MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – SUNY Orange’s groundbreaking work to redesign its mathematics placement process and developmental math curriculum has again earned national recognition with its inclusion in the recently released EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition.

Being featured in the Horizon Report signals national recognition for innovation and forward-thinking practices in student learning. The annual publication examines emerging technologies, key trends, and strategic challenges shaping the future of higher education, elevating an institution’s profile while underscoring its commitment to access, equity, and student success.

The math reform highlighted in the report is the same initiative for which SUNY Orange received the prestigious Bellwether Award in February. Together, these recognitions reflect growing national validation of the College’s approach, one that delivers measurable impact and offers a scalable model for institutions across higher education.

“Being included in EDUCAUSE’s Horizon Report is another independent endorsement of the groundbreaking work we are doing at SUNY Orange, particularly as we continue our efforts to support students along their educational journeys,” said Dr. Erika Hackman, SUNY Orange provost. “Our combined efforts in developmental math curriculum reform and our new placement approach have shown impressive results. Students are placing at higher developmental math levels from the outset, or bypassing developmental math altogether, saving them time and resources and accelerating their achievement of their educational goals. Pass rates have improved and equity gaps are shrinking significantly.

“Our work in this area can be easily replicated, and we’ve enjoyed sharing our processes with colleagues at other institutions in recent months. I hope that by SUNY Orange earning a spot in the Horizon Report this year, we can connect with other community colleges implementing similar approaches in ways that fit for their institutions and students.”

Below is the SUNY Orange summary featured in the “In Practice” section of the 2026 Horizon Report | Teaching and Learning Edition chapter on Policy Trends:

“From Remediation to Momentum: Rethinking Math Placement and Pathways”

SUNY Orange replaced standardized math placement tests with guided self-placement, combining student self-reports, confidence surveys, and growth mindset. Alongside a redesigned developmental curriculum and co-requisite supports, the reform improved accuracy, persistence, and equity. Results show higher gateway course enrollments, stable success rates, and reduced equity gaps.

The Horizon Report is a comprehensive collection of exemplars of teaching and learning practices in higher education across the globe and across the two- and four-year sector. It looks at trends across the five STEEP domains EDUCAUSE believes will impact higher education over the next 10 years: Social trends, Technological trends, Economic trends, Environmental trends and Policy trends.

For community colleges nationwide, math placement has long shaped student persistence, completion, and equity. At SUNY Orange, as at many institutions, reliance on standardized placement testing often resulted in widespread misplacement, disproportionately placing Black and Hispanic students into lengthy developmental math sequences. The COVID-19 pandemic both exposed and intensified these inequities, creating an urgent need for a more accessible and equitable approach.

In response, the College developed a guided self-placement survey through collaboration between the math department, advising staff, and academic leadership. Recognizing that placement reform required corresponding curricular changes to be effective, SUNY Orange redesigned its developmental math program with an integrated approach that aligned placement with curriculum to support student progress. What began as an emergency measure evolved into a comprehensive placement reform that has become the College’s ongoing model.

Results have demonstrated that the proportion of students placed at the lowest developmental course level have decreased, while enrollment in gateway and general education mathematics courses increased. Pass rates in gateway courses remained stable or improved, even as more students bypassed developmental coursework and moved directly into credit-bearing math courses. Significantly, equity gaps also narrowed: students from historically underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in and succeeded in gateway mathematics at higher rates than under the previous system.