Accelerated Integrated Reading and Writing: A Statewide Natural Experiment

Abstract

ABSTRACT A recent state-wide curricular shift in developmental course offerings mandated that the exit levels of developmental reading and writing coursework in every public institution of higher education in Texas be merged into one accelerated and integrated developmental reading and writing course. This project examined the effects of that curricular shift on community college students by evaluating the efficacy of the mandate on the students’ pass/fail rates on their first college-level reading or writing-intensive course. Four models with differing levels of sampling precision and analysis were tested. Results varied based on the level of precision of each model. The most precise model, which employed a quasi-experimental methodology involving propensity score matching, demonstrated significantly greater outcomes for students who took non-accelerated separate developmental reading and writing courses than for matched students who took an accelerated and integrated course.