ERIC Number: ED621747
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jun
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Informed Self-Placement Today: An Exploratory Study of Student Outcomes and Placement Practices. Research Brief
Brathwaite, Jessica; Cullinan, Dan; Kopko, Elizabeth; Morton, Tiffany; Raufman, Julia; Rizik, Dorota
Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness
In response to research raising concerns about developmental placement, new placement systems and curricular models designed to increase the number of students placed into entry-level college courses have emerged in recent years. These systems aim to more accurately identify students who may benefit from some type of developmental instruction and those who are ready for entry-level college courses. This brief presents the findings of CAPR's exploratory study of informed self-placement (ISP), a placement system in which colleges provide information about placement policies, available courses, and other relevant topics to engage students as active participants in their own placement. ISP, which is also called guided self-placement or directed self-placement, is of interest because it does not rely solely, if at all, on standardized test scores, which research shows are not reliable predictors of performance in college. Moreover, many colleges adopted ISP during the COVID-19 pandemic, when this study began, because they experienced difficulty administering standardized tests and were seeking placement methods that could be easily used in a virtual setting. The study examined course enrollment and completion trends among students placed using ISP practices and sought to document varied approaches to ISP. The researchers collected demographic and outcome data on students' math and English course enrollments and completions over the last five academic years at three Nevada colleges offering associate and bachelor's degrees. They also interviewed assessment and placement scholars and representatives of higher education systems and institutions currently implementing some form of ISP. This brief provides a taxonomy of various placement systems, shares descriptive data on course enrollment and completion, and identifies important equity and access considerations for states and institutions interested in implementing ISP. Although more research is needed to understand the causal impacts of ISP on student outcomes, the data suggest that ISP has the potential to improve students' access to college-level coursework.
Descriptors: Student Placement, Outcomes of Education, Curriculum Design, Identification, Remedial Instruction, Accuracy, School Policy, Student Participation, Decision Making, COVID-19, Pandemics, Standardized Tests, Alternative Assessment, Enrollment Trends, Course Selection (Students), Mathematics Education, English, Trend Analysis, Educational Trends, Undergraduate Students, Associate Degrees, Bachelors Degrees, Taxonomy, Attribution Theory, Access to Education, Pilot Projects, Student Characteristics, Academic Persistence
Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness. Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street Box 174, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3091; e-mail: capr@columbia.edu; Web site: https://postsecondaryreadiness.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
Authoring Institution: Columbia University, Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR); Columbia University, Community College Research Center (CCRC); MDRC
Identifiers - Location: Nevada
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305C140007; R305U200010
Author Affiliations: N/A