One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Math Misalignment and Mismatch in the Transition to College

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 64
  In Roundtable Session: Longitudinal Perspectives on College Access

Abstract

We use linked academic transcript data from a large urban community college district and its feeder high school district to identify progression through math course-taking in the transition to college. We define forms of math misalignment between high school and college math course-taking, and forms of math mismatch with respect to appropriate course placement. We identify the prevalence of each in the sample of community college-bound students and assess the relationship between these math trajectories and subsequent college outcomes. These nuanced categorizations go beyond remedial/non-remedial dichotomies and help to delineate students' math course-taking experiences in the transition from high school to college.

Authors

• Federick Ngo, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• David Velasquez, University of Southern California