Part of a systematic, in-depth assessment of Miami-Dade Community College's (MDCC's) educational programs, student support systems, and selected campus-level activities, this volume of the college's institutional self-study report examines the impact and effectiveness of prescriptive education at the MDCC. The report contains results of four studies evaluating collegewide reforms in the areas of entry-level testing and student placement, developmental reading and writing courses, developmental computation courses, and instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL). After introductory material provides an overview of the study, the study methodology is described, including information on the organization of the Prescriptive Education Committee; the identification of evaluation issues, data sources, and target groups; and sampling methods and data analyses. Next, results and conclusions are presented within nine major evaluation areas: (1) attitudes toward placement testing; (2) effectiveness of the entry-level placement program; (3) effectiveness of the ESL placement program; (4) effectiveness of the developmental program; (5) use of diagnostic testing in developmental courses; (6) use of exit testing in developmental courses; (7) the effectiveness of the ESL program; and (8) use of diagnostic testing in ESL. (HB)