Historically, colleges have used standardized testing to determine whether a student is ready for college-level work or requires developmental courses first, but this method has been criticized as inaccurate. To obtain more accurate placements, nearly three-quarters of colleges now use multiple measures assessment (MMA) systems. These systems…

Objective: Developmental education provides postsecondary students requisite skills to take credit-bearing coursework. Yet, racial disparities exist in which students are most likely to be placed into developmental education. The present study investigates how multiple measures of students' mathematics background ameliorate racial disparities in…

The introduction of an outcomes-based curriculum in South Africa together with a new syllabus for physical sciences for grades 10-12, prompted the development of an instrument to monitor conceptual understanding in chemistry at the secondary-tertiary interface. This instrument was used to evaluate placement within different programmes at tertiary…

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a strong network of committed colleagues to launch an initiative like "SENSE." From its conception in fall 2006 to the first national administration in fall 2009, the Survey of Entering Student Engagement ("SENSE") has been supported by key individuals and groups, without whom there would have been…

Presents two case studies of problems faced by developmental program administrators and faculty. One case focuses on the problem of defining success for developmental programs and the repercussions for who defines it. The second case addresses the campus location of developmental programs and the issue of centralized versus decentralized programs.…

Lists the latest ERIC documents that describe institutional and state studies of community college remedial programs. Provides bibliographical information and a brief abstract of relevant documents. (YKH)

This report summarizes the success of 115 remedial programs in each sector of New Jersey higher education, and uses outcome standards to categorize the patterns of strength and weakness observed in the data from individual college programs. Among the topics discussed are the following: the design of the assessment process; statewide and sector…

In the prevailing atmosphere of concern for basic skills development, Houston Community College System (HCCS) faculty and administration perceived the need for a self-evaluation of HCCS's developmental studies programs. The purposes of the resulting study are: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of the institution's developmental studies programs by…