Case Study: Columbus State Community College achieves higher retention and narrowed equity gaps with McGraw Hill

Columbus State Community College - Customer Case Study

Columbus State Community College faced persistent equity and completion challenges: low three‑year graduation rates, weak fall‑to‑fall persistence, and large gaps in developmental‑math outcomes for underserved students. Students like Brianna Swain benefited from the college’s redesign focus on accurate placement and acceleration, which included partnering with McGraw Hill to use its ALEKS personalized, adaptive learning system as part of a broader intervention strategy.

Using McGraw Hill’s ALEKS in an emporium model, ALEKS PPL placement bootcamps, and a corequisite College Algebra model, Columbus State accelerated students through developmental math, improved placement accuracy, and embedded just‑in‑time supports. The results were measurable: overall course completion rose to nearly 74% in 2018 (from 67% in 2012), developmental‑math success averaged 68% by 2018 with retention in dev math up from 49% to 65%, corequisite success rates climbed to 52% versus 42% in the traditional course (a 20‑point gain for African‑American students), and semester‑to‑semester retention for Black students in three or more initiatives increased to 81% (from 68%), narrowing equity gaps substantially.

Columbus State Community College

Lauren Jones

Program Director