Presenters:Angela Grupas, Acting Dean Math/Communications Division, St. Louis Community College-MeramecCynthia Hess, President, St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, Pam McIntyre, President, St. Louis Community College-Wildwood, Marcia Pfeiffer, President, St. Louis Community College-Florissant ValleyGeorge Wasson, President, St. Louis Community College-Meramec

AACC Convention: 21st-Century Vision: Igniting Innovation

Math Boot Camp: Helping Students Move Through Developmental Math Sequence

George Wasson, PresidentSt. Louis Community College-

Meramec

Mission Statement

St. Louis Community College expands minds and changes

lives every day.We create accessible,

dynamic learning environments focused on the

needs of our diverse communities.

Florissant Valley campus

South County Education and University Center

About the College • Largest community college

system in Missouri• Ranks among the nation’s top

25 associate degree-producing institutions

• District encompasses 718 square miles, includingSt. Louis City and County and portions of Franklin and Jefferson counties

STLCC is one of the nation’s top associate degree-producing institutions in the country.

About the College • Four campuses at Florissant Valley,

Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood• Two education centers in

St. Louis County, North St. Louis City• Numerous satellite locations in area

business, industrial, neighborhood and educational sites

• Corporate College in Bridgeton• Administrative Center, 300 South

Broadway• 3,854 full- and part-time employees

Forest Park campus Meramec campus

Wildwood campus

Florissant Valley campus

Enrollment Profile (Fall 2011)• 29,230 students enrolled in credit courses • Median Age = 24• 61% Female• Race and culture

– Caucasian = 15,242 (52%) – African-American = 10,981 (38%)– Asian = 912 (3%)– Hispanic/Latino = 767 (3%) – Multiracial/Other Ethnicity =

735 (3%)– Unknown = 593 (3%)– Represent nearly 120 countries

and 40-plus different language (top 5 are Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Bosnian, and African dialects)

What’s Happening in Developmental

Education Nationwide?

National Trends in Developmental Education

Placement: Developmental math 24% One level below16% Two levels below19% Three or more levels below59% TotalStudent Progress Completed Developmental Math Sequence

45% One level below32% Two levels below17% Three or more levels below33% Total

Study of over 250,000 students enrolled in 57 AtD colleges in 7 states

National Trends in Developmental Education

Students who enrolled in and completed sequence

Passed College-level math course

27% One level below20% Two levels below10% Three or more levels below20% Total

“An academically unprepared student who passed a college-level math course was more than four times as likely to transfer as a similar student who did not.”

Moore, C., & Shulock, N. (2009).

Bailey, T., Jeong, D., Cho, S., & Columbia University, C. (2010).

Dr. Cynthia Hess, PresidentSt. Louis Community College-Forest Park

How Are We Doing?

Let’s take a look at St. Louis Community College

Directions for St. Louis Community College

Graduation Rates For Developmental*, 1st-Time, Full-Time, Degree-Seeking Students

• 3,965 students had math placement information. • 90% (3,563) placed in developmental math• 10% placed in College Algebra or higher.

Fall 2007 First Time Students

Math Placement Students Percent

Pre Algebra 2,204 56%

Elementary Algebra 1,001 25%

Intermediate Algebra 358 9%

College Algebra 402 10%

Total 3,965 100%

Grade Distribution in Pre Algebra

C or Better 42%

D and PR 19%

F and W 39%

Fall 2010 (1,215 students)

Data from Forest Park Campus

Student Retention Based on Pre-Algebra Grades

Fall 2010 Spring 2011

C or Better 90%

D and PR 76%

F and W 34%

Data from Forest Park Campus

Fall 2010 to Spring 2011 65% of student returned

Performance of Successful Pre Algebra Students in Elementary Algebra

Total Enrollment

C or Better

Total Enrollment

C or Better

FlorissantValley

290 109 37.6% 152 80 52.6%

Forest Park 345 153 44.3% 222 124 55.9%

Meramec 343 141 41.1% 243 116 47.7%

Wildwood 85 54 63.5% 62 45 72.6%

All 1,164 499 42.9% 738 396 53.7%

Campus Fall 2010 Spring 2011

Percentage of Developmental Students Who Complete Intermediate Algebra With a C or Better Who Then Complete College Algebra With a C or Better

• 2006-2011 Five-Year Graduation Rate For Students Who Started As Developmental 16%

• 2006-2011 Five Year Graduation Rate For Students Who Started As College-Ready 25%.

Pam McIntyre, PresidentSt. Louis Community College-Wildwood

Accelerated Learning

• Acceleration is an increasingly popular strategy for improving the outcomes of students referred to developmental education.

• Acceleration involves the reorganization of instruction and curricula in ways that expedite the completion of coursework or credentials.

Edgecombe, N., & Columbia University, C. (2011).

MATH BOOT CAMP

History of Math Boot Camp

Math Boot Camp Objective

• An intensive review of the basic concepts in Pre-Algebra for recent high school graduates who have taken an advanced mathematics course (Algebra II or higher) in high school and yet have placed into Pre-Algebra on the STLCC placement test.

• At the conclusion of the Math Boot Camp the students were allowed to retest and then be placed into the appropriate course, hopefully eliminating or reducing the need for developmental coursework.

Math Boot Camp Outline• Pre-test: identified student’s areas of weakness• Workshop format—3 hours• Mini-lectures on 4 core topics:

• Fractions• Decimals • Percentages and proportions• Solving equations

Individualized skill-building and problem-solving practice with computer

15 participant maximumMastery-level testing

Post-test: placement test retake

$49.00

Campus Number of Students Meeting Eligibility Requirements*

Florissant Valley 209

Forest Park 215

Meramec 324

Wildwood 22

Total 770

*Students tested between March 1 and June 22, 2011.

Eligibility

Course Placement Percentage of students Pre Algebra (no change) 32.6%

Elementary Algebra 46.5%

Intermediate Algebra 18.6%

College Algebra 2.3%

Results

67% of Boot Camp students

moved out of Pre-Algebra

Student Reflections• It was very helpful and I liked the idea of a second chance at the test• It was a great refresher• The Math Boot Camp really helped me boost up my math skills and the

teacher was very helpful.• It was a good refresher on past math problems.• The review really helped a lot to help me fully understand basic math I

haven't done in years• Math Boot Camp helped me solve problems that I forgot how to solve.• It was great experience, and I would recommend this for everyone• I thought it was very helpful, I hope it will help me score higher• You should take it seriously• It was very beneficial• It helped a lot!• It’s a great program

Most Helpful Part of Math Boot Camp Percentage Response

Individual work on the computer 37%

Teacher led discussions/lectures 42%

Workbook 7%

Individual help from instructor 18%

Would you recommend the Math Boot Camp to a friend ?

Yes 100%No 0%

Student Feedback

Dr. Marcia Pfeiffer, PresidentSt. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley

Project-Based Learning in Developmental Education

The purpose of this project is to improve student success in the developmental sequence by developing and delivering a:

Project Highlights• Students recruited from existing developmental

English, Math, and Reading courses• Theme-based integrated curriculum • 4 instructional sessions of 3 hours each per week• 1 peer tutoring session of 3 hours per week• Focused on 3 significant projects• Course design based on L. Dee Fink’s approach

(backward design)• Creating Significant Learning Experiences• Learning Goals• Activities• Assessment

Class Schedule

Project Example: Cinderella Stories

Mathematics

•Between you and your partner make up a Cinderella problem that can be solved by defining the variable and solving the equation.•Make sure your problem has all the necessary information and is clear and concise. •Submit the solution for your problem with all the steps clearly identified. (Define the variable, write an equation,…)•Think about how you are going to present it: power-point, poster, report, movie, book,…•Write a reflection on your experience working on this project.

What’s the problem?

Cinderella wants to purchase a dress that was originally priced at $5,000. The store has a discount of 15% off of the original price. The total amount Cinderella paid for the dress, including sales tax, was $4,675. What percentage of sales tax did she pay?

Student Samples - MTH

What’s given?

Dress- $ 5,000Discount- 15%Total Price- $4,675

Find the sales tax (x).

What’s the solution?

4250 + x • 4250 = 4675-4250 -4250______________________

4250x = 425 4250 4250x = 0.1 = 10%

Cinderella paid a total of 10% sales tax on her dress.

My Reflections

I think that me and Chris worked together very well. We both had ideas that helped one another.On the scale from 1-10 I would give my partner a 10.I give him a 10 because he was very attentive to my ideas and didn’t hold back any of his ideas.

Word Problem

Cinderella has two stepsisters, and she weighs 20 pounds more than the older stepsister. The younger sister weighs 3 pounds less than the older sister. If the combined weight of Cinderella and her stepsisters is 350 pounds. How much does each girl weigh?

What’s the solution?

x= older sisters weightCinderella=20+xyounger sister= x-3Equation:x+20+x+x-3=350 3x+17=350 -17= -17 3x= 333 3 = 3X= 111 pounds

What’s the solution?

X-3= younger sisters weight 111-3=108 pounds20+x= Cinderella’s weight 20+111= 131 pounds

Student Success Measurements:•Midterm grades •Retention •Final grades•Performance in follow-on courses

Student Success Objectives:5% or more

•increase in the number of A-Cs•decrease in the number of Ws•increase in the number of enrollments in follow-on courses•increase in A-Cs in follow-on courses

Project Assessment

Student Success Results

Midterm GradesStudents achieving a C or Better

for allowing us to showcase Math Boot Camp and Project Based Learning

Please visit our website at stlcc.edu to learn more about St. Louis Community College.

QUESTIONS