CMEC launched in 2019 off the heels of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences’ (CBMS) national forum, to interrogate and champion state and local policies that facilitate access to expanded mathematics courses and post-secondary success, operating from the premise that access to advanced mathematics is not equitable across California. Too often students from under-resourced schools and communities have limited course options, despite state legislation and efforts in the public postsecondary systems to change placement policies and eliminate remedial mathematics courses.
With generous funding from the College Futures Foundation (and in-kind time contributions from members and their institutions) CMEC engages in and facilitates continual debate and discussion around equity and access to meaningful and expanded mathematics learning opportunities; professional learning for mathematics educators; and how to shift policy and practice to build deeper alliances within and between segments (PK-5; 6-8; 9-12; post-secondary).
CMEC is facilitated by a diverse team of mathematics and education leaders in California. The full group’s composition includes PK-12 and higher education faculty; educational researchers; higher education policy representatives; California Mathematics Project directors; county office of education leaders; professional learning providers; and community partners.
CMEC Work to Date & Future Directions
Between 2019 and 2022, CMEC developed a set of recommended policy and practice shifts at state and segment-specific levels; crafted a prototype for organizing expanded district mathematics programs; drafted a set of guiding beliefs and principles for equity and student-centered mathematics educator learning, intended as a framework for designing meaningful professional development; and collectively reviewed and authored feedback on the Spring 2022 draft of the California Mathematics Framework.
CMEC continually pursues opportunities to implement the strategies, recommendations and principles promoted through its work to date. Work groups provide environments conducive to civil discussions on ideas related to mission-aligned work streams, and create products to share with statewide interest holders. Members work collectively to respond to policies and issues that impact PK-16 mathematics education in California. When relevant, CMEC facilitates opportunities for public scrutiny and debate of work products in order to achieve widespread consensus among parties committed to improving mathematics education.
CMEC Action Framework: Incubation, Discussion, Consensus
The CMEC action framework defines how the collaborative engages with its work. The framework is designed to optimize CMEC’s diverse, intersegmental expertise; provide feedback opportunities for work groups to strengthen their overall products and outputs; position the group to act as trusted partners and opinion collectors on a variety of statewide mathematics education issues and challenges; and forge consensus statement.