Competency-based education (CBE) is widely viewed as an innovative alternative to traditional higher education, yet most programs serve only a narrow slice of the postsecondary population. Few are intended for adults who need to boost basic skills in order to succeed in college coursework. However, if designed with the needs of a broader range of…

Many developmental mathematics programs at community colleges in recent years have undergone a process of redesign in an attempt increase the historical poor rate of student successful completion of required developmental coursework. Various curriculum and instructional design models that incorporate methods of avoiding and accelerating the…

The authors describe an Enhanced Formative Assessment and Self-Regulated Learning (EFA-SRL) program designed to improve the achievement of community college students enrolled in developmental mathematics courses. Their model includes the use of specially formatted quizzes designed to assess both the students' mathematics and metacognitive skill…

Just 31 percent of community college students complete remedial, or developmental, math "gateway" courses before they move on to college-level math, according to a recent study. To help combat this cycle, some community colleges are turning to newly developed online programs that emphasize repetition, practice, and mastery of concepts.…

Developmental mathematics (DSPM) is no longer a roadblock to student success at Jackson State Community College. Previously, all students, regardless of their goals, had to pass or test out of the same DSPM courses before enrolling in the college courses and programs they desired. In Spring 2007, Jackson State began a process of redesigning its…

Suggestions on how to apply mastery learning concepts to instructing high-risk college students are offered with examples from mathematics provided. Eighty-five specific guidelines from the Personalized Systematic Instruction Inventory (PSII) are included.

Every developmental education teacher would probably agree that motivation to complete assignments is one of the biggest obstacles to getting students to practice necessary skills. Short stories and other types of recreational reading might help motivate students, but they need to learn specific skills to help them cope with college textbook…

Describes an early intervention prekindergarten program for at-risk students stressing staff unity, a curriculum rich in developmentally appropriate activities, cooperative and mastery learning techniques, collaboration with teachers in the primary grades, intense parental involvement, and a comprehensive program evaluation. (MLH)

To learn correct grammar, developmental students must practice writing correctly. However, the traditional exercises offered in handbooks, workbooks, and textbooks not only fail to provide habituation in correctness, they actually provide practice in "wrongness." Instead of isolating individual problems, they promote confusion by linking them.…

Drawn from papers accepted for presentation at a conference focusing on personalizing college-level learning skills programs, the 35 articles in this collection are arranged into five categories: investigations, program descriptions, program prescriptions, applications, and reactions and interactions. Specific topics discussed in the articles…