More on Alternative Pathways and transferability in California

California's adoption of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) helps to shape the expectations of universities regarding the mathematical background of their incoming students.

The July 2013 statement (http://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/committees/boars/BOARSStatementonMathforAllStudentsJuly2013.pdf) from the University of California's Boards of Admissions & Relations with Schools (BOARS) comments that most California Community Colleges (CCCs) continue to use "traditional Intermediate Algebra (i.e., Intermediate Algebras as defined prior to CCSSM implementation)" as prerequisite to a transferable mathematics course.

The BOARS statement continues, "Specifying that transferable courses must have at least Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite is not fully consistent with the use of the basic mathematics of the CCSSM as a measure of college readiness...Requiring that all prospective transfer students pass the current version of Intermediate Algebra would be asking more of them than UC will ask of students entering as freshmen who have completed CCSSM-aligned high school math courses. As such, BOARS expects that the Transferable Course Agreement Guidelines will be rewritten to clarify that the prerequisite mathematics for transferable courses should align with the college-ready content standards of the CCSSM."

Meanwhile, the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges (ASCCC) has endorsed the CCSSM, but has no formal position on alternative pathways.  A Fall 2012 resolution to support innovations to improve success in under-prepared non-STEM pathways was referred to the executive committee.  However, former ASCCC president Ian Walton did publish in the ASCCC Rostrum an opinion (http://asccc.org/content/alternatives-traditional-intermediate-algebra) that "The wide range of conversations demonstrates that a strong case can be made for the exploration and implementation of alternative preparations for transfer level math courses that differ from the content of the traditional intermediate algebra course."