National non-profit SeeMore Impact Labs has introduced a new approach to building college math and general academic skills in its Core Strategies for Mathematics (CSM) course. In turn, CSM supports our Excel Together initiative to remake the landscape of postsecondary readiness and completion within a community.
Excel Together has two strands:
We believe that Excel Together communities can increase by many-fold the number of students who have completed their general education math requirement before they enter college (e.g. compared with dual credit). Moreover, Excel Together has a small footprint that is straightforward to implement, will not strain budgets, and does not require significant policy change.
SeeMore is currently implementing Excel Together communities statewide in New Mexico and DC, with discussions in other metro regions and states.
College math is a major impediment for both college matriculation (students with low math self-efficacy simply don't apply) and college success (math is the primary academic cause of stopping out). Decades of effort in both K-12 and developmental math instruction have helped on the margin but not significantly turned the dial, especially for the students with the greatest disadvantage.
We believe that this is because the problem has been largely misidentified -- low math attainment is not primarily a math issue, but springs from low academic self-efficacy and lack of effective learning skills, which most math-focused efforts do not address.
The self-paced Core Strategies for Mathematics (CSM) course uses next-generation adaptive learning technology to personalize instruction in both college-level quantitative reasoning and how-you-learn, -act and -feel domains.
While teaching college level math, CSM simultaneously:
The CSM course is used across a wide range of educational venues (school, college, adult education, workforce development, employee upskilling), across a wide range of educational backgrounds (opportunity youth to college graduates), and in a wide variety of different implementation contexts (online, in classroom, hybrid). Furthermore, in work with opportunity youth and adult learner populations, it appears that most students with learning differences can complete CSM.
In a national evaluation funded by the Joyce Foundation in which CSM was compared to gold-standard online math programs from McGraw-Hill (ALEKS) and Pearson (MyMathLab), CSM showed the largest math gains and the highest student engagement.
In Tri-C's (Cuyahoga Community College / Cleveland) adult diploma program with mainly opportunity youth participants:
Dual credit is a key college success strategy for increasing both college matriculation and completion. However, while one-third of high school students take a dual-credit class, less than 10% of students take a dual-credit math class. Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) when coupled with CSM has many advantages, allowing many more students to earn college math credit.
Dual Credit Math Course
CSM Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)
Instructors
Many schools (especially smaller or rural schools) can’t offer dual credit math because they lack a college-qualified math instructorr.
All schools can offer CSM, because CSM coaches don’t even need to be math instructors (they’re helping students with the skill of independent learning).
Eligibility
Most students aren't eligible for dual credit classes, as they may need to meet a minimum academic threshold (often a 3.0 GPA). In any case, most students aren't prepared for college-level work.
CSM embeds deep remediation down to 4th grade math, and combined with its training in general college success skills, even struggling students can usually succeed at CSM.
Aftermath of failure
Failing a dual credit class goes into a student’s high school and college transcript, putting college financial aid at risk.
Students send a transcript with CSM to their college of choice only if they pass
Use cases
Dual credit works only in a high school setting.
As Credit for Prior Learning, CSM can be implemented across high schools, college bridge programs, adult education, workforce development, apprenticeship, and other programs.
Individuals needing help are everywhere: in schools, adult education, workforce development, opportunity youth programs, programs for returning citizens or for immigrants, etc. Excel Together reaches ALL of these individuals, wherever they are. Excel Together has two strands:
In Excel Together New Mexico, CSM has been articulated for general education math with Central New Mexico Community College, which serves half of all community college students in the state, and we are in advanced discussions with other colleges. We are in implementation discussions with schools representing almost a quarter of all K-12 students in the state, as well as opportunity youth and adult education programs.
In Excel Together DC, CSM is being used as the general education math curriculum at the University of the District of Columbia -- Community College (UDC-CC), resulting in an approximate 70% increase in the number of students passing this gatekeeper course, with large gains in student engagement and in instructor morale. There are already over 1000 students in the region who have earned CSM Certificates, and we expect wide usage of CSM in DC public schools by fall, 2026.
Additionally, CSM is used as onboarding in Georgetown University's Pivot program certificate program for formerly incarcerated individuals, and is used at the DC Infrastructure Academy for programs for powerline and bus/subway maintenance workers.
Dual credit is one of the most successful college access and completion strategies, and allows high school students to gain college credit and a sense of membership in college. However, dual credit has a number of issues that are addressed by CSM, which operates through a Credit for Prior Learning model and includes many unique characteristics:
Dual credit works only in a high school setting.
As Credit for Prior Learning, CSM can be implemented across high schools, college bridge programs, adult education, workforce development, apprenticeship, corporate tuition assistance and other programs. This availability opens the door to college for many non-traditional students.
Many schools (especially smaller orrural schools) lack a college-qualified math instructor.
Students learn CSM skills on their own, and CSM coaches are there to help the students learn how to do this. Coaches do not even need to be math instructors.
Most students aren't eligible for dual credit classes (which rarely include any remediation), as they may need to meet a minimum academic threshold (often a 3.0 GPA and a minimum ACT or SAT score). In any case, most students aren't prepared for college-level work.
CSM embeds deep remediation down to 5th grade math, and combined with its training in general college success skills, even struggling students (such as those in credit recovery programs) can take and usually succeed at CSM.
Cost can be a major burden on students or schools -- both the cost of the college textbook as well as the cost of college tuition. This is particularly burdensome on students from disdavantaged populations.
CSM's low cost is a fraction of a college textbook, and the college credit comes with no extra fee.
If a student fails their dual credit class, this goes onto their college transcript, putting college financial aid at risk.
CSM comes in -- at the student's request -- as prior-learning transfer credit, avoiding any mandatory transcript issues.
Whereas the dual-credit approach for math credit is available only to top high school students, CSM's Credit for Prior Learning approach is applicable to the majority of high school students, as well as to non-traditional students throughout your community.
