The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Monday awarded 22 schools across the state with grants to support the launch of the Indiana Postsecondary Ready Investigative Mathematics Experience (PRIME) math transitions course. Schools will leverage these funds to support students as they develop and retain math skills necessary for success after high school.
The only local school receiving the grant for the 2022-2023 school year was the Bremen Senior High School, part of Bremen Public Schools.
The course, which helps students build their math knowledge and skills and helps increase Indiana’s postsecondary completion rates, is designed for students who have currently achieved the minimum math requirements for a Core 40 diploma but may still require additional assistance as they prepare for their next steps after high school.
To support students as they transition from high school to college, three Indiana higher education institutions — Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana State University and the University of Southern Indiana — have agreed to place students who have completed the Indiana PRIME math transitions course with a B or better directly into their quantitative reasoning course without the need for additional remediation. Additionally, qualified students would have the option of testing into other courses.
In Indiana, 16% of students graduating in 2019 who earned a Core 40 Diploma required remediation upon enrolling in a public postsecondary institution. Students referred to remediation in postsecondary institutions are also shown to have a significantly lower degree completion rate when compared with students who did not require remediation.
The PRIME grants, which are in their fourth round, are awarded in collaboration with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Schools will receive up to a $10,000 grant to support professional development and technical assistance for educators. The grants are funded through Indiana’s STEM Program Alignment Fund.
