Trends in Community College Assessment and Placement Approaches: Implications for Educational Policy

A qualitative, instrumental case study was conducted to examine students’ academic preparedness and assessment and placement policies in 15 community colleges across the country. The following are among the main findings:

• Large proportions of incoming students are poorly prepared for postsecondary reading, writing, and math.
• Similar academic needs are found among developmental education students and those with limited English language proficiency.
• There are discrepancies between state and institutional policies for skills testing and developmental education placement.
• In some cases, institutions are bypassing their own stated assessment and placement policy.

This paper was presented at the 2003 American Educational Research Association Conference.