This project extended CCRC’s previous research on remedial placement accuracy. While high school achievement alone may be a better predictor of college success than placement exam scores alone, faculty and administrators are reluctant to rely on high school achievement measures due to their perceived variability across high schools. Using data from a large urban community college system, CCRC examined the distribution of placement errors by age, race/ethnicity, gender, and language-minority status. CCRC also examined placement error rates by high school and tested whether the variance in school-level rates is higher or lower under alternative placement regimes.
This project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.