This report discusses assessment and placement policies for developmental education in the Massachusetts Community College System. Since 1989, officials at community colleges across the state have implemented a series of assessment practices in reading, writing, and mathematics to assure correct placement for incoming first-year students. To…

As part of a review of policies and procedures regarding postsecondary remedial education, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) administered two surveys in fall 1982. The first survey sampled 10% of the students who had transferred to the state's public universities from a community college in fall 1979 to determine why transfer students…

Issues pertaining to research on college reading and study skills programs are analyzed, based on a literature review. It is suggested that before educators can provide quality instruction, they need to differentiate practices that are conducive to learning. Evaluative criteria are needed to make such decisions, as well as to design and evaluate…

In response to statewide reductions in funding for remedial college programs, the English and speech faculty at Daley College (DC) developed and implemented a special block program in fall 1988 for remedial/developmental students. The goal of the program is to prepare remedial students for college-level work within the 30 hours of remediation…

The Prefreshman Summer Program for academically and economically handicapped students at the City University of New York (CUNY) was evaluated in 1985 and compared to previous evaluations. The voluntary, 6-week transitional program provides intensive basic skills instruction, tutoring, counseling, and financial aid to incoming students who fail to…

Retention and attrition after the freshman year among disadvantaged students at a senior college of the City University of New York were studied. A conceptual model of Tinto (1975) was applied to a group of students participating in the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program, which provided remedial and/or developmental…

Results of a study of remedial education at all Maryland public colleges and universities, except for three campuses, are presented. Findings include: (1) by fall 1985 all institutions will have in place a systematic screening process to identify students lacking in one or more basic skill areas; (2) while all campuses collect some evaluative data…

According to 1995 data collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics, first-year students at public community colleges were twice as likely to be enrolled in a remedial education course than their public four-year counterparts. Ninety-five percent of community colleges offer remedial instruction, yet critics of the community college…

Remedial or developmental courses are the most common policy instruments used to assist underprepared postsecondary students who are not ready for college-level coursework. However, despite its important role in higher education and its substantial costs, there is little rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of college remediation on the outcomes…

In fall 1994, New York City Technical College established the Developmental Education Task Force to review the current state of developmental education (DE) at the college and recommend policy and program changes. The Task Force gathered quantitative data from analyses of DE enrollment trends, student characteristics, and graduation rates, as well…

In 1991, Bronx Community College, in New York, established the Freshman Year Initiative Program (FYIP), a comprehensive academic and counseling program designed to enhance academic achievement for a select group of first-semester students who require at least three remedial courses in English composition, reading, and/or mathematics. In order to…

Since 1983, DeKalb College (DC), in Clarkston, Georgia, has had a special program of services for deaf students, including interpreting, notetaking, tutoring, career advisement, and remediation. In 1988, the Georgia Sensory Rehabilitation Center (GSRC) opened in College Park, providing such services as evaluation, counseling, independent living,…

A study was conducted in fall 1981 and spring 1982 to determine whether participation in selected components of Sierra College's (California) comprehensive student development program had a positive effect on student retention among first-time day students. The study focused on individualized counseling-advising appointments; personal development…

This paper presents the results of a search for an appropriate test of critical thinking to screen college freshmen. The search for an appropriate test of critical thinking was initiated in the Fall 1995 semester at an open-admissions comprehensive university, which normally assigns entering freshmen with ACT composite scores of 17 or less to…

In 1995, Prince George's Community College made at-risk student retention an institutional priority. Studies conducted that year found that 70% of new students tested for placement needed remediation in at least one area, and that the pass rate in developmental mathematics was approximately 50%. A two-part intervention program was initiated to…