This paper asks whether placement recommendations for a developmental math course at an elite public institution impact students' future academic performance, course-taking, and college outcomes. Researchers use these specific outcomes to measure whether developmental courses help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in college,…

Dissatisfaction with student success has caused a crisis in developmental education. Critics from both inside and outside the field question whether remedial courses really prepare students for future college work or even if they are properly part of the college mission. In this article, we review research and present information that suggests…

This study investigates how the impact of developmental education is moderated by classroom composition. Drawing on a regression discontinuity design, we used data from 3,429 community college students, nested within 223 classrooms, to explore the extent to which classroom and instructor characteristics moderated the effect of developmental…

This annual newsletter contains updates on the latest Community College Research Center (CCRC) research, new publications and details of upcoming presentations at major conferences. The feature article in this issue, "Strategies for Increasing Student Success," by Thomas Bailey, summarizes the discussion found in the CCRC Assessment of Evidence…

One of the greatest challenges that community colleges face in their efforts to increase graduation rates is improving the success of students in their developmental, or remedial, education programs. This literature review seeks to examine research on developmental education strategies and reforms and identify the most promising approaches for…

Ten community colleges in Texas sent participants to a faculty and administrators' conference, whose purpose was to discuss all points covering basic-studies programs and to see where consensus and differences of opinion existed among the people who actually operate those programs. This transcript of the conference covers the following topics: (1)…

Dissatisfaction with student success has caused a crisis in developmental education. Critics from both inside and outside the field question whether remedial courses really prepare students for future college work or even if they are properly part of the college mission. In this article, we review research and present information that suggests…

Describes the implementation of a comprehensive developmental-mathematics program at Onondaga Community College (New York) that provides students with assistance, from the evaluation of their entry-level skills through their transition to credit-level courses. Discusses key elements of the program, such as placement testing, diagnostic services,…

Describes South Suburban College's implementation of the Structured Open Access Model, an interventionist system that responds to underprepared students. (YKH)

In 1989, a study was conducted of the status of student assessment and developmental education in Michigan's 29 public community colleges and three public four-year colleges which serve in a community college capacity. The study sought to to determine: (1) the number of community college students in need of and actually enrolled in developmental…