country He is a tenured full-time professor and associate dean of the mathematics department at San Diego Mesa College. He lives in San Diego. foster It is an accessory Professor of Mathematics with over 40 years of experience at San Diego Mesa College. He lives in San Diego.
He’s a veteran. Single mother. People with learning disabilities. Probably all of the above.
You haven’t taken a math class in 10 years. If so, you probably remember a little algebra you learned in high school. You go to a community college in California to study math. Maybe you’ll start a new career path. The California community college system tells us, “There’s nothing below calculus!” Why not take a refresher or prep class first? Is it available somewhere in the California Community College System? Outside of a professional program, forget it. Instead, they’ll be cramming K-12 math into extra class time. At the same time, I am also trying to learn calculus. Oh, and the Veterans Administration may not pay for your class — there’s no calculus prerequisite.
That is the direction we are moving as a result of the implementation of Assembly Bill 1705. This new law is being used (and abused) by bureaucrats at California Community College in Sacramento to push out the lower rungs of the math ladder. Courses that are needed by many people will be waived to make them available to everyone right away. Well, not everyone. You’re not a veteran. Not you, a single mother. It’s not you, it’s the person with the learning disability.
There is a widespread misconception that community colleges exist only to serve 18- to 21-year-olds who have just graduated from elite high schools. They are doing well in college and remembering math. At California community colleges, we find that this is often not the case. His 74% of California Community College students are part-time. Seventy percent are students of color. 66% are economically disadvantaged. 64 percent are working learners or students who work to support themselves. 41% he is over 25 years old. 19% are homeless.
Despite the dire need felt by many math students, California community college bureaucrats remain obsessed with the idea of ”getting it done fast” and are cutting classes by misusing and misinterpreting AB 1705. , attempts to achieve this goal cheaply. These bureaucrats use false and misleading “data” based on junk statistics (and censor embarrassing webinars) to justify these harmful policies, especially those that are harmful to students with disabilities. To do). This “data” does not include students who dropped out of math classes before they were officially counted, inflating the pass rates reported by the state. This “data” also excludes many returning students and veterans, and has been discredited and rejected by math teachers across the state.
Who is supporting this acceleration plan? A former president of the California Association of Community College Faculty said that given California’s population growth since 2002, enrollment in the California Community College System Writing about the fact that the number of students is more than 1 million below what it should be, she named nine interest groups as the main proponents of “reform.” Their own website lists her seven common funds, most of which include her Lumina Foundation and her ECMC (Educational Credit Management Corp.), two organizations with historical ties to student loans. It is clear that it has a source.
The California Association of Community College Teachers also notes that interest groups are pushing students to attend more expensive four-year colleges while increasing student loan debt. The James Irvine Foundation has an interest in student housing. California community college tuition is low. Her extra year at a four-year college is all money. Do you have to redo some classes there because your math fundamentals are weak? Even better!
You take a calculus class at a California community college. Hey, maybe you’ll squeak in C! Do you think you’re ready to take math and science classes in college? Will they accept you in the first place?
On the other hand, if you can’t complete your first math course at a California community college, “too bad!”
Sign the petition at tinyurl.com/3uuphz4e and share it widely. Watch the videos for faculty (starting at 21:22) and students (starting at 30:44). Read what the former faculty president has revealed, and (most of all) contact us. State legislators should fight California community college bureaucracy regarding implementation of AB 1705. When they voted for AB 1705, state legislators thought it would give students better choice in their math classes. In fact, these options are being stripped away. Fight for student choice!
