Page 25 | Volume 5 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 23 displays recommendations to continue evaluating the changes to developmental education for post-secondary education to assist students in completing a college-level mathematics course and ultimately graduating with a college degree. Cumulated data throughout the state for methods and skills that work well to improve the passing rates for developmental students in college-credit mathematics courses will provide a thorough analysis. It is recommended in Figure 1 in various ways to continue to unify efforts and data to provide a clear pathway for college success for all students at the federal, state and local levels of education and governmental efforts. With changes to the TSIA, which were implemented in the fall of 2020, it is recommended to evaluate whether there is a relationship between students who qualify as college-ready before and after the implementation with the standards being tested. A causality analysis to identify testing objectives, course model for developmental students being used, and what amount of time works best for more students is all-encompassing to provide a large picture of the needs and progress being made. Exploring the disconnect between high school mathematics graduation standards and college-readiness in mathematics through the TSIA testing objectives may bring helpful insight for secondary institutions. Within a community college district, it is recommended to have analysis from each campus in regard to which mathematics courses were the most successful for developmental mathematics students and what modifications or remediation provided the best results. Each district should track the modifications made and the efforts to teach developmental mathematics students under the guidelines of the legislation adopted to maximum curriculum design for developmental mathematics students. Conclusion There is a concern from both secondary and postsecondary institutions that are not confident that a high school diploma indicates college-readiness. National and state leaders demonstrate their concern for high school graduates being college-ready by setting national educational goals and passing legislation to make changes in developmental education for post-secondary institutions. The future job market may have a deficit in STEM-related jobs if the nation is unable to increase the number of college graduates. There are strides being made for unprepared students in this major urban area of Texas, but not enough to deem co-requisite courses to be the answer for college-readiness in mathematics. The District average graduation rate rose from 38.2% to 46.8% with a 22.5% increase in the 6 academic years that were studied. The statewide average graduation rate for developmental students rose from 36.0% to 45.3% with a 25.8% increase during the same academic years. These improvements are encouraging for both. A continuation of data for cohorts after the implementation of HB 2223 (2017) will shed even more light on the impact the changes for underprepared students have made. References Carnevale, R., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2013). Job growth and educational requirements through 2020. Center of Education and the Workforce. College Ready Indicators. (2019, January 28). Retrieved from Little Elm Independent School District: www. littleelmisd.net/page/5318 Corbishley, J. B., & Truxaw, M. P. (2010). Mathematical readiness of entering college freshmen: An exploration of perceptions of mathematics faculty. School Science and Mathematics, 71-85. Fry, R. (2017, January 18). U.S. still has a ways to go in meeting Obama’s goal of producing more college grads. Retrieved from Fact Tank: http://www.pewresearch. org/fact-tank/2017/01/18/u-s-still-has-a-ways-to-goin-meeting-obamas-goal-of-producing-more-collegegrads/ Hilgoe, E., Brinkley, J., Hattingh, J., & Bernhardt, R. (2013). The effectiveness of the North Carolina early mathematics placement test in preparing high school students for college-level introductory mathematics course. College Student Journal, 369-377.

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