This study explores the importance of general chemistry as a prerequisite for organic chemistry lecture courses. The students taking organic chemistry were categorized into three groups: (1) those who had finished the prerequisite before starting organic chemistry, (2) those who had not finished the prerequisite before starting organic chemistry,…

This article provides the first causal evidence of a system-wide corequisite reform in Tennessee, which mainstreams underprepared students into college-level courses with concurrent support. Using regression discontinuity and difference-in-regression-discontinuity designs, we find that, for those on the margin of college level, students placed…

Since the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launched their ambitious strategic plan entitled "60x30TX," higher education institutions must test and correctly place undergraduates in appropriate developmental or college-level courses based on undergraduates' academic ability. However, students who are required to take…

Accepting applicants with the highest probability of success is a priority for admission committees in institutions of higher education. For programs with limited capacity, selecting candidates with the greatest potential for successful completion of the program and becoming eligible for employment is crucial. Admission criteria that best predicts…

In an effort to make math courses more relevant and improve success rates in college math, various organizations and colleges developed a new model of math education that has come to be called "math pathways." Math pathways enable students to take different paths through the math curriculum, depending on their course of study. With math…

In this study, the different types of research designs used to assess the impact of prerequisite courses are presented. Supported by an in-depth literature review, the challenges that are faced in the assessment of the impact of prerequisites, from statistical to political, are identified and their pitfalls are pointed out. In particular, the…

This is the first annual report documenting the results of the assessment of academic and administrative operations of South Carolina's 33 public colleges and universities. The report summarizes progress made by the institutions during the 1988-89 academic year, focusing on: performance of professional program graduates on licensing and…

In fall 1996, California's Saddleback Community College began enforcing a prerequisite mathematics course for the college's Algebra (Math 8), Statistics (Math 10), and Trigonometry (Math 124) series. The 11 memoranda collected in this report present results from a study of the effects of enforcing the prerequisite on successful completion of the…

In fall 1985, the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District began using a computerized prerequisite checking system to strengthen academic standards. Over the next 4 years, the computerized system shifted from an informational mode, which merely indicated whether a student met course prerequisites or not, to a lock out mode, which prevented a…

Laredo Junior College (LJC) is a comprehensive community college in Texas, serving a student population that is 93% Hispanic and 61% female. In response to evidence that LJC was not adequately preparing students with the basic and academic skills needed to transfer, LJC expanded and restructured its assessment, placement, and remediation programs.…