The report Aligned by Design: How cross-system math alignment can improve students’ pathways from high school to college offers recommendations that states can consider to improve the effectiveness of math pathways for learners.
Published in December by Just Equations, a policy institute focused on the role of math in educational equity, the report asserts that “Ensuring that students not only transition successfully from high school to college — but also complete college prepared to enter the workforce and earn a living wage — remains one of the greatest challenges faced by our education systems. And misalignment in math education can serve as a singular barrier to successful transitions.”
For students, some consequences of lack of alignment include repeating course content in high school and college; college admissions requirements that exceed those necessary to graduate high school; having to take what can be lengthy remedial math coursework in college due to use of placement tests that have questionable validity; and math requirements that aren’t relevant to students’ college and career aspirations.
“The absence of alignment and transparency across high school and college math requirements can lead students to feel demoralized, question their own abilities, and lose time and money — effects that often fall hardest on students of color, low-income students, and students whose parents did not attend college,” the report states.
Many experts have advocated for modernizing math education, and some states have taken steps to redesign their pathways — first at the college-level and more recently by adding courses like discrete math, data science, computer science and statistics at the high school-level, according to the report.
“Because postsecondary institutions play a pivotal role in setting the bar for high school curriculum, ensuring that students develop the mathematical foundations they need requires collaboration between K–12 and higher education systems,” the report reads.
Strategies recommended to bolster policy and partnerships that strengthen alignment include:
- Course co-design to make sure students are prepared to meet college standards, reducing the need for course repetition and streamlining pathways
- Establishing transparent expectations by institutions of higher education so students’ high school math experiences prepare them for college coursework in their field of study
- Having readiness courses, which let high school seniors make sure they will be ready to take college-level math without remedial classes
- Implementing dual enrollment so high schoolers can take college classes and earn credits
- Creating aligned admissions policies so public postsecondary institutions recognize redesigned high school classes
California served as an example of colleges setting transparent expectations. “In 2025, a group of faculty representing California’s three public higher education systems worked with K–12 leaders to produce a statement highlighting the high school math preparation needed for college success in general and in specific majors,” the report notes.
Overall, cross-system collaborations can advance equitable high school pathways. Additional actions to align K-16 math, detailed in the report, include:
- Creating and sustaining active structures for collaboration
- Investing in research and developing strong K-16 longitudinal data systems
- Supporting and sustaining implementation by way of professional development
- Offering transparent information and effective advising
