The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705

Registration for “The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705”  set for Jan. 26, 2024 in Fresno is available here.

All math hands on deck!

Central Valley math, admin, IR pros invited to help plan for

AB1705 implementation at ‘The CVHEC Way to Math Success’ convening Jan. 26

 

A historic convening of the Central Valley’s mathematics professionals will be held in Fresno Jan. 26, 2024 to merge ideas stemming from a series of fall meetings of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Math Task Force designed to address implementation of AB 1705 in 2024.

Registration is now open for “The Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success” that will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center for math educators, administrators and institutional researchers.  The event, facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, is free with advance registration and will include lunch.

The convening continues a first-of-its kind year-long discussion of ideas and options within the Central Valley community college mathematics community – CVHEC bringing together Math Task Force members and other math educators — in an ongoing quest for equitable mathematics under AB705 and AB1705.

“With the passage of AB 705 and now 1705 – all designed to strengthen support for student success – CVHEC has been moving full steam ahead in assuring that our member colleges and their feeder high school have a good understanding of the seemingly turbulent waters of the legislation,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“We are using the expertise of our own Central Valley math professors to help find the best ways to respond to AB 1705 with the greatest possibilities for student success.”

CVHEC’s Math Task Force — made up of representatives from CVHEC community colleges — held three virtual sessions and one in-person session this fall, bringing together the valley’s math educator community to look at how to best implement the legislation first passed in 2017 as AB 705 that was followed in 2022 with AB 1705.

Two sessions (Oct.6 via Zoom and Oct. 13 in person in Fresno) were followed with two virtual sessions on Nov. 17 (morning and afternoon), all drawing well over 30 math professors, reports Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math and English Task Forces.

Those inaugural sessions were facilitated by two Dana Center representatives:  Joan Zoellner, M.A., who is the lead for the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative; and Dr. Tammi Perez-Rice, Postsecondary Course Program specialist.

At the Oct. 6 virtual informational session, Dr. Erik Cooper, assistant vice chancellor of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Zoomed in to discuss the recent history of math education reform in California. He fielded questions about the requirements and expectations for community colleges under AB1705 highlighting the CCCCO’s AB 1705 Implementation Guide and FAQ webpage.

(Links to recordings of the two sessions are available below).

“They were lively and productive discussions as we continue to move forward with a Central Valley Model in response to AB 1705 that works toward math success specifically for students in the Central Valley,” Spevak said.

“Now for the January session, administrators and researchers are being summoned to help meet the challenge head on and in unity for the best interests of students.”

The topics at the Jan. 26 meeting will center around five strands relating to AB 1705 that came out of the fall sessions involving CVHEC community colleges, creating a collaborative “Central Valley Approach” to each, Spevak said.

The strands — and Math Task Force professors serving as leads — are:

Validating prerequisites–quantitative and qualitative: creating a Central Valley collaborative approach which would help make a strong case with the state. Point person: NATHAN CAHOON, Taft College math professor.

Designing Precalculus for 2025: An effective single-course prerequisite for Calculus 1 (especially valuable if the state allows in 2025-26 only one prerequisite course for Calculus 1). Point person: JEREMY BRANDL, Fresno City College.

Math support outside and inside the classroom:  What’s working best in the Central Valley, including math lab centers, tutoring, embedded tutoring, supplemental instruction, etc. Point person: SHELLEY GETTY, Taft College.

Building an AB 1705 campus team: Who needs to be on the team? Math and English professors, IR/IT staff, counselors, administrators, etc. How does it best function? Point person: MARIE BRULEY, Merced College.

Guided self-placement: Helping ensure with the best possible questionnaire that students are taking the right math class when they start college. Point person: JAY THOMAS, West Hills College Lemoore.

For questions: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

For media inquiries: Tom Uribes 559.348.3278 (text msg) or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu

REGISTER – “The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705” (Jan. 26, 2024)

 

BACKGROUND

Passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024, AB 1705 expands the provisions established in AB 705 (2017) by explicitly requiring community colleges not only to place students directly into transfer-level English and math courses but also to ensure that students actually enroll in those courses.  The recent legislation also establishes that for students who need or desire extra academic support, community colleges shall provide access to such support. The new law clarifies that a community college can require students to enroll in additional concurrent support if it is determined that the support will increase the student’s likelihood of passing transfer-level English or math.

 

SEE:

• Previous sessions recordings:

CVHEC “AB1705 in the Central Valley” Webinar with Dr. Erik Cooper Oct. 6, 2023

MTF meeting  Nov. 17 (10 a.m. session)

MTF meeting Nov. 17 (1 p.m. session)

 

• Coverage of the fall sessions:  

Math Task Force begins discussion of AB1705 implementation – Nov. 17 next (with Oct. 13 photo gallery).

CVHEC Math Task Force meets in-person Oct. 13 for AB 1705 follow-up  

NEWS RELEASE – CVHEC Math Task Force: Impactful legislation (AB 1705) Convenings Oct. 6 & 13

 

• The CCCCO’s AB 1705 Implementation Guide and FAQ webpage.

 

• The CVHEC Math Task Force

CVHEC Math Task Force meets in-person Oct. 13 for AB 1705 follow-up  

Registration is still open for the CVHEC Task Force in-person convening, “AB 1705 Student Success Workshop,” at the Fresno Convention Center Valdez Hall Oct. 13.

Impactful legislation is focus of two math convenings
as community colleges prep for deadlines

With two convenings this month, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Math Task Force is tackling questions regarding California Assembly Bill 1705 requiring that California’s community colleges expand their efforts to enroll and support students in transfer-level math courses.

In partnership with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, CVHEC presented the first session via zoom Oct. 6 (see recording)  and the second will be an in-person convening Friday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fresno Convention Center – Valdez Hall (702 M Street).

Registration is still being accepted for the free all-day session which includes a lunch.

Titled, “AB1705 Student Success Workshop,” the  Fresno convening will explore how to best support students within the framework of AB1705 — a follow up to AB 705, previous legislation that fundamentally reshaped placement and remediation at the community colleges.

Dana Center representatives will be present to facilitate the development of materials and strategies that promote student success in the quantitative reasoning, statistics and BSTEM pathways.

“Additionally, we will explore the skills and andragogy (pedagogy) needed for the modern calculus course,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

The 18-member CVHEC Math Task Force consists of math educators and administrators representing CVHEC’s 15 community college member institutions (total 28 CVHEC members with CSU, UC and private colleges in the nine-county region).

Central Valley Math faculty, chairs and deans are invited and encouraged to attend the Oct. 13 convening, said Dr. Durán.  (See registration information below).

“Throughout California, there is varied understanding of the impacts of this assembly bill on college structures and on math educators,” said Dr. Durán.  “These convenings provide the opportunity for our region’s community college math educators and administrators to strategize on paths to effective implementation.”

He said this is especially critical now given the deadlines next July that were discussed in the first session last week calling for colleges to validate the effectiveness of the transfer level prerequisites to gateway STEM calculus by July 1, 2024.

That was one of the areas covered by Dr. Erik Cooper, CCC assistant vice chancellor for Data, Visualization and Research,  at the first session Oct. 6 in an hour-and-half virtual meeting entitled “AB 1705 in the Central Valley.”

Cooper addressed areas of confusion regarding the bill and its implementation with 44 math educators and administrators representing most of CVHEC’s 15 community college members.

Participants were asked to review the AB1705 FAQ prior to the virtual session and submit additional questions which Dr. Cooper addressed during the Oct. 6 meeting.

Passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024, AB 1705 expands the provisions established in AB 705 (2017) by explicitly requiring community colleges not only to place students directly into transfer-level English and math courses but also to ensure that students actually enroll in those courses.

The recent legislation also establishes that for students who need or desire extra academic support, community colleges shall provide access to such support. The new law clarifies that a community college can require students to enroll in additional concurrent support if it is determined that the support will increase the student’s likelihood of passing transfer-level English or math.

Cooper’s presentation included a briefing on remedial education reform; multiple measures and prerequisites; throughput (successful completion of the gateway course in the discipline ); resources for implementation of the $65 million allocation and its impact on  college plans; the AB 1705  Implementation Guide and AB 1705 FAQs; transferability;  using data and using data locally; prerequisite validation; course success and its potential impact on prerequisite validation; meeting deadlines and matching majors; modalities; and limitations.

For deadlines, he explained that the Implementation Guide spells out that non-STEM programs were to validate transfer-level prerequisites to gateway English and math/quantitative reasoning courses by July 1, 2023 and make changes if necessary by July 1, 2024.

“STEM programs are limited to two transfer-level prerequisites prior to gateway STEM calculus after July 1, 2024,” Cooper emphasized. “The college must validate the effectiveness of the transfer level prerequisites to gateway STEM calculus as described by July 1, 2024 and make changes if necessary by July 1, 2025.”

Dr. John Spevak, Merced College vice president-emeritus who now coordinates CVHEC’s math and English task forces, noted that decisions need to be made by this fall and that many colleges have deadlines in early 2024 if not sooner for fall 2024 catalog course listings.

“The Math Task Force is using these fall sessions to get ahead of such deadlines,” Spevak said and noting that a possible third session may be discussed at Friday’s meeting.

For more information: Angel Ramirez, CVHEC finance operations manager, angelr@mail.fresnostate.edu. (For media inquiries, contact Tom Uribes at cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu).

 

Registration: CVHEC in-person Student Success Workshop registration (Oct. 13)

See agenda.

(Those unable to attend the Oct. 6 virtual meeting are asked to view the recording of that session prior to the Oct. 13 meeting. The recording link will be available Oct. 7 at the CVHEC website).

 

See:

• Original Math Task Force fall convenings news release  online

• CVHEC Math Task Force: legislation review, Math Bridge and current best practices

After a review of AB 1705 via Zoom Oct. 6, the CVHEC Math Task Force will convene in person Oct. 13 in Fresno with other valley math educators and administrators to map out strategies for student success in the law’s new environment. Registration is still available,

NEWS RELEASE – CVHEC Math Task Force: Impactful legislation (AB 1705) Convenings Oct. 6 & 13

Impactful legislation is focus of CVHEC Math Task Force convenings

Valley math educators discuss AB 1705 with California Community Colleges, Dana Center

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Math Task Force will convene twice in October, virtually and in-person, to address issues surrounding California Assembly Bill 1705 requiring that California’s community colleges expand their efforts to enroll and support students in transfer-level math and English courses — a follow up to previous legislation (AB 705) that fundamentally reshaped placement and remediation at the community colleges.

Dr. Erik Cooper

The first session, “AB 1705 in the Central Valley” on Friday, Oct. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., is a virtual-only event presented by CVHEC in partnership with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

Dr. Erik Cooper, CCC assistant vice chancellor for Data, Visualization and Research, will clarify areas of confusion regarding the bill and its implementation, Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, announced today.

The second session, “AB1705 Student Success Workshop” on Friday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted by CVHEC at the Fresno Doubletree Convention Center, is an in-person convening with the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin exploring how to best support students within the framework of AB1705.

The 18-member CVHEC Math Task Force consists of math educators and administrators representing CVHEC’s 15 community college member institutions (total 28 CVHEC members with CSU, UC and private colleges in the nine-county region).

Central Valley Math faculty, chairs and deans are also invited and encouraged to attend, said Dr. Durán.  (See registration information below).

Passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024, AB 1705 expands the provisions established in AB 705 (2017) by explicitly requiring community colleges not only to place students directly into transfer-level English and math courses but also to ensure that students actually enroll in those courses.

The recent legislation also establishes that for students who need or desire extra academic support, community colleges shall provide access to such support. The new law clarifies that a community college can require students to enroll in additional concurrent support if it is determined that the support will increase the student’s likelihood of passing transfer-level English or math.

“Throughout California, there is varied understanding of the impacts of this assembly bill on college structures and on math educators,” said Dr. Durán. “Dr.  Cooper will be available to clarify areas of confusion regarding the bill and its implementation.”

For that first CCCCO virtual session, participants are asked to review the AB1705 FAQ. Additional questions can be asked during the virtual session by emailing them to centralvalleyhec@gmail.com by Oct. 2. Dr. Cooper will answer these questions during the Oct. 6 meeting, Dr. Durán said.

At CVHEC’s Oct. 13 in-person second session, representatives from the Dana Center will be present to facilitate the development of materials and strategies that promote student success in the quantitative reasoning, statistics and BSTEM pathways.

“Additionally, we will explore the skills and andragogy (pedagogy) needed for the modern calculus course,” Dr. Duran said.

For more information: Angel Ramirez, CVHEC finance and operations manager, angelr@mail.fresnostate.edu.

 

Registration for the free events is required:

 

(Those unable to attend the Oct. 6 virtual meeting are asked to view the recording of that session prior to the Oct. 13 meeting. The recording link will be available Oct. 7 at the CVHEC website).

For media inquiries: Tom Uribes, 559.348.3278 (cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu) 

CVHEC Website Feature: Math Task Force Page

CVHEC Math Task Force: legislation review,

Math Bridge and current best practices

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium launches a new web page this month featuring its two intersegmental task forces consisting of math and English educators representing CVHEC community college member institutions.

First formed in 2019, the mission of the English and Math Task Forces is to streamline math and English pathways for students by examining topics and issues of those disciplines and recent legislation as part of CVHEC’s mission: improve certificate and degree completion rates in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern.

Coordinated by Dr. John Spevak, one of CVHEC’s coordinators and a former Merced College vice president, the task forces consist of representatives from each of the 15 community college members in the region that are part of the 28-member consortium.

They meet periodically via Zoom with the next Math Task Force meeting planned for early fall and the English Task Force set for mid-fall.

Lately, the English Task Force with 18 representatives and the Math Task Force with 20 representatives “collaborate by sharing ideas, concerns and suggestions surrounding this legislation (AB1705) for our students’ progress,” Dr. Spevak said.

Pre-pandemic the task forces hosted workshops to provide technical assistance directly to CVHEC members supporting faculty professional development.

Current conversations in the English Task Force include:

  • the continuing implementation of AB 705, AB1705 including through-put results;
  • comparing the success of online, in-person, hybrid and hyflex modes;
  • the student mindset after COVID;
  • artificial intelligence within English classes;
  • ensuring course outlines equitably represent the desired outcomes of the course;
  • collecting and analyzing data to improve student success; and
  • media literacy within English courses among many other topics.

In the Math Task Force, discussions have centered around:

  • preparing for implementation of AB 1705 on July 1, 2024;
  • continued implementation of AB 705 and challenges math professors face;
  • working with the University of Texas, Auston’s Dana Center on best current national practices in teaching college math;
  • pursuing CVHEC’s Math Bridge project that will align high school and college math course outlines and includes new approaches to dual enrollment in math courses; and
  • collecting and analyzing data to improve student success among many other topics.

“CVHEC believes that when these professional educators convene to share updates, concerns and ideas with their colleagues across the valley, it is helpful to all concerned and helps the Central Valley be a leader in best practices,” Spevak said.  “Each member is bright, congenial and above all dedicated to student success.”

For more info see the web page or email centralvalleyhec@gmail.com. [web page link to come]

CVHEC Media Contact: Tom Uribes (559.348.3278) cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu

CVHEC MATH TASK FORCE

The 18 members of the CVHEC Math Task Force Task Force are (all are math professors except where noted otherwise):

Donna Starr
Bakersfield College

Kris Toler
Bakersfield College

Michael Bonner
Cerro Coso Community College

Russ Hickey
Clovis Community College

Dr. Derek Dormedy
Dean
Clovis Community College

David Jones
College of the Sequoias

Francisco Banuelos,
Dean of Science, Mathematics, & Engineering
College of the Sequoias

Lahna VonEpps
Columbia College

Juanita Hester
Fresno City College

Manjula Joseph
Program Director, Math Education
Fresno Pacific University

Lalo Mata
Madera Community College

Marie Bruley
Dean of Instruction – STEM
Merced College

Tina Akers-Porter
Modesto Junior College

Di Phan Reagan
Porterville College

Jim Gilmore
Reedley College

Jacquelynn Schwegel
San Joaquin Delta College

Nathan Cahoon
Taft College

Scott Wilson
West Hills College-Coalinga

Lynnette Mann
West Hills College-Coalinga

Frieda Gantner
West Hills College-Lemoore

Jay Thomas
West Hills College-Lemoore

See also: English Task Force

 

Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Expands Impact With “Deep Dive” Work in Four States

The Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) initiative has expanded its impact through extended work collaborations with higher education systems and institutions in four states: California, North Carolina, Georgia and Maine. With the addition of these new collaborations, the DCMP has guided the development of mathematics pathways in over 30 states since the project began in 2012.

Mathematics pathways are a rapidly growing national movement in colleges and universities to align math courses more closely to students’ intended majors and future careers, and to accelerate students’ successful completion of their first college-level math course. Earning credit in a gateway math course is a critical milestone in the completion of a certificate or degree, but national data show that less than 10% of students complete a gateway college math course within two years. The content of the most common math courses does not align with students’ future careers. The Dana Center has taken up the challenge of replacing existing models of entry-level math programs with new mathematics pathways that propel students to degrees, postsecondary certifications, and stronger career placements.

The DCMP works with states and regions to implement large-scale, systemic change using a variety of strategies. The four newest collaborations will engage higher education institutions representing hundreds of thousands of students:

  • Using a process and resources developed by the DCMP, California’s Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) convened a mathematics task force last fall to set a vision for modernizing entry-level mathematics pathways. Task force members are now moving into an implementation phase. The DCMP process empowers and supports faculty to lead the work, collaborate across institutions, and engage with other stakeholders. The task force members represent 19 two- and four-year institutions in California’s Central Valley.
  • The University of North Carolina (UNC) System launched a math task force in April to design and establish effective mathematics pathways. The task force is charged with developing rigorous courses aligned to programs of study, examining placement criteria and improving transfer and applicability of math credits. The UNC System comprises all 16 public universities in the state as well as the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The task force will also engage with the state’s community college and K–12 school systems.
  • The DCMP is again collaborating with the University System of Georgia (USG) – representing 28 institutions of public higher education – to deepen implementation of “co-requisite” math courses to support faculty in considering the creation of a new, statistics-oriented mathematics pathway, and to align the math pathways to programs. The DCMP is a partner in USG’s “Momentum Year” initiative funded through the Strong Start to Finish collaborative. USG was one of the first systems to work with the DCMP, pioneering the establishment of math pathways in the state.
  • In Maine, the DCMP is working with the Maine Community College System (MCCS) to support systemwide implementation of math pathways. The DCMP will advise a faculty team to develop learning outcomes for gateway math courses, and will facilitate workshops and customized technical assistance on implementing math pathways and designing co-requisite courses.

According to Dr. Martha Ellis, the Charles A. Dana Center’s director of higher education strategy, policy, and services, “The DCMP has an established history of providing extremely effective, experience-based services to systems and institutions, of all sizes, who wish to use mathematics pathways to give their students more equitable access to highly effective math education.” Ellis continues, “We are excited to bring our experience to bear in working with these colleges and universities to better support the success of their most vulnerable student populations.”

For more information, please contact:
Erich Pelletier
Communications Coordinator, The Charles A. Dana Center
The University of Texas at Austin

Posted on:  by Carrie Becker
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