Overview

In September 2024, the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) launched an initiative to support the (1) development of skills-based math pathways for adult learners to achieve college algebra proficiency, and (2) creation of a college implementation guide to scale the work. The effort is a first step toward designing more innovative models of math education for adults, while being responsive to in-demand skills needed to access good jobs.

Working with community colleges, C-BEN is partnering with the New Classrooms Teach to One Roadmaps to pilot personalized math pathways to help learners avoid the barriers and difficulties often associated with standalone remediation courses. By leveraging skills-based approaches, learners will apply prior learning, including work experience, to efficiently achieve college algebra proficiency. The project is funded through a $700,000, 18-month grant from Lumina Foundation.

Key features of the project:

• Select up to three pilot community colleges, with 20-50 students participating at each site.
• The colleges will deploy Teach to One Roadmaps, a digital tool that provides skill-level diagnostic information about the specific skills each learner must master to achieve proficiency, aggregated content to help learners based on their preferences, and short-form assessments to gauge progress along the way. New Classrooms has launched the program in more than 90 schools with support from funders including the Gates Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, and the Dell Foundation.
• Host a webinar "Exploring Skills-Based Innovations to Address Math Pathways for Adults" (October 2024).
• Plan future efforts including understanding how skills-aligned and personalized math approaches can impact retention, completion, and career advancement for adult learners, with the goal of informing institutions and policymakers as they address barriers caused by remedial education.

In August 2025, C-BEN released a webinar summarizing early insights into the findings from the small group of colleges testing the skills-based approach to math pathways for adult learners. The webinar included panel discussion of the finding that algebra is commonly required for credential programs, but does not align with employability skills. It is also a core issue challenging learners who are trying to complete a credential and/or degree.

Background

Many reports highlight the challenges to learners posed by remedial education despite significant reform attempts. Among learners ages 30-37, 37% take remedial courses. These courses often have high failure rates, and this reduce learners' chances of completing college. This project aims to find better pathways to achieve college math proficiency, especially for adult learners. Better pathways will require combining best practices in employer engagement, competency-based assessment, state-of-the-art technology, and personalized content to ensure every learner can achieve college algebra proficiency and help adults realize the promise of postsecondary credentials that have too often been out of reach.

Resources

Press Release: prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-funding-to-explore-innovative-skills-based-math-pathways-for-adult-learners-302243549.html

New Classrooms Roadmaps Evaluation: newclassrooms.org/wp-content/uploads/New-Classrooms-Roadmaps-Evaluation-240405.docx.pdf

Webinars: c-ben.org/events-webinars/

Early Insights Webinar: youtube.com/watch?v=CMWFB_vf1c0

Teach to One Roadmaps: teachtoone.org/roadmaps/