Math Task Force continues AB 1705 work with April 19 convening

Secondary education voices invited to join discussion

Discussions to improve calculus pathways for STEM students amidst a pending deadline this summer continues with the third “Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” Convening set for Friday, April 19 in Fresno that will also bring more secondary education voices to the table and a review of guidance issued by the California Community College Chancellors Office last month.

Registration is now open for the event in Fresno presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Math Task Force with the Charles A. Dana Center (University of Texas at Austin) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, the site of two previous in-person convenings last fall and in January.

The event will re-convene community college math educators, administrators and institutional researchers working since the fall towards compliance with the final stage of AB1705: validation of equitable placement, support and completion practices for STEM programs.

Signed into law by Gov. Newsom in September 2022,  AB 1705 is an amendment to the landmark legislation AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) which transformed placement and developmental education in the California Community Colleges. AB1705 supports full and comprehensive implementation by, among other requirements, specifying that colleges must demonstrate the benefit of transfer-level math preparatory courses for STEM Calculus 1 based on the following conditions:

  • The student is highly unlikely to succeed in the first STEM calculus course without the additional transfer-level preparation.
  • The enrollment will improve the student’s probability of completing the first STEM calculus course.
  • The enrollment will improve the student’s persistence to and completion of the second calculus course in the STEM program, if a second calculus course is required.

From now until July 1, colleges have the opportunity to validate that their preparatory courses meet the aforementioned AB 1705 standards.

Since passage, the state’s community colleges have worked towards compliance of various aspects of AB1705 including 19 Central Valley community college members of CVHEC through representatives serving on the consortium’s Math Task Force consisting of math faculty and administrators.

The task force has held several virtual and in-person work sessions since October designed to collaborate in unity for compliance. At the last convening Jan. 26, more than 82 math and administrative representatives from the community colleges — including several campus research professionals — and one high school principal met with the task force to explore five strands of curriculum planning:

  • Validating Prerequisites;
  • Designing Precalculus for 2025;
  • Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom;
  • Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and
  • Guided Self-Placement.

Since the Jan. 26 meeting, the strand leads have been preparing summaries of their breakout discussions held that day, said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math Task Force.

Member college teams are also preparing summaries of the tentative plans they developed in the afternoon breakout sessions for oral reports. Additionally, the workgroups have been meeting and will report out on their progress in April regarding the strands.

A good portion of the April 19 meeting will be devoted to the data collection underway by CVHEC community college research professionals related to student success in math, part of the valleywide Data Collection Project under development by the consortium, said Spevak, who will again co-facilitate the April event with Dana Center colleague Dr. Tammi Perez-Rice.

 

Secondary ed voices 

This next convening will also include representatives of K-12 school districts, including several high school principals who have already worked with CVHEC through the Central Valley Math Bridge Program.

“It’s important to bring into the conversation high school leaders and our colleagues who care as much about the future math success of students as community college math educators do,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

That conversation was begun at the January convening of community college math professors and administrators when Marlena Celaya, principal of Orosi High School and former high school math teacher, told the group that Central Valley high school educators would very much like to participate in future discussions about math success for Central Valley students.

Spevak said this development will also foster additional learning about the high school math landscape as it pertains to college readiness.

Any Central Valley secondary education officials interested in attending the April 19 convening are welcome, he added.  

 

CCC ‘validation memo’

Also up for discussion will be a Feb. 27 validation memorandum by the California Community College Chancellors Office entitled AB 1705 Validation of Equitable Placement, Support and Completion Practices for STEM Programs.

The Chancellor’s Office also presented a webinar March 4 to further discuss the details of this guidance and address questions.

The Dana Center and CVHEC teams are presently reviewing the CCC memo to provide analysis that will help guide the Math Task Force’s five strands committees and will be presenting its memo assessment in the coming weeks, said Joan Zoellner, M.A., who is the lead for the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative;

In a preliminary review of the memo, Zoellner noted that while the CCC memo provides direction on the validation process for transfer­ level math placement and enrollment practices for STEM programs, it indicates that no more than one transfer-level prerequisite shall be offered prior to calculus.

“The options for that prerequisite course are limited by the memo and validation options as well,” Zoellner said.

She recommended that consortium community colleges review the chancellor’s office memo and some of the findings presented to determine how it affects their respective campus.

“If possible, work with your IR department to confirm those numbers and results prior to the April 19 convening,” Zoellner advises.

 

For more info: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com

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

 

See also: 

 

 

MATH TASK FORCE: ‘Something extraordinary’ (Jan. 26 wrap)

Modesto Junior College math professor Tina Akers-Porter discusses her strand group’s deliberations at “The Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” Convening Jan. 26 where a call for a “principals task force” by Orosi High School Principal Marlena Celaya would bring more secondary education voices to the table.

‘Something extraordinary is happening in math in California’s Central Valley’

Math Task Force latest AB1705 session leads to calls

for more data, high school input, re-convene April 19

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Media/Communications Coordinator

Realizing that state guidance surrounding Assembly Bill 1705 remains elusive, valley community college math educators and officials forged ahead at “The Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” convening Jan. 26 in Fresno with a determined and unified mindset to develop implementation plans that will serve the best interests of their students including a follow-up session set for April.

In addition, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Math Task Force discussion centered around five strands of curriculum planning for implementation before the law goes into effect July 1, two aspects emerged at the lively day-long work session: the increased participation of institutional researchers for pertinent data-collecting and a call for a “principal’s task force” to bring upper secondary education voices to the table.

Presented by CVHEC, the convening — the latest in a series of deliberations since fall — was attended by 82 representatives from the consortium’s 19-member community colleges, one high school principal and campus research professionals.

They agreed to reconvene April 19 for reports on follow-up work that will occur as a result of this most recent event. Registration for that event will open next month with additional details forthcoming.

Facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the session last month reviewed five strands of curriculum planning: Validating Prerequisites; Designing Precalculus for 2025; Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom; Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and Guided Self-Placement.

“With tensions high and little guidance surrounding AB1705, the 19 community colleges and districts that comprise the CVHEC nine-county region are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on this math movement the ‘Central Valley Way’,” summarized Tammi Perez-Rice of the Dana Center.

Perez-Rice, who co-facilitated the event, said the convening was solely dedicated to working and planning at a regional and institutional level in two parts. The first part was dedicated to expanding the five work groups that emerged from the Nov. 17 webinar and creating a plan to move forward.  The second half of the convening was devoted to institutional planning.

“The fruits produced from these convenings are already being felt around the region,” Perez-Rice said.  “The plans and implementations emerging from these convenings are more than just a response to AB705 and AB1705; they cultivate systemic reforms that will benefit all students in the CVHEC region and beyond.”

John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math Task Force and co-facilitator of the Jan. 26 gathering, said in the short-term, the five strands work groups will continue to communicate and provide updates in preparation for the April 19 convening. The strand leads are preparing summaries of their Jan. 26 breakout discussions and member college teams are preparing summaries of the tentative plans they developed in the afternoon breakout sessions for oral reports in April.

“In the longer term, our Math Task Force will continue to monitor what the California Community College Chancellor’s Office says, while mainly going forward with our own Central Valley approach to the five strands.”

That “Central Valley Way” stems from the work undertaken by the CVHEC Math task Force, first formed in 2019, in the past year that was intensified with four work sessions beginning Oct. 6 in a virtual convening with CCC vice-chancellor Eric Cooper. The first in-person session followed Oct. 13 in Fresno and another virtual session was held in two parts Nov. 17 before the Jan. 26 session.

These sessions may represent the only concerted effort by a region’s community college math community actively meeting to collaborate across campus boundaries for ways to unite as one voice and determine a curriculum course of action that meets the law’s intent, Spevak said.

“We at CVHEC, along with the Dana Center representatives and our College Bridge partners in the Math Bridge Program, feel that something extraordinary is happening in math in the Central Valley of California,” Spevak said.

After the Jan. 26 session ended, Perez-Rice reiterated a point she made the first time she visited Fresno for the first in-person convening last fall:

“This collaboration today was amazing. As I travel and talk to math faculty all over the country, what I see pulsating from the CVHEC community here in Central California is just compassion; caring about their students; putting their students first; understanding what their students need; and more importantly collaborating with each other working across institutions to make things happen.”

Inviting secondary ed voices to ‘align syllabi’

A key development of the convening was the assertion and agreement that a crucial next step is “to involve high schools in the discussion and determine how to breakdown barriers between systems for a cohesive collaborative effort to put students first across the state of California,” a message delivered by Marlena Celaya, principal of Orosi High School who was the only secondary education official in attendance.

Celaya’s comments, first in a strand session and later in general comments before the assembled group, resonated with the community college professionals as she offered to lead a task force of principals/administrators who would unify with the CVHEC community college math educators for implementation strategy — to listen and hear what the needs are and how to meet those needs.

“I’m willing to lead this work because I don’t want people to go through the wars I went through teaching algebra and volunteering all my time,” said Celaya, a former math teacher at Dinuba High School. “We would want to  hear from community colleges and say to them ‘what do you need?’

“We heard something from you today: ‘I want to know what courses are offered at the high school and what does that course description look like?’ Aligning syllabi is what I’d like to do,” Celaya said. “Mathematics is my passion.”

Perez-Rice said the April 19 convening promises more high school representation, with over twelve principals who are part of the Math Bridge Program by CVHEC and College Bridge being invited. Other secondary education officials from throughout the valley are welcome she said.  

Participant feedback: ‘great to see we’re not alone in this …’

After the event, several participants shared their assessment of the Jan. 26 convening.

“The conversations were amazing and we really appreciated being here,” said Joshua Lewis, chair of the Bakersfield College Mathematics Dept.

“There have been so many legislative changes and so many unknowns it’s nice to see the work that other campuses are doing and realize that we’re not alone, that we have shared values; that we have shared emphasis on student learning and really care about doing right by all of our students,” he added.

Nathan Cahoon, Taft college math professor, felt that the efforts of CVHEC’s Math Task Force as exhibited at the convening is strengthening the voice of the valley’s math community which will have an impact.

“It was amazing to work with incredible professionals who have some really amazing ideas,” he said. “I know I took many good notes about ideas to implement at our college.  The connections we are building here with each other will be powerful down the road as we build a cohesive effort to get some good research together that we can send to the state as one voice from all the colleges.”

Modesto Junior College math professor Marina Hernandez said coming together within the region is relished because when attending other statewide or national conferences, the focus is not as localized.

“It was very helpful to learn what other colleges in the Central Valley are doing because we share similar student population and resources characteristics and their best practices are applicable to us here in our region,” Hernandez said.

Tina Akers-Porter, Modesto Junior College math professor, said the Math Task Force work has helped her better understand what AB1705 is and what it means for her students.

“I feel like I have a better understanding of some of the challenges of the legislation and what others are worried about,” she said.  “We share some of those worries but it’s great to hear different points of view on that. A byproduct of this is we are seeing how we need to support underprepared students more, inside and outside the classroom, and sharing ideas to do that.”

Shelly Getty, Taft college math faculty and a strand leader, echoed Akers-Porter: “We left knowing we are going to start some specific tutoring and targeting students for tutoring. We will try to advertise it better and recruit so students get more access to the services we already provide which will greatly impact them.  We shared some good ideas on how to do that effectively.”

Marissa Martinez, Taft college math professor, said, “We have our work cut out for us. There’s a lot of things that we have to address with a lot of moving parts. Everything keeps changing but it was great to be able to see that we’re not alone in this, that we’re working together to better serve our students.”

She said this intercollegial collaboration and the feedback from the colleges helps “so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel — what worked, what didn’t work.”

Next steps? Data research

“I would say the next step is collecting our data to see how the numbers show where we are so we can prove that these courses are important for our student success,” Martinez said.

This data aspect was also a key part of the convening as institutional research professionals were invited and directly participated such as Arooj Rizvi, research analyst in the Office of Institutional research and Effectiveness at San Joaquin Delta College.

“Researchers have a monumental role in the implementation of AB 1705 because policymakers are going to depend a lot on what we are able to produce as a group or even as an institution,” Rizvi said. “Being a part of these conversations helps us to see the bigger picture, the context and the requirements of what exactly it is that we are looking for in the data.”

She said it was exciting to hear at the convening what area colleges are going through.

“I realized how similar our challenges are from institution to institution, “she said.  “Working through that together and being solution-oriented is something that’s going to take all of us towards a beneficial direction. Seeing us all here today was a defining moment in history.”

Owynn Lancaster, vice president of academic strategy for CVHEC partner College Bridge, said the event was “a huge success seeing folks come together from math to talk about math and really pool their resources to address actual challenges.

“The most powerful focus of change in education is always the educator,” Lancaster said. “I know everything’s heaped on them but in a lot of ways they have the greatest power of the greatest agency for this.”

For more info: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com

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

See also:

Math Task Force

https://bit.ly/MTFconveneKSEE24

Valley’s math ed experts unite to address AB 1705 challenge for student success

The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705

Math Task Force begins discussion of AB1705 implementation – Nov. 17 next
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

CVHEC Website Feature: Math Task Force Page

PHOTO GALLERY  

Valley’s math ed experts unite to address AB 1705 challenge for student success

Math Task Force Convening Jan. 26:

‘Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success’

 

With the agenda released this week, over 60 Central Valley math education experts will convene in Fresno Jan. 26 to plan math pathways for student success as they brainstorm within five strands of implementation around Assembly Bill 1705 that goes into effect this summer.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s “Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success” Convening from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, will bring together community college math educators, administrators and institutional researchers.

Presented by the CVHEC Math Task Force and facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the convening is free with advance registration and includes lunch.

Discussion for the historic convening — with administrators and IR experts joining in the conversation — will center around five strands that the region’s community college math academicians can undertake for student success when the new law goes into effect July 1:  Validating Prerequisites; Designing Precalculus for 2025; Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom; Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and Guided Self-Placement.

Five Math Task Force members serving as strand leads are: Jeremy Brandl, Fresno City College math professor; Nathan Cahoon and Shelley Getty, both Taft College math professors; Marie Bruley, Merced College dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); and Jay Thomas, West Hills College Lemoore math professor.

After the event opens with a welcome and brief introductions, the strand subcommittees open the discussion by presenting reports regarding preliminary strand deliberations over the past few months that started at three meetings the Math Task Force held in the fall.

Participants will then break into tabletop talks for feedback and to brainstorm new ideas, a timeline and next steps followed by report outs of those subcommittee sessions.

Following lunch, the participants will break into their respective college teams to discuss “Preliminary College Plans” in two parts: “Validating Prerequisites Between Now and July 1, 2024;” and “Developing New/Revised Curriculum to Take Effect July 1, 2025.”

“College Team Report Outs” will follow before the final session “Where Do We Go From Here?” looks towards the future and the role of Math Task Force sub-committees, college teams and CVHEC.

Dr. Benjamín Durán of CVHEC with Dana Center reps Joan Zoellner and Tammi Perez-Rice at the Oct. 13 Math Task Force convening in Fresno.

 Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said, “We are proud that our Central Valley community colleges are leaning in on the expertise of their own math experts to figure out the best way to support our students within the guidelines of the legislation.”

AB 1705 — passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024  —  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 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.

Community colleges have been tasked with ensuring they comply with both AB705 and AB1705 designed to strengthen support for student success and increase degree completion.

CVHEC helped start the conversation by bringing together its Math Task Force — made up of representatives from CVHEC community colleges — and other math educators to discuss ideas and options regarding implementation within the Central Valley community college mathematics community last fall.

Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator

In three virtual sessions and one in-person convening in 2023,  the Math Task Force created a collaborative “Central Valley Approach” to each,  said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math and English Task Forces.

“Now, for the January session, administrators and researchers are joining the Math Task Force to develop data-driven and college-endorsed solutions that help meet the challenge head on and in unity for the best interests of students.”

The fall inaugural sessions were facilitated by two Dana Center representatives who will return to Fresno for the Jan. 26 convening:  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.

Dr. Erik Cooper, assistant vice chancellor of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Cooper, also participated in the first virtual session to discuss the recent history of math education reform in California and answer questions as well as present the CCCCO’s AB 1705 Implementation Guide and FAQ webpage.

“With the passage of AB 705 then later 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 schools have a good understanding of the seemingly turbulent waters of the legislation,” Durán said.

Strand breakdown: 

  • 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 professor.
  • 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 math professor.
  • 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 dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
  • 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 math professor.

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

 

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

EVENT AGENDA For questions: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

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

 

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

 

 

Dr. Erik Cooper of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office zoomed into the Oct. 6 CVHEC Math Task Force session to address AB1705 implementation.

 

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

HIGHER ED NEWS: CCLC, Talent Hub and CCA national convenings


CVHEC and the national/state perspective: industry and

education working off the same playbook  

 

At two national conferences this month and one state convening last month, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium team reconnected with partners in pursuit of mutual aims: the Community Colleges League of California Annual Convention Nov. 16-18 in Indian Wells, Calif., the Talent Hubs and National Talent Network Annual Convening, Dec. 4-7 in Mobile Alabama and the Complete College America 2023 Annual Convening: Future Ready Dec. 10-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“These dynamic convenings of nation higher education and community leaders signaled that we are back, post-covid, speaking in a single voice on higher ed policy issues that affect our region with the goal of increasing Central Valley degree and certificate attainment rates,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“These three events provided us the opportunity to fulfill CVHEC’s role as a unified voice for higher education issues in the Central Valley on a broader state and national scale.”

Dr. Durán led a CVHEC contingency of Ángel Ramírez, finance and operation manager, and Elaine Cash,  grants and programs coordinator, beginning with the Talent Hubs convening presented by CivicLab with sponsor Lumina Foundation.

At Talent Hub, presented by the CivicLab, the CVHEC reps joined colleagues from throughout the nation in revisiting how partnerships between industry and education, working off the same playbook, are vital to cross-collaboration success for both landscapes.

Fresno was first designated as a Talent Hub by Lumina in 2017 with CVHEC selected as a representative because of the consortium’s work to dramatically impact valley degree attainment, retention and persistence rates specifically among Hispanic, African American and low-income populations by utilizing remediation reform with co-requisite models for both English and math to increase college-level course completion.

Dr.  Durán said key themes of the CivicLab convening reinforced the need for and value of cross sector collaboration for career pathways by the members of the Talent Hub nationwide.

“Nobody knows the future, but if industry and education work off the same playbook we will be in a better position,” Dr. Durán said, echoing messages from the opening session. “That’s why partnerships between the two are so important.”

Since the initial Lumina funding, CVHEC has utilized annual grant renewals to achieve its goals in the areas of Dual Enrollment, Transfers, Math Pathways and Open Educational Resources underscored by its annual Central Valley Higher Education Summit.

At the Complete College America conference, participants explored “a clear-eyed vision for leading systems change” in higher education throughout the nation under Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 quote, “The fierce urgency of now!”

Specifically, Dr. Duran presented on a CCA breakout session, “Central Valley Community Colleges and UC Merced – Igniting Intersegmental Miracle to Increase Transfers,” with Stan Carrizosa, president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias who is now CVHEC’s regional coordinator and Central Valley Transfer Project lead, and Jennifer Johnson, chief partnership officer for the
Foundation for California Community Colleges.

They discussed the CVTP and how it has been adopted by the California Community Colleges as a demonstration project for the consortium’s nine-county region with the goal to expand systemwide as announced by CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian at the CVHEC Summit held Oct. 20.

Also attending the CCA conference were two CVHEC board members, Dr. Lena Tran, president of Columbia College, who presented on the “Golden State Aspirations – Charting a Path to Equitable College Completion in California,” and Dr. Claudia Habib, president of Porterville College.

At the CCLC conference last month, the CVHEC Transfer Project once again presented an update on the historic the  California Community Colleges demonstration project.

A special CVHEC guest panelist was student Araceli Tilley who testified how the project’s Program Pathway Mapper software is a major tool for self-starting students like herself even beyond first-time admission. Joining her and Carrizosa in CVHEC’s presentation at CLCC were Tom Burke, interim chancellor of the Kern Community College District, and Dr. James Zimmerman, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor and provost for Transfer Initiatives at UC Merced.

CVHEC Summit 2023 wrap: a myriad of takeaways for participants

Porterville College President Claudia Habib (third  from left) introduced CVHEC Summit student panelists Hailee Guerra,  Araceli Tilley, Jesús López Nuñez, Alondra Veloz and moderator Dr. Carole Goldsmith, chancellor of the State Center Community College District.  

Student panelist ‘earns’ a trip to CCLC to share
her transfer experiences statewide

 

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications/Media Coordinator 

 

See CVHEC Summit Media Coverage:  KVPR Radio and GV Wire. (MORE)

 

For Araceli Tilley, an alumna of Merced College, the Program Pathway Mapper used by the CVHEC Transfer Project proved to be not only useful for her transfer to UC Merced in fall 2022, it provided her an easy way to map her college courses for her final two years of college at UC Merced that is leading up to graduation in May 2024 with a degree in psychology.

Araceli shared her experiences on the student panel at the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Summit 2023 held in Fresno Oct. 20 where the breadth and depth of CVHEC activities such as the Transfer Project were showcased.  The summit is sponsored by College Futures Foundation.

She was joined by four other students who shared their experiences in activities CVHEC has sponsored and how much their success could be attributed to those initiatives: Hailee Guerra,  Araceli Tilley, Jesús López Nuñez and Alondra Veloz.

Araceli Tilley

“The mapper provided a straight path that really helped me out, especially because counseling and advising is super impacted at many colleges and you don’t always get to meet in-person with advisors so it was nice that I was able to self-direct using it,” Araceli said.

“And since I worked at Merced College as an outreach ambassador, I was able to help other students showing them how it works. It’s a very useful tool, especially for students who are self-directed.”

From a major announcement to kick off the day to the student testimonials, the CVHEC Summit Oct. 20 at the Fresno Convention Center accomplished its goal of convening educators and community leaders to continue developing a unified voice for higher ed issues.

“The student panel was a glimpse into the reason why educators dedicate themselves to this profession,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

Araceli’s assessment of Program Mapper and how it helped her plan courses throughout college earned her an invitation by Stan Carrizosa, CVHEC regional coordinator who is the lead for the consortium’s Transfer Project, to participate in the presentation his team will make to the Community College League of California Annual Convention Nov. 16 in Indian Wells.

“I’m very excited about going to the Indian Wells conference,” Araceli said. “I didn’t expect to get asked to go to another conference but it’s a great opportunity to voice my experiences as a transfer student and how the Mapper tool helped me.”

But a key highlight of the summit came early in the day as Dr. Sonya Christian, chancellor of the California Community Colleges,  returned “home” to deliver the summit keynote.

In presenting on the CCC Vision 2023 strategy plan, she announced the new Central Valley Transfer Pathways Demonstration Project, evolving from CVHEC’s own Transfer Project, to help community college students streamline the transfer process to four-year. (See  story).

“As expected, Chancellor Christian’s presentation was inspiring and reflected her commitment to students in the state,” Duran said.

PHOTO GALLERIES for the CVHEC Board of Trustees and Summit Reception (Oct. 19) and
the Central Valley Higher Education Summit (Oct.20)
at the Fresno Convention Center:

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,

CVHEC Summit 2023 panelists: summit of college leaders takes on valley’s higher ed issues


 

(UPDATED OCTOBER 19, 2023) – Several area chancellors and presidents lead the charge Oct. 20 when the heads of 28 valley colleges and universities and other educators and policy makers convene for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Summit 2023 in Fresno.

Panel discussions include the historic CVHEC Transfer Project and its Program Mapper software that is widely acclaimed statewide and nationally and other topics such as a student panel sharing their higher education experiences and a federal education legislative update by U.S. Congressman Jim Costa.

CVHEC released its line-up of panelists for the summit which features a keynote address at 9:15 a.m. by another former valley higher education leader and former consortium board member, Dr. Sonya Christian, who became chancellor of the California Community Colleges July 1.

With the theme “Student Success through Equity and Inclusion — Thriving in the Central Valley,” the summit will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at the Fresno Convention Center’s Ernest E. Valdez Exhibit Hall (702 M Street). See summit agenda).

About 200 higher education officials and educators, legislators and partner representatives are expected to attend the summit sponsored by the College Futures Foundation.  The quarterly meeting of the CVHEC Board of Directors – consisting of the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of the consortium’s 28 member colleges and universities in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern – will precede the summit the day before.

CVHEC’s Welcoming & Networking Reception also will be the day before the summit, Oct. 19 following the board meeting to provide summit participants an opportunity to connect with other attendees and the CVHEC Board of Directors in an informal relaxed setting.

Reception music will be provided by Fresno vocalist Merlinda Espinosa, an alumna of CVHEC-members Fresno City College and Fresno State where she studied early childhood education. Merlinda is a preschool teacher at St. Joachim School in Madera and performs regularly at events throughout the Valley.

The summit will feature conversations on Dual Enrollment, Central Valley Transfer Project, Math Pathways and Open Educational Resources starting with  Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor of West Hills Community College District and the chair of the CVHEC Board of Directors, who will open the event with a welcome at 9 a.m.

For the keynote remarks, Chancellor Christian will be introduced by Tom Burke, interim chancellor of Kern Community College District who is temporarily filling the position vacated by her CCC appointment.

Following the keynote, Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of Fresno State, will introduce the first topic of the day, “The Central Valley Landscape: Pathways to and through College in the San Joaquin Valley.”  Olga Rodriguez, director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, will share some data and findings about the Central Valley’s educational landscape.

Dr. André Stephens, president of Fresno Pacific University, will introduce the first panel, “Central Valley Transfer Model: The Breakthrough.”

Panelists will be facilitator Stan Carrizosa, CVHEC regional coordinator and president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias in Visalia; Dr. James Zimmerman, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor and provost for Transfer Initiatives at University of California, Merced; and KCCD Interim Chancellor Burke.

Dr. Lisa Aguilera-Lawrenson, superintendent/president of San Joaquin Delta College, will introduce the second panel, “Different Approaches to Equitable Dual Enrollment.”

For that panel, Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director and president-emeritus of Merced College, serves as facilitator for panelists Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge; Dr. Vivie Sinou, dean of Regional Education and Distance Learning at San Joaquin Delta College; Dr. Richard Aguilar III, director of Dual Enrollment/Early College at West Hills College Coalinga; and Dario Diaz, principal of McFarland High School.

Following lunch, Chancellor Clark returns to introduce Rep. Jim Costa, 16th Congressional District Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives for his annual “Federal Legislative Update” remarks.

In the panel, “Real Colleges Serving Real Needs,” Madera Community College President Ángel Reyna will introduce fellow community college chief executive, James Preston, president of West Hills College Lemoore, as facilitator. Panelists are fellow CVHEC-board member Fresno City College President Robert Pimentel and Jeff Garner, executive director of the Kings Community Action Organization.

The final panel of the day, “What Does this Mean for Students?,” features student voices introduced by Dr. Claudia Habib, president of Porterville College and facilitated by Dr. Carole Goldsmith, chancellor of the State Center Community College District. The student panelists will be:

  • Alondra Veloz, an  Open Educational Resources student at Fresno Pacific University discussing her experiences with OER;
  • Araceli Tilley, discussing her transfer experience from Merced College to University of California, Merced;
  • Hailee Guerra, an OER Student at West Hills College Lemoore  transferring to Fresno State;
  • Jesús López Nuñez, whose dual enrollment experiences led to an associate of arts degree from West Hills College Coalinga while attending Avenal High School and is now enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The closing session at 2:50 p.m., “Where We Go from Here” will be brief remarks delivered by Durán.

Registration for the free event is now closed. Summit updates are available at https://cvhec.org/event/2023-cvhec-summit/ or email Ángel Ramírez, finance and operations manager, at centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

 

 

CVHEC media inquiries: Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278 (cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu)

 

ABOUT CVHEC — The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a California non-profit made up of 28-institutions of higher education in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern that is the size of some states. Through CVHEC, higher education professionals and academicians in the Central Valley address difficult and complex initiatives, scaling them up across the region for mutual effectiveness to serve our students and communities. CVHEC provides its members a unified voice at local, state and nation levels to address issues of higher education affecting the region.

CVHEC Summit 2023 – Student Panel


CVHEC reception music Oct. 19 will be provided by vocalist Merlinda Espinosa, an alumna of two CVHEC member colleges.

MEMBER NEWS: CSU tackles equity gap with Fresno State Feria de Educación

CSU Grad Rates Initiative college fair in Spanish Oct. 14

features West Hills College Lemoore alumnus social media star


 

One Graduation Initiative 2025 measure by California State University to help eliminate equity gaps in college readiness is its Feria de Educación, college fairs to assist primarily Spanish-speaking parents and their students access resources and information to prepare for college success.

Each year, tens of thousands of students and families across California participate in two ferias that are held throughout the state including at Fresno State on Sat. Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sacramento State is the other feria host campus).

Co-sponsored by the Fresno State Outreach and Special Programs, UnivisionFresno with the CSU and other community organizations and agencies, the family-oriented Fresno State Feria de Educación features a resource fair and workshops in Spanish as well as entertainment and food trucks.

CVHEC Board of Directors member Dr. Saúl Jiménez Sandoval, president of Fresno State, reads to schoolchildren during the University's 2022 Feria de Educación last October.

CVHEC Board of Directors member Dr. Saúl Jiménez Sandoval, president of Fresno State, reads to schoolchildren during the University’s 2022 Feria de Educación last October.

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of Fresno State and a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Board of Directors member, welcomes Feria participants with a bilingual message and participates in the event’s Reading Garden where children hear local community leaders read to them in the Kids Zone.

Famed Mexican singer Beatriz Adriana will attend and be honored as the Feria’s 2023 Embajadora de Educacíon.

Also participating will be an alumnus of a CVHEC member college, Leo Gonzalez who graduated from West Hills College Lemoore in June and has gained fame as a social media influencer on Tik Tok. He will be presented the “Orgullo del Valle” award and acknowledged by President Jiménez-Sandoval and West Hills Lemoore President James Preston.

Info: Martina Granados, OSP senior director, at 559.278.5374 or martinag@mail.fresnostate.edu. She serves as co-chair of the event with Lupita Lomeli, Univision Fresno anchor.

Leo Gonzalez

See Fresno Bee article (Oct. 8, 2023).

How one TikTok star went from living in his car to building a comedy career

TikTok star Leo Gonzalez among graduates at California college

 

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