courses will take continued investment from the state and education segments.

• It will require additional teacher training, maybe even at the pre-service level, as well as involvement from school counselors as they advise students on what courses to take.

Discrete Math Project Collaborative

In this section, Dr. Oswaldo Soto discusses the Discrete Math Project Collaborative. He explains that it is a professional development project that offers accessibility, relevance, and can be very fun for students. They have trained more than 60 teachers and are looking at close to 7,000 students who have taken the course.

Discrete Math Project Collaborative

• The Discrete Math Project Collaborative was created in 2016 through the California Mathematics Readiness Challenge Initiative.

• After data had been collected and analyzed, they observed a three to ten percentage point increase in likelihood of completing A to G courses for certain students.

• The project is more of a professional development project or as much at least than a curriculum project.

• They found that discrete math offers lots of accessibility, relevance, and can be very fun for students.

Introduction to the Course

This section introduces the course and its goals. The main goal of the course is to help students find something to love in math, and discrete math has a lot to offer. The course covers introductory topics such as Game Theory, Graph Theory, Cryptography, Sequences and Series, Iteration Recursion, and Combinatorics.

• The standards for mathematical practice are what they're trying to advance for all students so they can really see the heart of mathematics.

• They decided to take an introductory swing at Game Theory graph Theory and cryptography which we knew would be new to students.

• Students accessing new mathematical content along with their teachers led to a situation in which they could connect more closely with mathematics.

Student Testimonials

This section features two student testimonials from Hannah and Grace who took the course. Both students come from diverse backgrounds but had not had good experiences in mathematics before taking this course.

• Hannah is a senior who does cheerleading and track outside of school while Grace struggled with math but improved after taking this class.

• Many of the students in these courses are first-generation college students who access new mathematical content along with their teachers leading them to connect more closely with mathematics.

How Teachers Worked Together

This section discusses how University mathematicians worked together with teachers on developing content for the course.

• Students accessing new mathematical content along with their teachers led to a situation in which they could connect more closely with mathematics.

• Argumentation is happening like explanation is happening and like the actual settings of proof and proving are in place when we look at things like the standards for mathematical practice critiquing the reasoning of others right and really advancing argumentation.

Teachers Working Together

This section features a clip of teachers working together to look at some content.

• The clip shows argumentation, explanation, and proof.

• The actual settings of proof and proving are in place when we look at things like the standards for mathematical practice critiquing the reasoning of others right and really advancing argumentation.

Student Testimonial

This section features a student testimonial from Jaden who took the course.

• Jaden felt that this course did something for him that other mathematics courses hadn't done.

Early Evidence of the DMP and Similar Courses is Promising

The panelists discuss the promising early evidence of the DMP and similar courses, which offer students alternatives to traditional calculus pathways and increase college eligibility.

Getting Started with Partnership Work

• To get started with partnership work, it's helpful to have conduits to K-12. Having a person with K-12 background and experience as a person to link to is essential.

• Good connections within district offices are essential in determining the needs of the district from a listening stance.

• Once you do that, then the two teams getting together and finding the local context a little more closely can be very helpful.

• Finally, trying to find The Sweet Spot of rigor is probably one of the hardest points where we need to find what's appropriate at an appropriate level for these students at this particular time.

Identifying Problems in Intersegmental Partnerships

• Intersegmental partnerships were crystal clear in identifying the problem they were trying to solve: offering math advanced math opportunities for students who might not be taking calculus or the calculus pathway.

• They came together both higher ed faculty who wanted to sell that problem and K-12 with that shared purpose in mind.

Three-to-Ten Percentage Point Increase in Completing A-G Requirements

• The three-to-ten percentage point increase compares students who have similar likelihood based on observable characteristics as those who take traditional math courses.

• It is not clear how districts decide if they're offering an alternative third year math or fourth year math.

Overall, early evidence suggests that alternative courses like DMP are promising in offering students alternatives to traditional calculus pathways and increasing college eligibility. Getting started with partnership work involves having conduits to K-12, good connections within district offices, finding the local context, and determining the appropriate level of rigor. Intersegmental partnerships are crystal clear in identifying the problem they were trying to solve: offering advanced math opportunities for students who might not be taking calculus or the calculus pathway. Finally, there is a three-to-ten percentage point increase in completing A-G requirements for students who take alternative math courses like DMP compared to those who take traditional math courses.

Understanding Math Course Options in California

The speakers discuss the different options for math courses that students can take in California and how districts make decisions about what to offer and when.

Weighted Average of Course Options

• General discussion on how the three-to-ten course option is a weighted average of all other options.

AIM Courses

• AIM courses are still a relatively small footprint of overall math course taking in California, but they have a larger footprint in districts that offer them.

• Many students are still taking statistics as an alternative to calculus or on the same calculus route.

District Decisions

• Districts make decisions about what courses to offer and when they should be taken, which can differ across districts.

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) catalyzing change recommendations suggest branching pathways earlier by offering students options after two and a half years of common prep.

• Some school districts like San Diego Unified are working hard to identify alternative third-year options as well. Dual enrollment is another issue that affects course options.

Context-Specific Factors

• The six partnerships primarily targeted 12th-grade students, but intro to data science enrolled students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Five out of six courses require Algebra II as a prerequisite, while intro data science does not have that same requisite. This shows how context-specific factors affect course offerings and student choices.

Computer Science Connection

• The computer science connection is somewhat key in some of these courses; for example, intro data science helps students learn to code in RStudio while discrete mathematics moves toward Python training. Students who want to take stats might be thinking about studying in the humanities, and branching pathways have to do with students deciding what mathematics they want for their chosen career.

Barriers to Expanding Math Course Options

The speakers discuss some of the barriers that they have encountered in their work and that others may encounter when trying to expand math course options.

Student Choices

• One of the main barriers is how students think of these courses as choices and whether schools have a bigger responsibility and role to play.

Making Math Courses More Accessible

In this section, the speakers discuss how to make math courses more accessible and the challenges that come with it.

Perception of Calculus as a Barrier

• The perception of calculus as the only pathway to higher education is a barrier.

• Providing evidence and education to school staff, parents, and students about viable alternatives to calculus is necessary.

Challenges in Implementing New Math Courses

• Teacher training is a big challenge for teachers who have never had training in data science or discrete math.

• Research needs to be done on student thinking and epistemology.

• Rethinking what an appropriate mathematical training looks like for students who don't want to pursue STEM fields is necessary.

Aspirations for Partnerships

• The hope is that these partnerships serve as models for expanding access to math courses within schools and districts.

Importance of Diversifying Math Courses

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of diversifying math courses and how it can have a positive impact on students.

Benefits of Diversifying Math Courses

• Diversified math courses serve as important models for what could be done to diversify.

• These courses can also serve as a bridge between higher education and K-12 education.

• Opportunity for diversifying professional development and instruction in other traditional math courses.

• Disrupting patterns of racial inequities within mathematical achievement.

Aspirations for Math Education

In this section, the speakers share their aspirations for math education and what they hope to achieve through diversified math courses.

Aspirations for Math Education

• All students get a good mathematical experience that informs them as citizens who can reason critically and mathematically.

• Traditional ways of teaching mathematics don't allow brilliant reasoning to come out. We want students to love something in mathematics.

• Disrupting patterns of racial inequities within mathematical achievement.

Conclusion

In this section, the speakers thank the audience for joining them and sharing their perspectives on diversified math courses.

Conclusion

• Thank you to all who joined us today on their lunch hour to learn about and dig deep into math partnerships.