SUNY Orange Wins 2026 National Bellwether Award for Math Placement Redesign

SUNY Orange in Middletown was named the winner of the 2026 national Bellwether Award in the Instructional Programs and Services category for its program “From Remediation to Momentum: Rethinking Math Placement and Pathways,” the college announced in a LinkedIn post that said the award was announced Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Community College Futures Assembly in San Antonio, Texas.

Community College Daily’s summary of the Bellwether winners described the core interventions in SUNY Orange’s entry: "The program 'From Remediation to Momentum: Rethinking Math Placement and Pathways' replaced standardized math placement tests with guided self-placement using student self-reports, confidence surveys and growth-mindset strategies. Combined with redesigned developmental curriculum and co-requisite support, the reform increased gateway course enrollment, stabilized success rates and reduced outcome gaps."

Mid-Hudson News, reporting from Middletown, noted the college’s presentation team and the sustained impact across cohorts: "The team successfully detailed how SUNY Orange reconfigured its math placement process and revamped its developmental math course sequence, generating positive student outcomes that were sustained across multiple cohorts, and demonstrated durable and sustainable reform."

The SUNY Orange delegation that presented the entry in San Antonio included President Dr. Kristine Young; Dr. Erika Hackman, provost; Dr. Josh Lavorgna, academic associate vice president for business, math, science and technology programs; Kaitlin Curry, professor and math department chair; Donna Avery, professor and assistant math department chair; and Dr. Christine Leroux, professor and past math department chair.

The 2026 Bellwether competition drew 114 applications and produced 30 finalists across three award categories, with SUNY Orange among 10 finalists in the Instructional Programs and Services category and the lone SUNY community college represented among the 30 finalists, according to the Bellwether winners list. The Bellwether College Consortium, which administers the awards and is supported by the Alamo Colleges District in Texas, established the program in 1995 to highlight scalable community college practices.

Other 2026 winners named alongside SUNY Orange included Marion Technical College in Ohio for Planning, Governance and Finance with a program titled “Growth through Grants,” and Merced College in California for Workforce Development with "AgTEC at Merced: Growing Talent, Driving Innovation," as listed in the Bellwether winners summary.

SUNY Orange’s redesign shifts placement decisions away from single standardized tests toward student self-reports, confidence measures and co-requisite supports, a combination the Bellwether materials and local coverage say has increased gateway enrollment and narrowed outcome gaps without releasing specific numeric metrics. The national award positions the Middletown college’s approach as a replicable model for community colleges seeking equity-centered reforms in math pathways and student progression.