Effectiveness of Carnegie Math Pathways' Statway on Post-participation Outcomes

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Abstract

Community colleges are gateways to higher education for a large portion of the American population, providing access to two-year degrees or credentials as well as the possibility of transferring to four-year institutions. Yet students face many hurdles in achieving these goals. One challenge faced by more than half of all community college students is the need for remedial coursework when they begin their studies. Nearly 60% of first-time community college students take placement exams that indicate that they need to complete at least one developmental math course; 80% of students who place into remedial classes do not earn college-level math credit even after three years. Non-white students are disproportionately likely to be placed in developmental math courses and are less likely than white students to earn college math credit. Overall, researchers have found remediation to be a barrier to student persistence and completion or transfer. This paper investigates if a particular alternative to traditional developmental math sequences, Carnegie Math Pathways’ Statway, helps students earn degrees and/or transfer more quickly. Using a quasi-experimental design, with students matched within colleges using hierarchical linear model (HLM)-determined propensity scores, the likelihoods of Statway and traditional developmental math students of obtaining a two-year degree or similar credential, transferring to a four-year institution, and/or obtaining a four-year degree are examined. This preliminary analysis indicates that, for the schools examined here, enrollment in Statway significantly increases the likelihood obtaining degrees and/or transferring.

Author

• Jon R. Norman, Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching