RUME 25
2023
Omaha, Nebraska
Navigating AB705 and a Pandemic: An Investigation of Students’ Experiences With Placement and Advising
Page: 719
Recent state policies have pushed for more diversity in the STEM pipeline. One proposed solution is the California Assembly Bill (AB705) (California Community College, 2018), which requires students to take and pass gateway math courses within their first year at community colleges. In theory this policy seems like a solution, however pragmatically there is a lot to be learned about its implementation and consequences for students. In this paper, we address the research question: What are students experiences with placement and advising at a local two- year college. We conducted a descriptive qualitative case study (Yin, 2009) that draws upon s student outcome data and focus groups. We focus on 5 STEM majors’ experiences. Findings suggest most students passed their gateway math courses within a year, however students described negative placement and advising experiences: receiving deficit-oriented suggestions from counselors and limited counselor availability. We discuss implications in the paper.