Math Pathways Task Force

February 15, 2023

More than a dozen Colorado organizations and institutions are represented in the Colorado Math Pathways Task Force, which brings together experts from across the high school grades and higher education. This effort builds on and extends the work of a previous task force convened by the Colorado Department of Higher Education that focused on the success of undergraduate students in mathematics courses.

Mathematics pathways refer to the sequences of courses and the opportunities students experience as they prepare for their college, career, or other ambitions. In higher education, Colorado’s colleges and universities have worked to more clearly identify the mathematics content needed by students based on their academic interests. “We now have a set of introductory math courses that serve a broad range of student needs and guaranteed transfer agreements across our system,” said Dr. Rachel Sefton, a co-chair of the task force and a co-chair of the mathematics discipline for the Colorado Community College System. “We don’t just enroll students in college algebra or calculus by default, regardless of their interests.”

Increased attention on math pathways has raised awareness that many students are underserved by current high school mathematics course offerings. “As we look at the work done in higher education, we want to ensure our K-12 students are prepared to pursue career, postsecondary, or military options upon graduation,” said Kim Smith, a task force co-chair and secondary math specialist for Mesa County Valley School District 51. “Schools often design a pathway leading to success in calculus, but many students may find their interests and postsecondary aspirations are better aligned to a statistics or data science pathway.”

The Colorado Math Pathways Task Force includes representatives from various organizations and institutions. K-12 organizations include the Colorado Math Leaders (CML), the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM), the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), the Parent Academy for Student Success (PASS), and the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI). Higher education organizations and institutions include the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), Colorado State University (CSU), the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Metro State University of Denver (MSUD), the Community College of Denver (CCD), and Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC). Several task force members are also members of the Secondary, Postsecondary, and Work-Based Learning Integration Task Force. The Colorado Math Pathways Task Force receives technical assistance from the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The Dana Center selected Colorado in September 2022 as one of twenty states to join the latest Launch Years Initiative and provided similar assistance to Colorado’s previous pathways task force.

“Because Colorado values K-12 local control, our school districts have a lot of independence to design their courses and pathways,” said Lisa Rogers, co-chair of the task force and president of the Colorado Math Leaders. “But at the same time, what I hear from math leaders across the state is a desire to work together so that students everywhere have the same opportunities to succeed as they progress through high schools and into postsecondary. I’m excited to hear so many perspectives and work with people who want to understand our problems and create solutions to overcome them.”

The Colorado Math Pathways Task Force will work together from February 2023 to February 2024 to write and publish a set of recommendations which will be communicated broadly to stakeholders through the Spring of 2024.

Colorado Math Pathways Task Force Members and Affiliations

Joseph Bolz, Board Member, Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Mathematics Teacher, Denver Public Schools

Lori Cooper, President, Colorado Association of School Executives, and Assistant Superintendent of Student Achievement, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8

Carl Einhaus, Senior Director of Student Success & P20 Alignment, Colorado Department of Higher Education

Anne Egan, Board Member, Colorado Association of School Boards, and Board Member, Cherry Creek School District

Amanda Foster, Member, Colorado Math Leaders, and Secondary Math Coordinator, Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Monica Gilmore, Member, Colorado Math Leaders, and Teacher on Special Assignment, Secondary Math, Boulder Valley School District

Claudia Glascock, Coordinator, Parent Academy for Student Success, Westminster Public Schools

Gus Greivel, Teaching Professor and Department Head, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Colorado School of Mines

++Danen Jobe, Director of Academic Programs and Curriculum, Colorado Community College System

++Raymond Johnson, Mathematics Specialist, Office of Standards and Instructional Support, Colorado Department of Education

Lauren Jones Austin, CTE Program Director for Special Populations, Counseling, Equity, and Middle School, Colorado Community College System

Mark Koester, Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Brook Koltun, Director of Advising and Testing, Pikes Peak State College

Megan Korponic, Board Member, Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Dean of Students, Greeley-Evans School District 6

Jennifer Lamanski, Instructor of Mathematics, Colorado Northwestern Community College

Janet Oien, Co-Director, Calculus Center, Colorado State University

Chris Rasmussen, Senior Director of Academic Pathways & Innovation, Colorado Department of Higher Education

Cheryl Reeves, Member, Colorado Math Leaders, and Secondary Math Curriculum Specialist, Pueblo School District 60

+Lisa Rogers, President, Colorado Math Leaders, and Board Member, Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Student Achievement Coordinator, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8

Michelle Romero, Director, Office of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness, Colorado Department of Education

+Rachel Sefton, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Community College of Denver

+Kim Smith, Past President, Colorado Math Leaders, and Board Member, Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Secondary Math Curriculum & Learning Design Specialist, Mesa County School District 51

Amy Spicer, Vice President of Implementation Design, Colorado Education Initiative

+Task force co-chair
++Task force co-facilitator