Developmental Education Courses Research Articles

The Impacts and Experiences of Corequisite Remediation for Latino Students

ABSTRACT Many colleges across the United States are scaling corequisite remediation, an approach that places developmental education students directly into college-level courses with supplementary, aligned academic support. We conducted a randomized control trial in five colleges with ethnic diversity, offering a unique opportunity to examine the benefits of corequisite remediation for Latino students. Latino students represent a large portion of the U.S. college student population and are overrepresented among developmental education participants. We found positive impacts on college-level English course completion for Latino and non-Latino students when randomized to corequisites, and estimates suggest that Latino students saw larger benefits. Further, Latino students in corequisites were less likely to report feeling academically overwhelmed and/or bored relative to their Latino peers in traditional developmental education courses. This evidence suggests that corequisites can support improved academic success and potentially help to address gaps between Latino and non-Latino students in early college course completion. On the other hand, we found some evidence of less frequent Latino student engagement in discussions and asking questions relative to non-Latino students in corequisites (a pattern not observed in traditional developmental education courses), so it may be important to ensure that corequisite classrooms are inclusive and encourage broad student participation.

Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Instruction in an Accelerated Developmental English Course: A Quasi-experimental Study

This study examines the effects of a curriculum based on self-regulated strategy instruction in an accelerated developmental education (DE) English course in a community college. Faculty at the college had established a four-week, two-credit compressed course that enabled students to enroll in an eleven-week first-year composition (FYC) course in the same semester, reducing remediation from fifteen weeks to just four weeks. The course focused on writing argumentative essays using sources. The study used a quasi-experimental design with five instructors and sixty-six students to compare the experimental curriculum to a business-as-usual control condition. In the experimental curriculum, students learned strategies for writing using sources, including strategies for critical reading and for planning and revising. In addition to writing and reading strategies, students also learned metacognitive, self-regulation strategies, such as goal setting, task management, and reflection. The study found a large positive effect (ES = .96) of the treatment on quality of an argument essay written using sources. However, no significant effects were found on a summary outline, self-efficacy, or completion of the subsequent FYC course. The study demonstrates the value of strategy instruction in DE English courses; it is the first experimental study of strategy instruction in an accelerated DE course. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of strategy instruction in corequisite courses and in FYC.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. According to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University, 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, lose their financial aid, and thus have to leave the institution. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Can a Developmental Education Reform Promote Momentum to Mid-Term and Longer-Term Student Success? Evidence from Florida

Developmental education reform has shown promising evidence toward improving short-term outcomes, yet questions remain about whether these early gains contribute momentum toward mid-term and longer-term postsecondary success. In 2014, Florida implemented one of the nation’s most comprehensive developmental education reforms. Many students became exempt from college placement testing and could enroll directly in college-level courses. Nonexempt students were still required to take developmental education courses if they scored below college-ready, but the colleges were required to offer these courses using accelerated instructional strategies such as corequisite courses. Colleges also had to develop enhanced advising and academic support services. Statewide student-level data is used in an interrupted time series design to examine trends in persistence, credit accumulation, transfer, and credential completion before and after Florida’s developmental education reform. While there are little to no differences in outcomes for the overall sample before and after the reform, there are positive associations between the reform and mid- or longer-term outcomes among students who are nonexempt from college placement testing and must participate in accelerated developmental classes if they score below college ready.

Has a U.S. Developmental Education Reform for Academically Underprepared Students Affected College Enrollment?

State policymakers in the United States have in recent years experimented with new initiatives to change the procedures used by public institutions to assess and assign academically underprepared students to non-credit developmental education (or remedial) courses. This study explores whether the most recent developmental education reform in Floridas—Senate Bill 1720 has affected student enrollment in the Florida College System (FCS) institutions and whether the enrollment effects vary by race/ethnicity and age. Through a difference-in-differences analysis, we did not find statistically significant effects of the reform on the college enrollment in Florida, neither on the racial or age compositions of the student population, compared to non-Florida institutions in the surrounding region. These null results provide valuable implications for policy and research consideration in Florida and beyond.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Programming for adult learners’ success in developmental reading and writing: Equity and access

Research has shown upwards of 40% of adult learners entering community college may need developmental education intervention in reading and writing skills. Of those who enroll in developmental education, a large portion will never receive college-level credit and will leave the community college. This research investigated a compressed reading and writing developmental education course for adult learners in a community college setting. The newly designed course integrated skill development, contextualized the content, and connected students and teachers in a meaningful way. The developmental education reading and writing course was compressed to eight weeks and attached to a compressed (eight weeks) college-level course. The course’s efficacy was analyzed using multiple patterns of outcomes including for the developmental education coursework (pre and post new design), gateway courses’ pass rate, and program completion. Moreover, this research compares the outcomes to national, statewide, and institutional data. The review of the patterns of gateway course success before and after implementation (2009–2020) saw mixed results when examining career and technical programs and transfer-level programs. Results also showed that while college-level competency was enhanced, the outcome did not translate fully to the completion of programs of study.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, and so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. And about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Taking Developmental Education Reform to Scale: How Texas Institutions Responded to Statewide Corequisite Implementation

In response to concerns about the additional costs and time-to-degree associated with traditional developmental education programs, several states and postsecondary systems have implemented corequisite reform where academically underprepared students take both a developmental education course and college-level course in the same subject area within a single semester. Texas is one of the first and most diverse states to require all public institutions to scale-up corequisite developmental education. In this study, we use longitudinal survey data from the population of public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Texas to examine heterogeneity in institutional responses to implementation of a statewide corequisite developmental education reform throughout the 4-year scale-up timeline. We provide insight into how challenges, costs, and data-informed efforts differ for postsecondary institutions that were compliant versus non-compliant with the annual statewide targeted participation rates for corequisite enrollment. We conclude with implications for policy and practice to better support statewide corequisite developmental education reform.

Placing Students for Success: Florida’s Statewide Reform of Alternative Methods for College Course Placement

ABSTRACT Each year nearly 70% of community college students nationwide are required to enroll in non-credit developmental education courses because they scored below college-ready on a placement test in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. Yet, prior research has demonstrated that these placement tests tend to inaccurately place students into courses that are not a good fit with their level of college readiness. In response, an increasingly popular reform effort is to use alternative methods such as high school grade point average (GPA) to place incoming students into the appropriate level of coursework. Florida stands at the vanguard of this placement reform movement, as one of the first states making policy changes to authorize systemwide use of alternative methods in lieu of (or in addition to) common placement tests. This study includes a document analysis of institutional website sites and virtual site visits to Florida College System institutions to enhance our understanding of the variation in placement policies used across the FCS institutions, the rationales for these decisions, as well as benefits and challenges encountered during implementation. It concludes with recommendations that can support institutions in Florida and beyond as they develop future plans about how to further reform or modify placement systems.

Exploring Student Success Strategies in Developmental Education at the Community College Level

The problem investigated in this study was the low completion rates of students in mandated developmental education courses at a local community college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may contribute to the persistence of community college students who have completed mandated developmental education courses. The qualitative study uses Tinto’s student departure theory as the conceptual framework to examine the lack of persistence of students in developmental education classes. The study included interviews with 8 students who have completed at least 1 developmental education course in the past 3 years. Data analysis included an extensive review of the interview transcripts to develop codes, categories, and themes to answer the research question. The findings of this study identify personal or academic persistence strategies that may assist community colleges in increasing the success rates of students in developmental education. Completing a credential has social change implications, as it may provide significant job opportunities and the ability to earn higher wages impacting overall quality of life. Moreover, an individual that receives an associate degree may earn 17% more in their occupation than their counterparts with a high school diploma or equivalent.

Examining the Impacts of Florida’s Developmental Education Reform for Non-Exempt Students: The Case of First-Year English and Math Course Enrollment and Success

Objective: In 2014, Florida implemented Senate Bill 1720 (SB 1720), which drastically reshaped developmental education practices across the 28 public state colleges. Under the reform, around two-thirds of students became exempt from developmental education. Yet, many students were still required to take the placement test. If they scored below college-ready, they were assigned to developmental education courses using new accelerated strategies. This study focuses on the policy effects on these non-exempt students that received little attention in existing research but also were affected by the reform. Methods: Drawing on student-level data from two first-time-in-college cohorts who were enrolled in state colleges prior to SB 1720 and two cohorts who were enrolled after, this study uses multinomial logit models to predict non-exempt students’ first-year math and English outcomes. Results: We find that non-exempt students benefit from the policy, with significantly higher percentages of students enrolling in and completing college-level and advanced English and math courses after the reform. In addition, non-exempt English students with the lowest level of college readiness experienced the greatest gains post-reform in the completion rates in college-level and advanced English courses. While in math, non-exempt students who scored college-ready experienced the greatest increases post-reform in completion rates in college-level and advanced math courses. Conclusion: Although non-exempt students are not directly affected by the placement policy changes under SB 1720, they still benefit from the reform because of the new instructional strategies and enhanced academic advising and support services.

Does the Method of Acceleration Matter? Exploring the Likelihood of College Coursetaking Success Across Four Developmental Education Instructional Strategies

Background/Context: Accelerated instructional strategies for developmental education have been promoted as a way to help underprepared students to progress more quickly through college-level coursework. Yet, what remains unknown is whether certain accelerated strategies are more effective than others and whether this initial acceleration may lead to longer term success. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: We examine whether the likelihood of success varies for completion of mathematics and English requirements over 3 years among the Florida students enrolled in courses using one of four developmental instructional strategies: compressed, corequisite, modularized, or contextualized. Population/Participants/Subjects: Our sample includes all first-time-in-college students during the 2015–2016 year who enrolled in all 28 public state colleges and took any developmental education course during the first year. Research Design: We use inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) to compare success rates in completion of mathematics and English requirements over 3 years for Florida college students in each of these strategies. Findings/Results: Overall, the results demonstrate variation in the likelihood of success for completion of mathematics and English courses over 3 years among students in different developmental instructional strategies, which suggests that the method of acceleration does matter. Corequisite courses tended to lead to greater long-term gains in math and, to an extent, in reading, while contextualized tended to be most effective in writing. Conclusions/Recommendations: Leaders can play an important role in strengthening institutional capacity to effectively implement developmental education reform by developing faculty buy-in, ensuring adequate resources to scale and sustain reform efforts, and using data to inform future decision-making.

Adopting Online Learning in College Developmental Education Coursework: Impact on Course Persistence, Completion, and Subsequent Success

ABSTRACT Online learning has been increasing rapidly at community colleges, especially in low-division high-demand coursework, such as developmental education. While existing studies have identified negative effects associated with online instruction in semester-long coursework in this particular setting, there is less evidence about how distance learning influences students’ completion of developmental education coursework and, more importantly, their subsequent academic outcomes. This paper examines the impact of fully online instruction, compared with traditional face-to-face instruction, on both concurrent developmental course outcomes and downstream outcomes. We use an administrative dataset from a state community college system that includes longitudinal student-unit record data from more than 40,000 students enrolled in developmental education courses between 2005 and 2012, and employ a two-way fixed effects model that controls for selection both at the course- and student-level. We find that taking one’s first developmental course through the online format reduces developmental course completion rate by 13 percentage points and subsequent enrollment in the gatekeeper course by 7 percentage points. Successful completion of developmental and subsequent gateway coursework represents critical milestones among community college students. This paper provides insight on how delivery format influences both the concurrent and downstream outcomes of developmental education students.

Online Developmental Education Instruction: Challenges and Instructional Practices According to the Practitioners

Using a qualitative survey research design, researchers solicited faculty input on challenges and common instructional practices applied in teaching online developmental education courses. Online was defined as 80% or more of the instruction of a course being delivered online. Participants of the study were faculty teaching developmental education courses online, primarily in 2-year colleges. They completed an online survey on faculty characteristics and various aspects of teaching online. The most frequently occurring challenges identified by field practitioners included technology issues, student engagement, time management, and basic literacy skills. The most commonly used instructional activities reported were discussion boards, multimedia, offering of feedback and synchronous sessions, and communication. Based on the findings, implications for practice are discussed, which can benefit faculty as they design and deliver online developmental education courses.

An On-Ramp to Student Success: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of a Developmental Education Reform at the City University of New York

Most community college students are referred to developmental education courses to build basic skills. These students often struggle in these courses and college more broadly. CUNY Start is a prematriculation program for students assessed as having significant remedial needs. CUNY Start students delay matriculation for one semester and receive time-intensive instruction in math, reading, and writing with a prescribed pedagogy delivered by trained teachers. The program aims to help students complete remediation and prepare for college-level courses. This article describes the results of an experiment at four community colleges (n ~ 3,800). We estimate that over 3 years, including one semester that students spent in the program and two-and-a-half years after the program was complete, CUNY Start substantially increased college readiness, slightly increased credit accumulation, and modestly increased graduation rates (by increasing participation in CUNY’s highly effective Accelerated Study in Associate Programs [ASAP]).

Do Rising Tides Lift All Boats? Exploring Heterogenous Effects of Florida’s Developmental Education Reform by High School Academic Preparation

Underprepared students at community colleges are often assigned to a sequence of developmental education (DE) courses that can substantially delay, or even halt, their progress to degree completion. In 2014, Florida took a drastic step forward when it implemented a comprehensive DE reform. Our findings show large, positive base effects of the reform for all students as well as heterogeneous effects by high school academic preparation. More specifically, students in the two lowest tracks of high school academic preparation—students for whom much of the reform was explicitly designed—experienced greater gains than did students in the upper two tracks. However, students in the upper tracks also experienced gains and students in the lowest track experienced the greatest gains of all. These findings suggest that when statewide DE reform was implemented in Florida, all students benefited, with the least prepared students experiencing the greatest gains.

Assessing an Academic Readiness Model in a Community College Occupational Program

ABSTRACT This study assessed a localized academic readiness model that measures academic skills relevant to an occupational program and the institutional context. Enrollment in the program’s mandatory gateway course is contingent upon establishing academic readiness either: (1) possess an associate-level or higher degree; (2) achieve placement test scores that permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading; or (3) complete developmental education prerequisites to permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading. Using the gateway course performance for 112 students, the study explored whether any of the model’s criterions are significantly related to success in the gateway course and whether there is any significant difference across the three criterions in their relationship to success in the gateway course. The study examined whether there is a significant difference in gateway course success rates between students that had ever been identified as needing developmental education based on a placement test and those that never tested into a developmental education course. Finally, the study examined whether there is a significant difference in gateway course success rates based on age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Results showed that all of the model’s academic readiness criterions are significantly related to success in the gateway course and are statistically equivalent to each other in their relationship to success. The results showed that students succeeded at the same rate regardless of their developmental education placement history. Male, Black, and Hispanic students succeeded at a significantly lower rate regardless of how they established academic readiness. Implications and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Heterogeneity in the Effects of College Course Placement

Traditionally colleges have relied on standalone non-credit-bearing developmental education (DE) to support students academically and ensure readiness for college-level courses. As emerging evidence has raised concerns about the effectiveness of DE courses, colleges and states have been experimenting with approaches that place students into credit-bearing coursework more quickly. To better understand which types of students might be most likely to benefit from being placed into college-level math coursework, this study examines heterogeneity in the causal effects of placement into college-level courses using a regression discontinuity design and administrative data from the state of Texas. We focus on student characteristics that are related to academic preparation or might signal a student’s likelihood of success or need for additional support and might therefore be factors considered for placement into college-level courses under “holistic advising” or “multiple measures” initiatives. We find heterogeneity in outcomes for many of the measures we examined. Students who declared an academic major designation, had bachelor’s degree aspirations, tested below college readiness on multiple subjects, were designated as Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and/or were economically disadvantaged status were more likely to benefit from placement into college-level math. Part-time enrollment or being over the age of 21 were associated with reduced benefits from placement into college-level math. We do not find any heterogeneity in outcomes for our high school achievement measure, three or more years of math taken in high school.

Accelerating to Success: The Impact of Florida's Developmental Education Reform on Credit Accumulation

Background/ContextUnderprepared students at community colleges are often assigned to a sequence of developmental education courses that can substantially delay, or even halt, their progress to degree completion. In 2014, Florida implemented a comprehensive reform under Senate Bill (SB) 1720 that allowed the majority of incoming students to enroll directly into college-level courses, while remaining developmental education courses were offered in new instructional modalities that were designed to be completed more quickly than traditional semester-long courses. Colleges provided extensive advising and academic support services intended to help students succeed while progressing at a more accelerated pace.Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of StudyIn this study, we examined the impact of Florida's developmental education reform on early momentum. More specifically, we defined early momentum as student success in early outcomes (such as the number of credits attempted and earned), which may set students on a promising long-term trajectory on subsequent postsecondary outcomes.Population/Participants/SubjectsOur sample included all first-time-in-college students enrolled in all 28 public state colleges. We included three cohorts of students before the reform and up to three cohorts of students after the reform. Each cohort consisted of approximately 70,000 students.Research DesignWe used an interrupted time series design to compare student outcomes three years before the reform with those up to three years after the reform. Our outcome variables, measured one and three years following initial college enrollment, represented continuous indicators for the number of college-level credits attempted and the number of college-level credits earned. We also examined whether the data revealed heterogeneity in the reform's impacts by race/ethnicity, family income status, and level of high school academic preparation.Findings/ResultsWe found small positive effects on all outcomes, indicating that the reform accelerated student success in both the short term and longer term. The impacts of the reform were even greater for Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, low-income, and underprepared students (particularly in the first year), thus reducing existing achievement gaps.Conclusions/RecommendationsFlorida's SB 1720 consisted of a complementary set of reform efforts that may together have a larger impact than any single component alone. The results suggest that initial momentum gains in the first year may have set some students on a more successful long-term trajectory, particularly those most likely to be assigned to developmental education before the reform. Colleges should continue to provide comprehensive student support services to help students succeed while progressing at a more accelerated pace.