This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of students of color who have completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the concurrent model set by AB 705 and whether this model affects their academic success. The problem this study focused on was how equitable access to higher education is for community college…

Although nearly half of community college students require some type of remediation, less than one-third of the students who start in developmental education graduate within eight years (Park, Tandberg, Hu, & Hankerson, 2016). As such, there is great uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of developmental education (Ari et al., 2016; Bailey…

This study focused on several important aspects of the implementation of Public Act 12-40 on remedial instruction within a four-year University setting. The implementation of the law has been minimally studied as it pertains to student impact. There are seventeen units of the Connecticut State University System so the decision to limit the scope…

With the developmental education (DE) reform movement at postsecondary still apace, this qualitative study seeks to understand the policy impacts of Florida Senate Bill 1720, major legislation mandating developmental education reform in the state of Florida. The body of literature thus far has focused on quantitative analyses of secondary data…

Anywhere from 40 to 68% of first-year students, over 1.7 million, enroll in at least one or more remedial or developmental course for reading, writing, or mathematics before being able to continue into the mainstream of college coursework (Barnett, 2018; Complete College America, 2016; Logue, 2018 WV HEPC Academic Readiness Report, 2019). An…

Rooted in learning theory and developmental psychology, the field of developmental education is concerned with addressing underprepared students' needs for growth. Much of this development relates to college readiness, thus students considered underprepared for college-level coursework are referred to developmental education coursework in subjects…

In May 2013, the governor of Florida signed into law Senate Bill 1720, which fundamentally changed how institutions of higher education manage remedial programs. Institutions seemed to be responding to the high demand for education by channeling large percentages of incoming first-year students to remedial classes based on assessment test scores,…

The Florida Legislature passed a bill that changed the placement methods for some incoming students to the Florida State College System in 2013. This analysis of state policy looks at Senate Bill 1720 as the treatment in an interrupted time-series trend study at one state college in Florida. This research attempts to answer three questions: (1)…

This study seeks to examine the relationship between changes in state policies toward developmental education and the number of degrees awarded at community college students in the states of Connecticut, Florida, and Tennessee. It considers the history of developmental education and, beginning in 2003, explores the changes that occur as a result…

In 2013, the state of Florida passed Senate Bill 1720, which reformed developmental education and gateway courses across the state of Florida. There was a gap in the research regarding how the institutions planned and implemented the changes necessary to comply with the bill. This basic qualitative study examined the strategies used by leaders to…

High enrollment in developmental education, low completion, transfer, and graduation rates, led to the enactment of P.A. 12-40 (An Act Concerning College Readiness and Completion) by Connecticut policymakers. The purpose of this single case exploratory study with embedded units was to investigate how Connecticut State Colleges and Universities…

A high incidence of college students required to complete non-credit remedial courses and the associated cost burden for students, colleges and states has been of great public concern. Connecticut legislators have intervened to revamp college remediation by passing the bill, Public Act 12-40 (PA 12-40) which impacts institutions in the Connecticut…

Over the past 50 years, state legislatures have placed mandates on higher education institutions to lower attrition, thereby increasing student retention and completion. This study investigated and sought to understand the relationship between the Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas Act, or the LA GRAD Act (2010), and…

The purpose of the current study was to determine if three community colleges were serving developmental education students in an effective and cost-efficient manner, make observations about the developmental education demographics, and conclude if Senate Bill 162 (SB 162) increased the percentage of college ready students who participated in…

The most recent data available from the National Center for Educational Statistics (2004) estimate that 60% of community college freshmen and 25% of freshmen at 4-year public institutions nationwide complete at least one remedial course. Nationally, fewer than 40% of students who are referred to developmental education actually enroll in…