Streamlining Time Spent in Alternative Developmental Mathematics Pathways: Increasing Access to College-Level Mathematics Courses by Altering Placement Procedures (original) (raw)
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Society For Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2011
Body Background / Context: A large proportion of the high school graduates who attend a postsecondary institution take at least one basic skills/developmental/remedial course in either mathematics or English (Parsad & Lewis, 2003). A report from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (2000), which surveyed almost half of the community colleges in the state, found that, on average, 49 percent of students are directed to these basic skills courses. There is considerable debate on the effects and benefits of remediation in community colleges. Proponents argue that it enables poorly prepared high school students to attain the necessary preparation to succeed in college (Boylan, Bliss, & Bonham, 1994; 1997; Lazarick, 1997). On the other hand critics argue that the benefits of remediation are not clear given there is no evidence that remediated students passed college-level courses or attained degrees at higher rates than non-remediated students (Calcagno, 2007; Calcagno & Long, 2008; Martorell & McFarlin, 2007). In addition, there is evidence that students who were placed in remediation but who took college credit courses passed these courses (Armstrong, 1999). Finally, a major criticism is that, relative to its potential benefits, remediation is too costly for the students and for the state (James, Morrow & Perry, 2002). Every year more than 50 percent of the students from the LACCD are placed into basic skills mathematics. This is costly for the individuals and for the state. At the individual level, students need to take these courses before they can enroll in degree or transfer level courses, and this substantially increase the time that they remain in the system. The state in turn has to pay for courses that the students were supposed to take in high school. As described below, the effects of assignment of entering students to different levels of math on the academic preparation, persistence and educational outcomes are unclear at best. This study is an ambitious attempt to enhance the available research on this critical policy issue for the State of California and the nation. This evaluation will provide insights to the district and the state about the effect of placement on successful course sequences that have the potential to promote persistence and save millions of dollars to the state.
High school transcript placement in developmental mathematics courses: A case study at one college
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
Historically, college students who require remediation in mathematics have been placed into developmental mathematics courses. Accurate placement is important for student success; inaccurate placement in a low-level course could lengthen a students' time to degree completion. Placement policies have tended to focus on a high-stakes placement test, but more holistic approaches have been recommended. This study investigated success outcomes for students placed with a holistic approach of evaluating high school transcripts. Students who were placed into one of three developmental mathematics by their high school transcript at a suburban community college in Northeastern United States were selected for this study. A nonexperimental, retrospective research study was conducted. Archival data of students who took a developmental mathematics course from fall 2015 through spring 2019 and had a high school transcript on file were chosen for this study. Findings from chi-square analyses indicated that high school transcripts that consider mathematics course grades are a viable placement option for developmental math courses, particularly the two lower-levels. However, lower than desired success rates suggest that placement is only the first step to increasing student achievement. A lack of high school transcripts suggests some students would prefer to take a placement test, particularly for students in the upper-level course on a college algebra path. A challenge for community college advisors will be creating an equitable placement policy for students who do not have a recent high school transcript.
Current Issues in Higher Education, 2016
This study considered whether delivery modality, student GPA, or time since high school affected whether 290 students who had completed a developmental math series at a community college were able to successfully complete college-level math. The data used in the study was comprised of a 4-year period historical student data from Odessa College based on the completion of the developmental math courses, Introductory Algebra and Intermediate Algebra, and subsequent completion of a college-level math course. Through an ex-post facto design with logistic regression analysis, the results revealed that GPA was a predictor (p = 1.56 x 10-9) of completing a college-level math course with a C or better. However, the delivery mode of developmental math (p = .456) and time lapse since completing high school (p = .200) were not found to be predictors of college math completion with a C or better. Although online education continues to be an area of concern in higher education, this study's results reveal there are other variables that may affect successful completion of a college-level course, with this study finding that for every 1-point increase in college GPA, students were 3.64 times more likely to complete college-level math with a C or better. Avella, J. (2016). Impact of delivery modality, student GPA, and time-lapse since high school on successful completion of college-level math after taking developmental math. Current Issues in Education, 19(1). Retrieved from Higher education institutions open the door of opportunity for students to become global citizens and enter the workforce. For many, the community college system is an entry point into higher education, both because of lower cost (Schmid, 2009) and because of the community
Research in Higher Education, 2015
that over half of public two-year college students enroll in at least one developmental education course during their tenure (Horn & Nevill, 2006). In California, 85 percent of students assessed are referred to developmental math with the largest proportion to two levels below college-level (CCCCO, 2011). The considerable number of students placing into developmental education courses is associated with significant costs to the students and the states (Melguizo, Hagedorn, & Cypers, 2008; Strong American Schools, 2008). Students referred to developmental education bear significant financial costs which may serve as extra barriers to degree completion. Being in developmental education costs students time, money, and often financial aid eligibility when the developmental education coursework is not degree-applicable (Bailey, 2009a, 2009b; Bettinger & Long, 2007). In the case of California, since the majority of developmental math students are placed into two levels below college-level, these associate degree-seeking students must pass two math courses to meet the math requirement for an associate's degree. Students who are seeking to transfer to a four-year institution and who placed two levels below college-level need to pass two courses before they are permitted to enroll in transfer-level math. Both scenarios equate to at least two extra semesters of math, lengthening the student's time to degree. Not only do these additional semesters consume more school resources and add expenses for the students, but they also take away from students' potential earnings (
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2014
The majority of community college students today are academically unprepared for college (Bailey, 2009; Cohen & Brawer, 2008). To meet the needs of these underprepared students, colleges offer developmental education to bring the academic level of the student up to the collegiate level (Johnson & Kuennen, 2004; Virginia Community College System [VCCS], 2009). Offering developmental education to underprepared students is one of the key tasks which have largely fallen to community colleges (Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 2008; Provasnik & Planty, 2008). Developmental education courses were offered in 98% of all two-year colleges in 2000 and 42% of community college first-year students enrolled in at least one developmental course with 35% of students enrolled in developmental mathematics (Parsad, Lewis, & Greene, 2003). Individual institutions and organizations at the state and national level have realized the success of developmental students is critical in reaching national, state, and institutional goals on student success (Oklahoma State
Mdrc, 2013
Community colleges face significant challenges retaining their diverse population of students and helping them progress to graduation. A key barrier is the developmental (or remedial) coursework in reading, writing, and/or mathematics to which a majority of entering students are referred. These lengthy sequences -often required for college-level work -can be daunting, and many students leave college before completing their developmental requirements, let alone attaining a credential. Developmental math, in particular, is a substantial stumbling block to college completion.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2016
Many college students never take, or do not pass, required remedial mathematics courses theorized to increase college-level performance. Some colleges and states are therefore instituting policies allowing students to take college-level courses without first taking remedial courses. However, no experiments have compared the effectiveness of these approaches, and other data are mixed. We randomly assigned 907 students to (a) remedial elementary algebra, (b) that course with workshops, or (c) college-level statistics with workshops (corequisite remediation). Students assigned to statistics passed at a rate 16 percentage points higher than those assigned to algebra (p < .001), and subsequently accumulated more credits. A majority of enrolled statistics students passed. Policies allowing students to take college-level instead of remedial quantitative courses can increase student success.
The Journal of higher education, 2018
In 2014, developmental education became optional for many college students in Florida, regardless of prior academic preparation. This study investigated first-semester math course enrollment patterns for underprepared first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who would have previously been required to take developmental math and the passing rates for the students electing to take Intermediate Algebra (the most common gateway math course in Florida). We found that roughly a 3rd of underprepared students enrolled in developmental math, a 3rd enrolled in Intermediate Algebra, and roughly a 3rd enrolled in no math course whatsoever, with preparation level being related to enrollment pathways. Among those who enrolled in Intermediate Algebra, a small percentage also enrolled in developmental math in the same semester, either through a compressed or corequisite course, and FTIC students who received same-semester developmental support were more likely to pass Intermediate Algebra compared wit...
Gaining Ground: Findings From the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Impact Study
2019
Analyses of literacy and numeracy levels worldwide by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that the U.S. population has one of the lowest numeracy levels among industrialized nations. Although education leaders and math experts have recognized this problem for years and sought to address it, many people in the United States continue to struggle with learning math. While postsecondary schools have sought to prepare incoming students for college-level math with a curriculum known as developmental or remedial math, however, the problem has persisted. Schools require large proportions of entering college students to take these courses, which can take multiple semesters to complete. And far too few of these students ever successfully complete them. As a result, many practitioners and policymakers focused on improving developmental math courses by shortening the course sequences that students are required to take or streamlining the content in an effort to get students into college-level courses more quickly. Nevertheless, to date, few reforms have focused on changing the type of math that students learn and how they learn it. To meet this challenge, the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin developed the Dana Center Math Pathways (DCMP), which diversifies the math course content that students take so it better aligns with their career interests. The Dana Center also developed curricula for three math pathways, which revise the content and instruction in developmental and college-level math classes while also streamlining the typical two-semester developmental math series into one semester. Starting in 2014, researchers from the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness-a partnership between the