After living and working in the San Jose area for more than 40 years, I had almost accepted the fact that I would never get a college degree. Despite my lifelong love of learning and my successful career, I didn’t believe I was proficient enough in math to pass the entry-level courses required by the California State University (CSU).
It wasn’t until the recession when I lost my recruiting job at a law firm that I realized how vital a college degree is. Every job I applied to required a degree. I was embarrassed that I wasn’t college educated and hated when anyone asked where I went to school. Despite being well-read, politically active and career driven, I felt marginalized.
When I was in my 40s, I set my goal on getting a degree. I took classes at San Jose City College, passing all writing and reading courses with flying colors. But I was crushed to learn that because I couldn’t pass the math placement exam, I’d have to take two years of remedial math classes before I could enroll in college-level math for my major. The daunting thought of four extra semesters made me throw up my hands and give up.
Each year more than 170,000 students begin remedial math in a California community college, and more than 110,000 of them will never complete the math required for a degree. It looked like I was about to become one of them.
Luckily, I learned about an alternative math program at San Jose State University. Unlike the traditional remedial math sequence, this statistics pathway was tailored to what I need as a social science student.
Statway, a program developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, allowed me to immediately enroll in college-level statistics, with remediation of necessary math skills built in.
In the past, I’d struggled to see the relevance of math, but that changed in Statistics. The program didn’t just rehash the same old algebra topics. It focused on using statistical analysis to understand real-world problems.
My classes were structured in a way that best helped me learn, with one-on-one attention from the instructor, group work, and independent study at home. The curriculum was rigorous and demanded dedication from me as a student. And for the first time, I could see how it applied to both my major and my career.
I am proud to say I currently have a 4.0 and am on track to graduate with a degree in Organizational Studies and a minor in Anthropology. And while I worked hard to get where I am, I know that I’m incredibly fortunate. Most students don’t have access to the lifeline I did.
Statistics pathways are offered at only a third of the state’s community colleges and only two CSU campuses. At the rest, the only option is the traditional trek through Intermediate Algebra, with most students taking a year or more of courses that rehash K-12 math topics they don’t need for their degree or career goals.
California’s public colleges and universities need to ensure that arbitrary remediation policies don’t keep delaying and derailing students’ college dreams. All students should have access to rigorous, college-level math that is relevant to their goals, the kind of learning experience I was lucky enough to receive.
Cheryl Cowan is in the Organizational Studies program at San Jose State University. She wrote this for The Mercury News.
