SAILS

The Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program targets students who have not achieved college readiness benchmarks by introducing the college developmental curriculum into the high school senior year.

Developed by K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, SAILS embeds college remedial mathematics content into the high school senior year math course, allowing students to begin their higher education career better prepared for credit-bearing coursework.

SAILS utilizes a facilitated hybrid instructional model, combining the professional pedagogical expertise of the certified teacher with dynamic properties of multimedia and digital content. Research supports that this blended system of teaching and learning is the most effective at engaging students with their work, and increases their success rate.

This course aligns with both the high school Statistics course standards and the Statewide Dual Credit (SDC) Introductory Statistics learning objectives, providing high schools with the opportunity to offer the course in the way that best meets the needs of their students. When offered as SDC Introductory Statistics, SAILS Statistics is an Early Postsecondary Opportunity (EPSO) for students.

Advantages to Students
Upon completion students can:

• Receive credit for their required 4th-year high school math course
• Eliminate college math remediation for Introduction to Probability and Statistics and/or Math for General Studies
• Obtain a stronger background in Probability and Statistics
• Remove financial burdens by not paying for remedial classes in college
• Save time by starting college-level math right away in college without retaking the ACT or other placement tests

If offered as a Statewide Dual Credit course, students can also:

• Meet Ready Graduate Indicator for an EPSO
• Earn early college credit for free (by passing the SDC Challenge Exam)

Eligibility

• Students are eligible for SAILS Statistics if they meet EITHER of the following criteria:
  • ACT Math score < 19* OR
  • Cumulative GPA ≤ 3.0**

  *When using ACT for placement, the student’s highest ACT Math score must be used.
  **When using GPA for placement, the student’s GPA must be on the standard 4.0 scale.

  Availability

  • Available to all public high schools in Tennessee

  SAILS Math ACT Prep

  This course is designed to assist students in becoming college ready in mathematics by providing them with the opportunity to strengthen their math knowledge and participate in a class that will increase their ACT scores. This course aligns with the math portion of the high school course Preparing for the ACT, Postsecondary, and Career. The course has been piloted in select schools and will continue as a statewide pilot in the 2024-2025 school year. This course does not provide a learning support waiver in college but is intended to boost the ACT Math sub score for students.

  

  Advantages to Students

  By working through the course content, students:

  • Obtain a stronger background in the types of mathematics required on the ACT
  • Have the potential to raise their ACT Math sub score and potentially move out of the score range requiring remedial math in college
  • May save time by starting college-level math right away in college, if their ACT Math sub score is 19 or higher

  Eligibility

  • Students must have already scored less than a 19 on the math component of the ACT -OR- be placed according to teacher recommendation based on prior math course performance

  Availability

  • Available to all public high schools in Tennessee

  SAILS Mathematical Reasoning for Decision Making (MRDM)

  This course aligns with the Mathematical Reasoning for Decision Making (MRDM) course standards. It is best intended for students who are planning to attend a College of Applied Technology, military service, or enter the workforce immediately following graduation. The SAILS MRDM course will be piloted statewide in 2024-2025 with projected full implementation the following year. Currently, SAILS is working with the Tennessee Community Colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology to determine how SAILS MRDM will impact student placement upon arrival at college. Stay tuned!

  

  Advantages to Students

  Upon completion students can:

  • Receive credit for their required 4th-year high school math course
  • Obtain a stronger background in the types of mathematics used in everyday life
  • Pending: bypass some portions of learning support math in college

  Eligibility

  • All students interested in taking MRDM may enroll regardless of GPA or ACT scores. However, students must have completed one of the following math sequences: Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II -OR- Integrated Math I, II, and III.

  Availability

  • Available to all public high schools in Tennessee

  The SAILS Math course was retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year in concert with the sunsetting of the Tennessee Department of Education’s Bridge Math course. However, the SAILS completion credential is valid for five (5) years from the date a student finishes the SAILS course. Therefore, students who completed within the last five years may still be allowed to bypass learning support at the college level. Contact the SAILS office if you have questions.

  

  Community College and High School Partnership

  The SAILS Field Coordinators are the backbone of the SAILS initiative. They are the liaisons between the community colleges and high schools. This partnership is the most critical element to the SAILS program. Each community college will support the high schools in its service region with the implementation of the program. The student support network includes both the college and high school faculty members who will be working together to ensure student progress, learning, and success. The Field Coordinator provides technical, content and logistical support to both the college and the high school team members. Teamwork is the foundation of SAILS, and by having professionals from the community colleges and high schools work together, the project will continue to benefit thousands of students in Tennessee.

  SAILS History and Impact

  Since SAILS was piloted in 2012, over 88,000 students have completed the program successfully and started postsecondary work without the need for math remediation. The SAILS program is available in all 95 counties in Tennessee and is widely accepted by colleges and universities across six states. What allows this program to be successful is the partnership between the K-12 and college systems.

  The SAILS program has attracted national attention for its innovative and practical solution to the college readiness problem. In collaboration with all 13 community colleges, the Tennessee Board of Regents, Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Tennessee Department of Education, and the Governor’s Office, SAILS has led the way in transforming the college readiness landscape in the state.

  The SAILS program was highlighted by Inside Higher Ed and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a promising best practice in reducing the need for college remediation. The Education Commission of the States awarded the State of Tennessee with the 2018 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation because of the SAILS program. The award recognizes states for enacting innovative education reforms and programs that go beyond incremental changes to improve student outcomes on a large scale.