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The report addresses the “weed-out” role of calculus and precalculus, highlighting who is most affected and why many students abandon STEM ambitions after encountering the course. Drawing on research and interviews within the California State University system, it evaluates how departments structure prerequisite sequences and how colleges assign students to prerequisite courses or barriers rooted in deficit perspectives.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/staying-the-course-examining-college-students-paths-to-calculus/397948/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/staying-the-course-examining-college-students-paths-to-calculus/397948.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Ben ","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-02","2026-09-27",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the report focus on calculus prerequisites for STEM-interested students?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It examines whether prerequisite courses, intended to prepare students for college Calculus, increase success as intended or instead create barriers similar to remedial approaches rooted in deficit perspectives.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What overarching problem does the report highlight about college calculus courses?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"College calculus and precalculus are described as stepping stones to STEM careers but also as stumbling blocks, with many students attempting these courses without success and then abandoning STEM ambitions.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does the report analyze calculus prerequisite practices?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It considers how math departments structure prerequisite sequences and how colleges determine eligibility, including assigning not-ready students to prerequisite courses or sequences, using evidence from the California State University system.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},397948,1790578536,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336478951081,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","STAYING  \nTHE COURSE:  \nExamining College Students’Paths to Calculus  \nBy Marcelo Almora Rios and Pamela Burdman January 2023  \nCountless college students abandon their STEM ambitions after an encounter with calculus—or to avoid taking the intimidating course altogether.  \nWhile traditional approaches have focused on prerequisite courses—which often repeat highschool coursework in algebra, precalculus and  \ntrigonometry—research has increasingly called that strategy into question.  \nACKNOWLEDGMENTS  \nThe authors are grateful to the California State University faculty and administrators who took the time to participate in interviews and respond to inquiries about Calculus foundation courses in the CSU system. The report could not have been written without their willingness to discuss current practicesand their commitment to supporting students. Math faculty Geoffrey Buhl, Anne Cawley, Kimberly R.  \nElce, Rick Ford, Berit Givens, Julie Glass, Eric Hsu, Michael O’Sullivan, and Kate Stevenson participated in interviews. They and several others responded to email inquiries. Matthew Jones and Chenoa S. Woods also provided input on early findings. The final version of the report is stronger thanks to the experts who reviewed an initial draft: Lauren Asher, Kathy Reeves Bracco, Francesca Henderson, David T. Kung, Ricardo Moena, Lark Park, Laura M. Schueller, Rob Shorette, and Myra Snell. We also thank Just Equations staff members Katrina Goto for indispensable research assistance and Jenn BeVard for consummate project management. Lastly, we once again appreciate the expert editing of Jane Steinberg, the polished proofreading of Yael Katzwer, and the last in a series of dazzling designs by Christopher Artalejo-Price (we’ll miss you, Christopher!) .  \nABOUT JUST EQUATIONS  \nJust Equations reconceptualizes the role of mathematics in ensuring education equity for students. An independent resource on the equity dimensions of math education in the transition from high school to college, Just Equations advances evidence-based strategies to ensure that math policies give all students the quantitative foundation they need to succeed in college and beyond. Just Equations’ work is supported by College Futures Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Valhalla Foundation.  \nABOUT THE AUTHORS  \nMarcelo Almora Rios, a research fellow at Just Equations, recently completed his master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Montana, having previously earned his bachelor’s at Harvey Mudd College, also in mathematics. He has supported students’ mathematics learning in many roles. His research interests lie at the intersection of mathematics education, psychology, and philosophy, with a particular interest in the concept of mathematical well-being. A first-generation, Peruvian-born college student, he was the recipient of the 2020 Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley Latinos in Technology Scholarship.  \nPamela Burdman, founder of Just Equations, is a policy analyst and strategist on college access, readiness, and success, with a focus on equity in mathematics. She works at the intersection of education research, policy, and practice to synthesize knowledge from the field to define problems and advance strategies to support student success. She began her career as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle more than 20 years ago and first focused on math opportunity as a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.  \nSuggested citation: Almora Rios, M. , & Burdman, P. (2023) . Staying the course: Examining college students’ paths to Calculus.  \nJust Equations.  \nStaying the Course // 3  \nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY  \nCalculus is a stepping stone to STEM degrees and careers. But it is also known to be a stumbling block to those very objectives. Each year, nearly 1 million students attempt a college calculus or precalculus course without success (Gobstein, 2021, p. ix), and many abandon their STEM ambitions as a result. Women and mino","cbCairFqBjct78hC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairFqBjct78hC","pdf",3338467,46,"English","# Executive Summary\n## Purpose and Research Questions\n## Focus on the CSU System","[{\"question\":\"Why does the report focus on calculus prerequisites for STEM-interested students?\",\"answer\":\"It examines whether prerequisite courses, intended to prepare students for college Calculus, increase success as intended or instead create barriers similar to remedial approaches rooted in deficit perspectives.\"},{\"question\":\"What overarching problem does the report highlight about college calculus courses?\",\"answer\":\"College calculus and precalculus are described as stepping stones to STEM careers but also as stumbling blocks, with many students attempting these courses without success and then abandoning STEM ambitions.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the report analyze calculus prerequisite practices?\",\"answer\":\"It considers how math departments structure prerequisite sequences and how colleges determine eligibility, including assigning not-ready students to prerequisite courses or sequences, using evidence from the California State University system. \"}]","Staying the Course - Examining College Students’ Paths to Calculus | PDF",1790468671,116]