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Washington's Student Achievement Initiative measures student progress for the incremental gains made that lead to college success. These measures, called momentum points, are in four categories: improving preparation for college-level courses, building towards a year of college credit, completing college math, and completing certificates, degrees and apprenticeships. This paper describes the success of basic skills students in transitioning to college-level classes, and the momentum they gain towards college success. (Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, January 2008)

Finds that students who enrolled in a student success course in the first semester were more likely to earn college-level credits and were more likely to persist to the second year. Also finds that students referred to remedial education were more likely to earn college-level credits if they enrolled in a student success course in their first term. (Community College Research Center, February 2012)

This analysis focuses on four different types of interventions for improving students' progress through remedial education and into college-level courses, including (1) strategies that help students avoid developmental education by shoring up their skills before they enter college; (2) interventions that accelerate students' progress through developmental education by shortening the timing or content of their courses; (3) programs that provide contextualized basic skills together with occupational or college-content coursework; and (4) programs that enhance the supports for developmental level learners, such as advising or tutoring.

The study follows a cohort model and tracks the course-taking patterns of first-time community college students over a seven-year period. The data suggest that aspirations, age, ethnicity, and institutional factors affect students' completion of a developmental course sequence. After presenting the descriptive data, the authors outline five policy implications for their research. Three are particularly relevant to policy discussions we have had at Getting Past Go: using common assessments and early interventions to reduce the need for developmental education; identifying delays in course-taking to develop better-aligned support; and, addressing the issue of students not completing remediation from the lowest course levels.

Summarizes findings from VCCS' effort to improve the rates at which students complete developmental coursework and advance to take and pass college courses, particularly the initial college-level, or "gatekeeper," math and English offerings. (Community College Research Center, November 2009)

Powerpoint from Dr. Tom Bailey illustrating the data on student progression and success in remedial education.

I suggest people look at slide 8 in the presentation that shows the lack of success for students who are three levels below college level in math. Only 10% complete a college-level math course. Bailey concludes that we know very little about why students don't succeed when so far below college level - but it appears the sequence of courses that students have to take allows too many students to drop out of the system.

The news article from the Green Bay Press-Gazette describes the efforts of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to offer intensive, seven-week developmental education courses. The courses have improved student completion so greatly that the institution has considered expanding accelerated and modularized delivery models to college-level coursework.

Finds that remediation does little to develop students' skills. But the study also finds little evidence that it discourages initial enrollment or persistence, except for students mis-assigned to remediation. Instead, the primary effect of remediation appears to be that students take remedial courses instead of college-level courses. (Judith Scott-Clayton and Olga Rodriguez, National Bureau of Economic Research, August 2012) Link to Abstract http://papers.nber.org/papers/w18328?utm_campaign=ntw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ntw

This paper reviews evidence on the number of students who enter community colleges with weak academic skills and on the incidence and effectiveness of developmental education. The paper also presents a broad reform agenda based on a comprehensive approach to all aspects of developmental education. (Thomas Bailey, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, November 2008)

This paper is very important to the reform effort. It lays out a specific agenda on how to differentiate the delivery of developmental education. Bailey argues for "mainstreaming" students into college-level courses and providing additional academic support for those students who are modestly underprepared. It also raises concerns about how to serve those students who require 3 or more developmental courses.

Story on the new innovations in college readiness. Includes overview of early assessment programs and the potential impact of the Common Core.

CCRC designed a study to address the following question: What student characteristics, course-taking patterns, and other factors are associated with higher probabilities that students who require remediation will take and pass college-level math and English?

Remedial courses fail to prepare students for college-level work, but the remedial track may serve other purposes, according to a new study. The research found that being placed into remediation is not as discouraging for students as conventional wisdom holds. Also, remedial courses' primary effect as a sorting mechanism for students shouldn't be overlooked. (Inside Higher Ed, 08/21/12)

The Virginia agencies responsible for secondary and postsecondary education have approved an agreement on the performance expectations in English and mathematics high school graduates must meet to be successful in freshman-level college courses or career training.

Presents recommendations to refocus the goal of developmental mathematics to prepare students to do college work and to enhance student support services surrounding the delivery of developmental mathematics. (Virginia Community College System, May 2010)

Resource shared at the GPG Workshop on Remedial Education in Nashville, TN on October 5-7, 2010

Resource shared at the GPG Workshop on Remedial Education in Nashville, TN on October 5-7, 2010

ALP is in innovative approach to basic writing programs that accelerates basic writing students through their developmental writing course and English 101 in one semester. ALP builds on the strengths of earlier approaches such as mainstreaming, studios, learning communities and bridge programs.

The Web site for the Accelerated Learning Program at the Community College of Baltimore County. The program is an extremely effective strategy for moving students placed into developmental English into college level English courses and providing additional academic support

Under the I-BEST model, basic skills instructors and college-level career-technical faculty jointly design and teach college-level occupational courses for adult basic skills students in both these areas. This paper presents findings from a study on the o

Wonderful research on the success of the I-BEST model. I-BEST is maybe the best example on how to effectively use data to assess the need for reform and the impact of the reform. It is a model that other states should consider strongly.

As part of the Tennessee Developmental Studies Redesign initiative, the Math Curriculum Redesign Task Force was charged with developing an appropriate mathematic curriculum that would prepared students for success into entry level college mathematics courses. This presentation reviews the task force objectives and primary recommendations. (Math Curriculum Redesign Task Force, October 2010)

Resource shared at the GPG Workshop on Remedial Education in Nashville, TN on October 5-7, 2010

Research done by MDRC looking at the assessment and placement process at three community colleges. It highlights several issues and challenges, including a lack of consensus about the standard for college-level work, the high-stakes nature of the assessments, and the minimal relationship between assessment for placement and diagnosis for instruction.

Include this report in the resources for the April 29 jam.

Large research studies inside and outside California have established that the more levels of developmental courses a student must take, the less likely the student is to ever complete college courses in English and Math. The California Acceleration Project stresses that we can't keep attributing this problem to students' low skills or low motivation.

This resource contains the article "Exponential Attrition and the Promise of Acceleration in Developmental English and Math," which makes the case that high attrition rates are structurally guaranteed in long developmental sequences and that open-access accelerated courses are a promising way to increase completion rates in college-level English and Math.