May 2009–July 2013
CCRC conducted several studies on the entry assessments used by community colleges to assign students to remedial or college-level courses. Two completed studies found evidence that a significant portion of students who are assigned to remedial courses on the basis of placement test scores could succeed in college-level courses.
CCRC built on this work with a quantitative study that aimed to identify ways that colleges in the North Carolina Community College System could use high school transcript data to make better decisions about whether to place students in remedial instruction. In addition, CCRC conducted a qualitative study to examine state and institutional policies governing assessment and placement in eight states.
This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
