Student writers labeled "underprepared" by colleges often have trouble imagining themselves as scholars. Challenges these students routinely encounter include difficulty forming original insights and translating ideas to the page. Although the usage of the term "underprepared" varies across institutional contexts, the…

Student's low reading and writing proficiency in higher education has been the subject of a large body of research (e.g., Bahr, 2011; Bailey, 2010; Carlino, 2005, 2010, 2012; Flink, 2017; Jaggars, 2014 Pacello, 2014; Perin, 2011; Perin et al., 2013). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how students in a first-year developmental…

The recent focus on improving college completion rates has resulted in the paring down--or complete removal--of semester-long developmental education courses. Considering the magnitude these policies have on placement, teaching, and learning outcomes, this study examined faculty observations (N=420) about students' current and longitudinal college…

Only 25% to 38% of secondary education graduates in the United States are proficient readers or writers but many continue to postsecondary education, where they take developmental education courses designed to help them improve their basic academic skills. However, outcomes are poor for this population, and one problem may be that approaches to…

Developmental education, also termed remedial education, refers to curricula intended to improve the academic skills and knowledge of students who are underprepared for undergraduate coursework, particularly in the areas of mathematics, reading, and writing. Many practitioners and researchers agree that developmental education should be improved,…

A significant challenge in higher education is to narrow the educational attainment gap between academically prepared and unprepared students. To this end, developmental or remedial education is intended to improve the academic skills and knowledge of students who are unprepared for undergraduate coursework, particularly in the areas of…

The ability to use language as a means of thought expression is a growth process. It is necessary, therefore, for college-level developmental courses to concentrate on strengths stemming from the student's communication in an informal environment, rather than on skill deficiencies reflected in test scores. To achieve this, the teacher must know…

The implementation of remedial education in the community college has become more urgent with the establishment of open admissions, as is demonstrated in this annotated bibliography. Types of students, their selection into remedial instruction, the experimentation in programs, methods of instruction, and indications of program effectiveness are…

This monograph, consisting of four sections, focuses on developmental education in the higher education setting. The first section, by Johnnie Ruth Clarke, provides an overall perspective on learning through developmental programs. Included are discussions of the developmental approach, developmental students and instructional activities, and…

Cites the need for remedial courses in writing at the college level. (MKM)

A study was conducted to evaluate the writing component of the Catonsville (Maryland) Community College Advancement Studies Program (ASP), a comprehensive plan of three core courses for developmental students. The study's nine hypotheses focused on general improvement of ASP student writing abilities, the specific areas of such improvement, and…

The basic components of the basic writing program at Rutgers University, designed to prepare disadvantaged students for the core course in English, are a combination of reading and writing activities with as much individualized instruction as possible. The components include three courses, a learning center, and an annual workshop in the teaching…

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 order to determine the validity of using the Cooperative English Test (CET) for placement in remedial writing, Queensborough Community College initiated a study using the Holistic Reading Method to rate essays written by a random sample of 204 incoming freshman in fall 1973. Three regular English and three remedial English instructors were…

Describes an experimental program of interactive assessment and instruction called GUIDES to Learning and Instruction, which is designed for use in college level remedial and developmental programs in writing, reading, and study skills. Highlights include microcomputer administration of measurement; response formats; feedback; validity for…