Research Brief - November 2023 - Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Long-Term Follow-Up Cost Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Research Brief November 2023 examines the long-term costs and cost-effectiveness of the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) model, building on prior impact research that used an individual-level randomized controlled trial. The study evaluates how a diversified, pathway-based math curriculum and evidence-based pedagogy affect longer-term college progress and attainment. Using 1,411 students across four Texas community colleges, the analysis finds DCMP can save students money and may be cost-effective within a broader student success strategy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Introduction

Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Program

Key components of DCMP

Research Brief \ November 2023 Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Long-Term Follow-Up Cost Analysis Dan Cullinan Overview Following up on a previous impact and cost study of the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) model, which used an individual-level randomized controlled trial, this study assesses the costs and cost-effectiveness of the program on longer-term college progress and college attainment. The version of DCMP included in this study diversified the developmental and college-level math course content, separating the content into distinct pathways that better aligned with students’ career interests. It also streamlined the developmental math sequence into a one-semester developmental course for all students, regardless of placement level, and implemented an evidence-based curricula and pedagogy to engage students in active problem solving pertinent to real-life situations. The study, which included 1,411 students across four Texas community colleges and ten campuses, found that DCMP saves students money and may be cost-effective when used as part of a larger strategy to improve student success. CAPR \ Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness Introduction Community colleges have been struggling for decades to better support students who are deemed academically underprepared for college-level work in math. Historically, incoming college students who need remedial support to bring their mathematics skills up to collegelevel standards have been required to take and pay for a sequence of several semester-length non-credit bearing courses, referred to as developmental math courses. A longitudinal study from the Institute of Education Sciences found that, in the early 2000s, 59 percent of students entering two-year institutions were taking at least one developmental math course and students of color and students from lower income backgrounds were more likely than their White and higher income peers to take these courses.1 Being referred to developmental math courses is also highly correlated with dropping out of school.2 With these troubling statistics in mind, many colleges, university systems, and states have taken bold action to reform developmental education, making changes to everything from the way they assess students’college readiness to the structure and sequencing of developmental education courses. Many of these reforms are showing promising results in rigorous studies.3 Fewer reforms, however, have sought to address some of the most challenging problems with respect to developmental and college-level math: course content and teaching methods. The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin (Dana Center) launched the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP, formerly the New Mathways Project) in 2011 with the support of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. At the time, the program diversified the developmental and college-level math course content, creating distinct pathways that better aligned with students’ career interests. It streamlined the developmental math sequence, as shown in Figure 1, so that students who tested two or more levels below college ready in math were only required to take a one-semester developmental course. It also implemented evidence-based curricula and pedagogy to engage students in active problem solving pertinent to real-life situations. (See Box 1.) The Dana Center hypothesized that these key components would support students in ways that would make them more likely to complete the developmental math sequence, pass their first-year college-level math course, and accumulate more math credits (math completion) . Changes in math completion would help students persist in college longer and accumulate more credits (academic progress), and ultimately be more likely to earn a certificate or degree (academic attainment) . Starting in 2014, researchers from the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness—a partnership between the Comm

FAQs

What does this research brief evaluate about DCMP?

It evaluates longer-term program costs and cost-effectiveness, focusing on college progress and college attainment after earlier impact research.

How did DCMP’s program structure differ in the version studied?

The version used diversified pathways for developmental and college-level math, streamlined developmental math into a one-semester course, and used evidence-based curricula and pedagogy for real-life problem solving.

What were the study’s cost-related findings and where was it conducted?

Across 1,411 students from four Texas community colleges and ten campuses, DCMP was associated with saving students money and may be cost-effective as part of a broader student success strategy.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys