Institution California State University-Fullerton State California Academic Level Baccalaureate Issue Area Access Website http://www.fullerton.edu/miss/ Key Personnel David L. Pagni Program Focus Females/Latinas, STEM Overview Project Mathematics Intensive Summer Session (MISS) was established in 1990 to address a nationwide concern of a shortage of female students, primarily Latinas opting for careers in STEM. The long-term goal of the program is to increase the population of female students who choose careers in natural science, engineering, and other STEM-related professions by completing college-prep math courses, which are often gate-keeping content areas. Program Description MISS aims to support students in their study of mathematics, focusing on assisting them in completing the necessary courses required for college admission and eventual college graduation. Serving as a supplementary enrichment program, students study Algebra II during the summer for six hours a day in preparation for taking the course during the school year. Graphing calculators are also used to learn about graphing and writing code. A supportive environment is provided for the students by having two instructors and two tutors support a class of 32 participants. Throughout their participation, teams of four are assigned to build community, having students coming from different schools and pre-test scores. Additionally, students interact weekly with female role models who come from natural science, engineering, and other STEM-related professions to expose them to various career choices. Outcome Increase women in natural science, engineering, and other STEM majors: 98% of participants attend college, with approximately 20% of them choosing natural science, engineering, and other STEM-related majors. Increase college graduation rates: Of the MISS participants who enroll at California State University-Fullerton, 90% of them have graduated. Increase math knowledge: Gains in math attitude and math self-concept also showed that the program was effective in instilling confidence and self-reliance for learning math with an average of a 17% gain in attitude and a 12% gain in confidence in doing math over the years. Increase math college readiness: Pre- and post-tests identify math knowledge gained from the program as well as improved attitude and confidence in learning math. Disaggregating the pre-post content knowledge gains for the summers of 2017-2019, data showed slightly better gains for Latina vs. non-Latina students. Learn more about Latino College Completion in California Return to Growing What Works Database
