Less than 25 percent of college students who take any developmental education courses earn a credential within eight years. Over the past three years, the six states in the Developmental Education Initiative have developed and enacted unprecedented changes in policy and practice in an effort to reverse these dismal outcomes. "Ahead of the…

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia examined the status of remediation in higher education in the state using a population of first-time college students who graduated from a high school in Virginia, attended a Virginia college, and took at least one remedial course at a community college or private college. Over the last 5 years,…

In March 1977, the New Jersey Board of Higher Education created the New Jersey Basic Skills Assessment Program. To direct the program, the Board created the Basic Skills Council, which was charged with developing a test in reading, writing, and mathematics for all freshmen entering all New Jersey public colleges and universities. The purpose was…

In 2009, the National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR) launched an evaluation of eight developmental summer bridge programs in Texas to assess whether these programs reduce the need for developmental coursework and improve student outcomes in college. The evaluation uses an experimental design to measure the effects of these programs on…

This annual report describes the Higher Education Opportunity Programs (HEOP), which serve educationally and economically disadvantaged students at independent colleges and universities in New York State. Seventy-eight programs at 61 independent colleges and universities received $19,863,000 in state aid in 1992-93 for a full-time equivalent…

In recognition of the need to improve the delivery of basic skills instruction and other learning assistance services to its students, the Washington community colleges established a statewide support system to encourage resource sharing, promote professional growth, and assess the status of developmental education in the state's 27 two-year…

In 1974, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia created the developmental studies program in response to a growing number of entering freshmen who were inadequately prepared for curricula assuming mastery of the basic skills. Early attempts to evaluate developmental programs in Georgia simply used standard survey techniques to…

This three-part report summarizes the accomplishments of Illinois' Disadvantaged Student Grant Program, through which public community colleges receive special funds for aiding educationally disadvantaged students on the basis of enrollment in remedial and developmental courses. Part I presents anecdotal accounts of exemplary student achievements…

Basic skills programs being implemented in New Jersey colleges are examined, and the statewide need for a centralized research and training institution that would inform, train, and provide technical assistance to college and secondary school educators and administrators involved with remedial and developmental instruction is proposed.…

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at New York University (NYU), which serves economically and educationally disadvantaged residents of New York State, is described. The HEOP provides supportive services, including a pre-freshman summer session, credit and noncredit courses in basic skills, individual tutoring, and personal and…