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

By Dolores Perin & Kerry Charron
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.
Download paper
April 2003

Additional Resources

For more policy briefs and fact sheets, visit CCRC’s Policy Resources page.

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