Completing math coursework in the first year, among other milestones, points to longer term success for community or technical college (CTC) students. Despite colleges working to improve math achievement in more recent years, not all students attempt math in their first year. Practitioners of math pathways, however, suggest that when colleges work to break down math barriers and align the educational experience with the goals of the student, a higher rate of students will gain not only the math skills they need but also reach later academic or career-training milestones. This brief explores the implementation of math pathways practices in Washington state, discusses the improving trends in first-year math completion rates among first-time Washington CTC students, and examines how these trends appear for select demographic groups. Data for this brief use entering cohorts of students who are new to college. This brief serves as a starting point and template for colleges to explore their own data and evaluate first-year math outcomes at the campus level, as well as a primer for topics of future study.