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Improving Developmental Education Student Outcomes

Improving Developmental Education Student Outcomes. Shanna Jaggars, Assistant Director Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University New York Association of Training & Employment Professionals October 30, 2012. What is the Problem?.

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Improving Developmental Education Student Outcomes

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  1. Improving Developmental Education Student Outcomes Shanna Jaggars, Assistant DirectorCommunity College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University New York Association of Training & Employment Professionals October 30, 2012

  2. What is the Problem? • Over 60% of entering college students are referred to developmental education • Developmental education is not very effective for students near the cutoff (Calcagno & Long, 2008) • A majority of students do not complete the sequences to which they are referred (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho) • Current system neglects the needs of weaker “college ready” students

  3. Problems with Placement • Placement exams do not predict college-level success very well • Confusion about what it means to be “college ready”—no obvious cutoff point • Content of exam may not relate to students’ actual program/career needs • Exams focus narrowly on content skills • Students confused about the process and not well advised

  4. Problems with Curriculum & Pedagogy • Incredibly long sequences

  5. Math Developmental CourseCompletion and Enrollment TOTAL: 10% Enrolled 12% GK Algebra Passed 17% Not completed 2% Not enrolled 5% Enrolled 22% 1 level below Passed 29% Not completed 5% Not enrolled 7% Enrolled 40% 2 levels below Passed 55% Not completed 11% Not enrolled 15% Enrolled 79% 3+ levels below Not completed 24% Referred to Level 3+ 96,653 Not enrolled 21% Sample: 2001-2005 ATD cohorts, tracked for three years

  6. Problems with Curriculum & Pedagogy • Incredibly long sequences • Tends to replicate high school pedagogy • Not necessarily aligned with program / career needs • Isolated from program / career content

  7. Potential Solutions to Specific Problems • Lack of exam preparation: Early assessment, summer bridge programs, online placement test prep • Attrition from long sequences: Acceleration, redesign, alignment of curriculum • Failing/withdrawing from individual courses: improved pedagogy, including contextualized instruction • Poor placement accuracy: Tailoring to redesigned curriculum

  8. (1) Early Assessment Programs Objective: Help students avoid developmental education in college by testing them in high school Example: Partnership of El Paso CC, University of Texas El Paso, and 12 El Paso school districts College Readiness Protocol HS students complete college application Orientation to ACCUPLACER exam Students take exam Refresher course and retesting for non-passers Summer bridge program, if necessary Impact: All El Paso area high school seniors (10,000) Fewer students referred to lowest (level 4) of deved, from 31% to 22% More referred to highest level (level 1), from 28% to 41% Referral to “college ready” almost unchanged, 3% to 5% Other Examples: California’s Early Assessment Program

  9. (2) Accelerated Dev Ed Objective: Get students into college-level courses sooner Fast-track courses Modularized instruction Placement into college-level courses with additional support (“mainstreaming”) Elimination of redundancy / alignment with actual college-level needs Example: Community College of Baltimore County’s Accelerated Learning (ALP) program Students placed into upper-level deved English (ENG 052) “mainstreamed” into English 101 – 8 ALP students per 20-student ENG 101 section 8 ALP students take companion class taught by their same ENG 101 instructor ALP class designed to maximize success in ENG 101

  10. English 101/102 Performance* EVER COMPLETED IN-COURSE PASS RATE *raw one-year outcomes, matched sample

  11. (3) Contextualized Instruction Objective: Integrate developmental education instruction into occupational fields or majors that students want to learn. Example: Washington State’s I-BEST Program Combined basic-skills and career-technical education (CTE) instruction, allowing students to directly enter college-level coursework 50% overlap in the classroom of basic-skills and CTE instructors Sequence of courses leading directly to credential, in-demand jobs, and further education, if desired College reimbursed at 1.75 FTE (full time equivalents)

  12. I-BEST Outcomes 100% 90% 84% 80% 70% 58% 60% 51% 51% I-BEST 50% Matched Group 38% 40% 30% 20% 14% 10% 0% Earned College Credit Earned an Award Gained on Basic Skills Test Outcomes for 2006-07 and 2007-08 first-time enrollees tracked over 2 years.

  13. From Wachen, Jenkins, & VanNoy (2010 CCRC Report).

  14. (4) Tailoring Assessment to Curriculum • Objective: Ensure placement process refers students to courses and supports that will help them move most efficiently toward a degree. • Some strategies: • Customized exam aligned with college-level curriculum (NC & VA CCs) • Different readiness requirements for different programs of study (many CC systems) • Incorporation of non-cognitive assessments (some CCs in Wisconsin, Oregon) • Example: A Wisconsin two-year college’s English placement process: • Review profile of multiple measures for each student • In advising session, student chooses placement based on exam alone, or faculty’s recommendation based on multiple measures • Students accepting multiple measures placement more likely to be in good standing (61% vs. 43%).

  15. The Big Picture:Instructional Program Coherence Definition “A set of interrelated programs for students and staff that are guided by a common framework for curriculum, instruction, assessment, and learning climate and that are pursued over a sustained period” Conditions Common instructional framework – for curriculum, instruction, tutoring, parent education, etc. Supportive working conditions – opportunities for teachers to collaborate on framework development Adequate resources – to support implementation of framework and associated professional development • Source: Newman et al., 2001

  16. Closing Thoughts Problems faced by developmental education students not likely to be solved by short-term, single-shot interventions Need to focus on broader institutional context Validity and diagnostic value of placement testing Quality/frequency of academic/career guidance Developmental instruction as an integrated program “on-ramp,” not an isolated, disconnected pre-requisite Integration of academic supports with instruction Professional development to ensure program coherence/quality instruction

  17. For more information Please visit us on the web at http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu where you can download presentations, reports, and briefs, and sign-up for news announcements. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter. Community College Research Center Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY 10027 E-mail: ccrc@columbia.edu Telephone: 212.678.3091

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