TVCC receives major recognition in math instruction

Left Photo: TVCC team celebrates receiving Mathways Exemplar Award. First row, from left: Kelsey Hirsch, advisor; Megan Dickerson, administrative assistant; Russell Self, College Readiness & Success Division Chair; Tammy Denny, Registrar; Melinda Berry, Director of Student Success Services. Second row: Tina Tanner, executive administrative assistant; Becca Garner, advisor; Karen Shipman, math professor. Third row: Amanda Hauck, financial aid specialist; Becky Lucas, advisor; Dr. Colette Hilliard, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management. Fourth row: Dr. Jerry King, President; Dr. Jay Kinzer, Vice President of Student Services. Right Photo: Dr. Wendy Elmore, Vice President of Instruction and Dr. Jay Kinzer accepting award in Austin. (Courtesy photo)

Press release

Trinity Valley Community College was chosen as a 2017 Math Pathways Exemplar from a competitive field of 28 Texas community colleges considered for the distinguished awards. The Texas Association of Community Colleges and the Texas Success Center announced this honor at the 2017 Texas Pathways Institute in San Antonio on Monday, Nov. 6.

“We received very competitive applications for the awards from community colleges across the state,” said Dr. Cynthia Ferrell, executive director of the Texas Success Center. “We were very impressed by TVCC’s application, and their efforts made to address the way students experience higher education in Texas. We look forward to seeing how their work inspires and influences other colleges.”

Mathematics pathways are a rapidly-growing national movement in colleges and universities to align math courses more closely to students’ intended major and career interests. Research strongly indicates that misaligned and lengthy math course sequences are a leading barrier to students completing college and beginning their careers as prepared workers.

“Texas community colleges are among the vanguard in a movement to redesign the way higher education serves the needs of students,” said Dr. Martha Ellis, director of higher education strategy, policy, and services at the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin. “Mathematics pathways are a critical element in preparing students to obtain their career goals and empower their future economic mobility. We celebrate the accomplishments of these colleges.”

Texas colleges and universities have been working on implementing math pathways with the coordination of TACC, TSC, and the Dana Center. Along with curriculum and program implementation support, the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways have developed a set of principles to guide and inform colleges and universities in their efforts to begin offering courses within the math pathways model. According to these principles, math pathways-based college programs should provide:

  1. Multiple pathways with relevant and challenging mathematics content aligned to specific fields of study
  2. Acceleration that allows students to complete a college-level math course more quickly than in the traditional developmental math sequence
  3. Intentional use of strategies to help students develop skills as learners
  4. Curriculum design and pedagogy based on proven practice.

Based on Principle 1 and the college’s exceptional efforts in aligning math pathways with specific fields of study, TVCC was chosen to receive the award for Excellence in Scaling Aligned Math Pathways.

The other Texas community colleges selected as 2017 Math Pathways Exemplars are:

  • Principle 2—San Jacinto College District (Pasadena, Texas)
  • Principle 3—Victoria College (Victoria, Texas)
  • Principle 4—Houston Community College System (Houston, Texas)
  • Overall exemplar—El Paso Community College (El Paso, Texas)