The assessment of curriculum outcomes is an essential element for continuous academic improvement. However, the collection, aggregation and analysis of assessment data are notoriously complex and time-consuming processes. At the same time, only few developments of supporting electronic processes and tools for continuous academic program assessment…

Graduation rates at community colleges are low, especially for students who need developmental (remedial) courses to build their basic skills. ASAP is a comprehensive program at the City University of New York designed to help more associate degree-seeking students graduate and help them graduate more quickly. Using a random assignment research…

In the 127th Maine State Legislative Session, "An Act to Implement Certain Recommendations of the Maine Proficiency Education Council" (S.P. 660 -- L.D. 1627) was passed into law as Chapter 489. This amended the chaptered law passed in 2012, "An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy" (S.P.439 -- L.D.1422),…

Gender equality and equity has long been a focus area in Tanzanian government, encouraging the increased recruitment of female students in to higher education. This article investigates the effectiveness of affirmative action policy interventions that introduced and designed to increase female students' enrolment at the University of Dar es…

Students at community colleges are being placed into developmental writing classes at significantly high rates, as high as 80% at some colleges. Many of these students are students of color, and the need to help them persist and succeed is of increasing importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the most promising practices by…

The guided pathways approach to community and technical college redesign has significant impacts for adult basic education (ABE). The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Ability to Benefit provide federal support that complements the work being done in Guided Pathways. Washington state's approach to implementing guided pathways…

Community colleges, with their commitment to open access, admit millions of students each year who are unprepared for college-level work, even though they have earned a high-school diploma. For decades the schools had a built-in base of students attracted to their open doors and relative affordability. But enrollment at public two-year college has…

This report examines common strategies used by six Montana schools that had high student passing rates in online credit recovery courses offered by the Montana Digital Academy (MTDA) in the 2013/14 school year. The study is based on analysis of interviews conducted with school-based facilitators who oversee the implementation of the online MTDA…

When students first enroll in college, they are required to demonstrate readiness for college-level work. Course placement depends on standardized assessments, and students who do not attain a satisfactory score are typically assigned to developmental (e.g. remedial) education courses. The theory behind this approach has been that remedial…

The purpose of this explanatory parallel mixed methods study was to identify the perceived barriers and success strategies that students experience when pursuing a California associate degree for transfer (ADT). Quantitative data about students enrolled in the ADT cohort was retrieved from the district data management system and the qualitative…

College readiness remains a large policy challenge for both K­-12 schools and higher education institutions. Students who need to pursue remedial coursework before being able to enroll in introductory college requirements face financial and logistical challenges that create barriers to degree progression. In an effort to gain additional…

The Iowa Department of Education collects information on developmental education (Dev. Ed.) from Iowa's 15 community colleges on an annual basis. Dev. Ed. courses are offered in mathematics, reading, writing, English as a Second Language (ESL), and in other subject areas such as financial literacy and skill building. These credits do not count…

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) high school test is administered to all Bay State students--both those intending to enroll in college and the many with no such intention. The MCAS high school test is a retrospectively focused standards-based achievement test, designed to measure how well students have mastered the material…

The evolution of community colleges from their origins as junior colleges to institutions with dual missions to provide both academic and workforce preparation raises questions about the impact of a college's mission focus on their students' labor market success. We examine this question using the 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community…

This phenomenological case study explored student experiences in a technology-based credit recovery program at several central Texas high schools. Students shared their perceptions about utilizing technology-based credit recovery environments. Participants in this study were ten high school graduates who had completed credit recovery courses at…