The developmental education process, as it is typically implemented in colleges across the country, seems straightforward: underprepared students are assessed and placed into an appropriate developmental course sequence designed to prepare them for college-level work; once finished with the sequence, these students presumably then move on to…

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…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how and why Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has developed a system aiming to effectively place students in freshman and developmental English programs. The placement system includes: triangulating data from external test scores, with scores from a panel-marked hand-written essay (HWE),…

Discusses the need for and the skill development and comprehensive approaches to postsecondary developmental education. Describes three models of student assessment/placement and proposes a five-step model. Considers the establishment of proficiency standards, screening test selection, student processing, assistance centers, and evaluation. (AYC)

Examines the following aspects of the relationship between assessment and student success: the developing relationship between assessment and instruction; a model comprehensive assessment and placement delivery system; a critical path for assessment and placement; campus studies; and student flow from assessment through instruction. (DMM)

The special nature of remedial programs and the variance in definitions, components, purposes, and structures are discussed to help institutional researchers design program evaluations. The term "remedial program" is used to refer to any combination of courses, support services, testing, placement practices, and institutional policies…

This study analyzes Los Angeles City College (LACC) records for a six-semester period of students who took the Guidance Examination in fall 1970 and scored in the lowest quintile on both the vocabulary and reading sections of the examination. This score indicated that their reading level was at the eighth-grade level or lower. The students were…

Three types of evaluation methods are discussed in terms of their use in evaluating both cognitive and affective learning in developmental programs: standardized tests; criterion-referenced tests; and naturalistic inquiries. Section I looks at the complexities of learning and the inherent difficulties in judging the quality and quantity of what is…

A study was done of the specific program characteristics of remedial and developmental programs at institutions of higher education in the 15 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The data and findings were part of a larger survey of public and private colleges and universities by SREB which examined remedial enrollment and the…

Describes South Suburban College's implementation of the Structured Open Access Model, an interventionist system that responds to underprepared students. (YKH)

Prepared by four state-appointed task forces, this report recommends policies and procedures for basic skills education in the State of Washington to assist local and statewide planning. Following introductory material on the mandate and members of the task forces, Section I considers the organization and management of developmental programs,…

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…

A study was undertaken at Arizona's Pima Community College (PCC) to determine the extent to which entering students took writing, reading, and mathematics placement tests and followed placement recommendations, as well as the relationship between the completion of recommended courses and subsequent academic performance. The study sample consisted…

Results of a study of remedial education at all Maryland public colleges and universities, except for three campuses, are presented. Findings include: (1) by fall 1985 all institutions will have in place a systematic screening process to identify students lacking in one or more basic skill areas; (2) while all campuses collect some evaluative data…

This report on the effectiveness of Shelby State Community College's (SSCC) Academic and Developmental Services (A/D) Program consists primarily of statistical tables that describe three cohorts of full- and part-time students; i.e., those currently enrolled students who entered the college in fall 1985, 1986, or 1987. Data are presented on basic…