For many students, developmental education is the largest obstacle to college success, hindering progress before they ever enroll in a college-level course. Postsecondary practitioners and researchers have been re-examining and challenging many traditional elements of developmental education from placement strategies to the sequence of courses…

Research suggests that far more students are referred to developmental education courses than necessary, and that developmental education presents a barrier to students' success. As a result, many in the field have called for reforms to developmental education to address these challenges. This report documents developmental education practices…

Research suggests that far more students are referred to developmental education courses than necessary, and that developmental education presents a barrier to students' success. As a result, many in the field have called for reforms to developmental education to address these challenges. This report documents developmental education practices…

Thousands of American's enter postsecondary institutions every year and many are under prepared for college-level work. Subsequently, students enroll in or are placed in remedial courses in preparation for the rigor of college level classes. Numerous studies have looked at the impact of developmental course work on student outcomes, but few focus…

Improving college completion is a shared objective of higher education. It is the focus of colleges, foundations, state governments, and the White House. Students have gotten the message--their aspirations are on the rise. But the nation's collective ambition far exceeds today's outcomes. Many students are not attaining their goals. College…

Recently the state of Missouri, through the Missouri Department of Higher Education, has started to work toward the goal of having 60 percent of state residents hold some type of postsecondary credential. This goal aligns with similar initiatives in other states as well as President Obama's objective for the nation. In order to reach this…

For many students entering community colleges, the first stop on campus is to an assessment center. More than half of these students will be placed into developmental education as a result of their scores on reading, writing, and mathematics entry assessments, yet there is little evidence that this improves student outcomes. We examine alternative…

In this Brief the authors first report on evidence about the effectiveness (or, unfortunately, in too many cases, the ineffectiveness) of remediation and then provide information about the progression of students through the developmental sequence. They discuss problems associated with the crucial assessments and make a brief statement about…

Placement exams are high-stakes assessments that determine many students' college trajectories. More than half of entering students at community colleges are placed into developmental education in at least one subject, based primarily on scores from these assessments, yet recent research fails to find evidence that placement into remediation…

Examines the informal and formal measures of assessing developmental students' writing. Puts forth implications for classroom guidelines, making suggestions based on research results of composition scholars. Discusses paper grading and management of paperwork load. Contains 17 references. (VWC)

This article reports research involving collaboration between a developmental studies department and a mathematics department in an effort to increase the academic success of developmental students who transition into college-level math. Three separate projects were conducted with former developmental math students currently enrolled in an…

This annual serial issue of the Maryland Association for Higher Education (MAHE) contains seven papers on developmental education programs and other academic support services at postsecondary institutions in Maryland. The papers are: (1) "Report of the Remedial Education Subcommittee, Maryland Partnership for Teaching and Learning, K-16 Work…

This study addresses the placement of students in remedial education among community colleges in the United States. Of specific interest is the appropriate entry-level placement of students in math courses. Citing that traditional standardized placement tests are overly broad and thus of questionable value for placing community college students in…

This paper describes the structure and operation of an evaluation system for the developmental education program at Dalton Junior College (Georgia). All applicants for admission to the college who score below 330 on either section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test are required to take the Comparative Guidance and Placement (CGP) test to determine…

Discusses major issues facing the community college: the need to provide, along with open admission, adequate supportive services to ensure student success; the need for appropriate assessment of students' skills and careful placement in responsive educational programs; and the need to provide effective developmental education. Offers…