Journal of K-12 Educational Research 19 Introduction Preparing students to meet the challenges of adult life after high school graduation and to succeed in their career endeavors is pertinent in the study of college-readiness. Over seven million high school graduates are unprepared for college-credit courses each year even though they have completed requirements to receive their high school diploma (Corbishley & Truxaw, 2010). When a student graduates from high school with a diploma, one would expect they are ready to begin the rigor of a college education. College-readiness as defined by Title 2, Subtitle H, Chapter 39, Subchapter B, Texas Senate Bill 3, is: The level of preparation a student must attain in English language arts and mathematics courses to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an entrylevel general education course for credit in that same content area for a baccalaureate degree or associate degree program. (Education Code, 2013, Sec. 39.024) Remedial education in post-secondary institutions offers assistance in preparing students striving to perform as college-ready students with the rigorous curriculum in college-level mathematics courses. Remedial education has struggled to give students the needed success to advance into the mathematics college-credit courses, which are necessary for a college degree. The current study explored efforts made to bridge the divide for underprepared students. The current study utilized data collected by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to examine a relationship with the remediation for underprepared students in mathematics, first time in college students, at seven higher-education campuses, over 10 academic years. The current study sought to discover the impact collegereadiness in mathematics had on completion of required college-credit mathematics courses, completion of an associate degree, and meeting the needs of the future job market. Core competencies are evaluated through placement tests to determine a student’s expected level and the amount of developmental education needed to strengthen their skills in college-credit coursework. The current study provides information for instructors and instructional leaders to make decisions that affect the developmental program for post-secondary campuses. Providing remediation to assist the over 50% of First Time in College (FTIC) students enrolling at community colleges who are not college-ready will create a pathway for more students to succeed in their post-secondary endeavors (Hilgoe et al., 2013). The need to address this deficit in preparing students for college must have focused effort to improve college-readiness in mathematics (College Ready Indicators, 2019). Research Questions As the goals for students completing a college degree in Texas remain at the forefront for the THECB, collecting and interpreting data for developmental students is important to reach the goals for all students pursuing the same goal. The current study asked and analyzed the following research questions: EXPLORING COLLEGE-READINESS IN MATHEMATICS FOR POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS IN TEXAS Kelly K. David, EdD Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2021, VOL. 5, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd
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