Counselors / Administrators

Equitable Access to Mathematics Education

The main goals of the Discrete Math Project are to promote a college and career readiness culture and to help traditionally disenfranchised students qualify for and succeed in college-level mathematics courses, ultimately broadening the base of student populations in STEM-related college majors. We have designed courses for curious, thoughtful students who need more than formulas and equations. The project takes issues of equity in mathematics education by opening access to mathematics to traditionally marginalized students through the introduction of non-traditional, but relevant topics. This provides all students equal footing.

Who should take these courses?

DMPC (4th-year course) was designed for high school seniors who: Are College Bound

Have passed Integrated Math 3 or Algebra 2 with a grade of "C-" or better.
May have taken pre-calculus and want an alternative to Calculus as a fourth year of mathematics
Are undecided about pursuing a STEM discipline at the college or university level

DMPS (3rd-year course) is intended for students who:

Have passed Integrated Math 2 or Algebra 1 and Geometry with a grade of "C-" or better.
Are undecided about pursuing a STEM discipline at the college or university level

What are the goals of these courses?

To advance students’ mathematical ways of thinking, as described in the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice, necessary for success in college math, career, and life.
To foster students’ mathematical curiosity and to demonstrate how mathematics can solve authentic mathematical problems.
To help students acquire knowledge of essential and desirable mathematics content as defined by the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates of the CCC, the CSU, and the UC’s Statement of Competencies in Mathematics (2013).

What does a typical day in these courses look like?

Each day students engage in problem solving. They write, engage in sense-making, propose and refine definitions, model with mathematics, habitually ask “Why?” and reason at a variety of levels of formality. Typically, DMPC lessons are active. Students play games, talk with peers during problem-solving activities, present their thinking, use manipulatives, and write and reflect on their work and the work of their peers. Many problems begin with a context and are eventually decontextualized. Students primarily learn through problem-solving, but brief lectures and note-taking sessions help wrap up lessons.

If a student is successful in DMPC, what class would you advise them to take next? What is the benefit (institutionally) of taking this course?

Many students will enroll in a pre-calculus or statistics course upon admission to an institution of higher education. The course will help them make a more informed decision about choosing STEM or Non-STEM fields of study. At California State Universities, students who have successfully completed DMPC can be eligible to be placed directly into math courses, as opposed to needing additional support courses.

If a student is successful in DMPS, what class would you advise them to take next?

Many students will enroll in Integrated 3, Algebra 2, Statistics or any Discrete Math course. The course will help them make a more informed decision about choosing STEM or Non-STEM fields of study.

How can a school adopt our courses?

For schools that wish to adopt our courses in the UCOP portal system,

• Log in your school's A-G Course Management Portal (CMP)
• Click Add a New Course and select Add a program course.

• Select our program, Discrete Math Project Collaborative, from the dropdown menu.
• Begin typing the course title (Discrete Math Pre-Collegiate or Discrete Math Problem Solving) and results will begin to populate.
• Select the course and click Continue.
• Complete the submission form and submit the course to UC or forward to your course/reference list manager to submit to UC.

Once the school has submitted this form, the course(s) would be adopted to the school’s A-G list.
To view a list of our courses on UCOP website, go to https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/5086.