Publications
From “Additive” to “Integrative”: Experiences of Faculty Teaching Developmental Integrated Reading and Writing Courses
Using interview, focus group, and case study data, this paper documents the perceptions and experiences of faculty members in the midst of statewide reform efforts in Virginia and North Carolina to integrate developmental reading and writing courses.
Computer-Mediated Developmental Math Courses in Tennessee High Schools and Community Colleges: An Exploration of the Consequences of Institutional Context
Using site visit data from three community colleges and four high schools, this paper explores how the institutional context of the high schools compared with that of the colleges in ways that may have affected the implementation and efficacy of computer-mediated mathematics.
Assistance or Obstacle? The Impact of Different Levels of English Developmental Education on Underprepared Students in Community Colleges
This journal article examines the impacts of different levels of developmental reading and writing on students’ academic outcomes.
The Redesign of Developmental Education in Virginia
This chapter describes the structure and implementation of a redesign of developmental education in the Virginia Community College System, discusses preliminary descriptive findings from an evaluation of the redesign, and shares lessons for the field.
Strategies for Postsecondary Students in Developmental Education
This practice guide presents six evidence-based recommendations for college and university faculty, administrators, and advisors working to improve the success of students academically underprepared for college.
Does Developmental Education Improve Labor Market Outcomes? Evidence From Two States
Using longitudinal student-unit record data linked to wage record data, this paper estimates the labor market returns to developmental credits versus college-level credits in two states.
When College Students Start Behind
This report for The Century Foundation's College Completion Series lays out the open questions on how to reform developmental education.
Modularization in Developmental Mathematics in Two States: Implementation and Early Outcomes
This paper discusses the implementation of modularized developmental mathematics reforms in North Carolina and Virginia, presents student outcomes for two distinct course structures, and considers the opportunities and challenges they present.
Is Corequisite Remediation Cost-Effective? Early Findings From Tennessee
This brief examines the corequisite remediation model as it was implemented in Tennessee community colleges in fall 2015 and finds that it is more cost-effective than the prerequisite remediation model the colleges formerly used.
Developmental Reading and English Assessment in a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership
This paper reports findings from a researcher-practitioner partnership that assessed the readiness for postsecondary reading and writing demands of 211 students in developmental reading and English courses in two community colleges.
Examining Faculty Questions to Facilitate Instructional Improvement in Higher Education
This article uses qualitative data from a multi-campus study of instructional reform in developmental education to present a typology of questions raised by community college faculty teaching in reformed contexts.
Improving the Accuracy of Remedial Placement
This practitioner packet summarizes CCRC’s research on remedial placement at community colleges and considers how including students’ high school transcript information in the assignment process could improve placement accuracy.
Statewide Developmental Education Reform: Early Implementation in Virginia and North Carolina
This report provides an overview of the developmental education redesigns in Virginia and North Carolina, presents preliminary findings, and discusses lessons for states, districts, and colleges pursuing developmental education reforms.
Calculating the Costs of Remedial Placement Testing
This publication presents findings on the costs of remedial placement testing at three colleges, and it provides guidance on how other colleges could undertake similar analyses.
Three Accelerated Developmental Education Programs: Features, Student Outcomes, and Implications
This study examines three developmental acceleration programs—two in English and one in math—and finds that accelerated students were more likely to complete the relevant college-level course within 3 years.
Redesigning Arithmetic for Student Success: Supporting Faculty to Teach in New Ways
This chapter describes a promising approach to teaching developmental arithmetic and prealgebra and presents findings on a faculty support network that helped instructors adopt new teaching strategies.
Improving the Targeting of Treatment: Evidence From College Remediation
This paper uses administrative data and a rich predictive model to examine the accuracy of remedial screening tests, used either with or instead of high school transcript data to determine remedial assignment.
Remedial Placement Testing in Community Colleges: What Resources Are Required, and What Does It Cost?
Using detailed data from three community colleges, the authors of this study employ the ingredients method to estimate the costs to colleges and students of remedial placement systems at community college.
The Effects of English as a Second Language Courses on Language Minority Community College Students
This study uses a difference-in-differences approach to identify the impact of ESL compared with developmental writing at an urban community college system.
Developmental Education Aligned to the Common Core State Standards: Insights and Illustrations
Based on interview data, this discussion paper explores whether faculty and college leaders are considering or undertaking reforms of developmental education informed by the Common Core State Standards.