Pathways Post-Participation Outcomes: Preliminary Findings. Carnegie Math Pathways Research Brief

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's Math Pathways seek to improve outcomes for community college students who take remedial math courses. The Pathways include two comprehensive instructional systems--Statway® and Quantaway® and are described in this report. They are designed to support students to achieve the necessary math credits, and ultimately, earn a degree or other credential, either at a two- or four-year institution. This report presents initial findings related to degree attainment and transfer for Pathways students. The goal of Quantway is to prepare students for success in college-level mathematics and to develop quantitatively literate students. Quantway 1 is focused on quantitative reasoning that fulfills developmental requirements of traditional developmental mathematics classes in a single semester or quarter. In 2012, Quantway 2 was added to create a complete Pathway to college credit. Results presented in this paper focus only on the post-participation effects of Quantway 1. As follow-on data for Quantway 2 becomes available, a subsequent report will be issued. Statway is focused on statistics, data analysis, and causal reasoning. It combines developmental mathematics and college-level statistics in a seamless and consecutive two semester or quarter program that allows students to fulfill both developmental and creditbearing mathematics in a single academic year. Statway is designed to teach mathematics skills that are essential for a growing number of occupations in which decision-making under conditions of uncertainty is a part of daily work.