How Extending Time in Developmental Math Impacts Student Persistence and Success: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity in Community Colleges

Ngo, Federick; Kosiewicz, Holly

doi:10.1353/rhe.2017.0004

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…These gains were often quite large in magnitude, particularly for a statewide reform. This is consistent with the majority of prior research examining differential effects of developmental education by students' academic preparation, which have found that lower-performing students who are assigned to multiple levels of developmental education tend to be less likely to progress to the next course in the sequence relative to students with fewer developmental requirements (Dadger, 2012;Melguizo et al, 2016;Ngo & Kosiewicz, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…One study by Dadger (2012) found that students in Virginia community colleges who were assigned to three developmental math courses would have been more likely to complete a certificate or associate's degree if they had been allowed to take only two developmental math courses. Another study using data from four California community colleges found similar results, as students assigned to an extended twosemester sequence of developmental math were significantly less likely to complete subsequent courses and earned fewer degree-applicable credits relative to students in a single semester-long developmental math course (Ngo & Kosiewicz, 2017). A third study by Melguizo et al (2016) examined placement in four distinct levels of math in a large urban community college system and found that students assigned to lower level math courses had a lower likelihood of progressing to the next course in the sequence relative to students placed in higher-level courses.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 78%

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Shining the Spotlight on Those outside Florida’s Reform Limelight: The Impact of Developmental Education Reform for Nonexempt Students

Mokher

Park-Gaghan

2020

The Journal of Higher Education

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Since the 2000s, states have experimented with reforms to improve success among underprepared students traditionally assigned to developmental education (DE). Florida's reform under Senate Bill 1720 has been among the most comprehensive and wide-reaching. Recent public high school graduates and military personnel became exempt from DE, but nearly onethird of students, including those without a Florida standard high school diploma, were still required to take a placement test and enroll in DE if they scored below college-ready. The legislation also required colleges to offer accelerated instructional strategies for students remaining in DE, and provide enhanced advising and support services. Focusing specifically on nonexempt students, we use statewide data to conduct a difference-in-regression discontinuity analysis to examine differences in first-year math coursetaking outcomes for students on the margins of college readiness before and after the reform. While students narrowly assigned to DE tend to have a lower likelihood of taking and passing college-level courses relative to their college-ready peers, these students experienced larger gains after the reform when DE courses were offered in accelerated formats accompanied by support services. The reform also improved outcomes for students scoring above collegeready, which suggests that nonexempt students benefited from enhanced advising and support services too.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 78%

Shining the Spotlight on Those outside Florida’s Reform Limelight: The Impact of Developmental Education Reform for Nonexempt Students

Mokher

Park-Gaghan

2020

The Journal of Higher Education

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“…These include whether a student (c) successfully passed the college-level math (CLM) required for an associate's degree at the time (i.e., elementary algebra or higher); and (d) successfully passed a transfer-level math (TLM) course (e.g., precalculus or higher). A key concern of postsecondary math remediation is that it may add significant amounts of time to students' academic journeys (Melguizo, Bos, Ngo, Mills, & Prather, 2016;Ngo & Kosiewicz, 2017). We therefore examine math course completion (i.e., outcomes c and d) in a 1-, 2-, and 4-year window in order to ascertain whether DSP Giving Community College Students Choice accelerated progress toward completion of these courses relative to students who were test-placed.…”

Section: Giving Community College Students Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

Giving Community College Students Choice: The Impact of Self-Placement in Math Courses

Kosiewicz

Ngo

2019

American Educational Research Journal

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This study examines the impact of a “natural experiment” that gave students the choice to place into or out of developmental math because of an unintended mistake made by a community college. During self-placement, more students chose to enroll in gateway college- and transfer-level math courses, however, greater proportions of female, Black, and Hispanic students enrolled in the lowest levels of math relative to test-placed counterparts. Difference-in-difference estimates show that self-placement led to positive outcomes, but mostly for White, Asian, and male students. This evidence suggests areas of concern and potential for improvement for self-placement policies. Self-determination theory, behavioral decision theory, and stereotype vulnerability provide possible explanations for the observed changes.

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“…Accelerated remedial education (compared to traditional semester-long courses) is associated with increased enrollment and completion of gatekeeper math and English courses (Jaggars, Edgecombe, and Stacey 2014). Conversely, enrollment in extended math courses (e.g., an extra semester of remedial math) is associated with reduced completion of remedial course sequences and graduation (Ngo and Kosiewicz 2017). Secondly, remedial courses can be effective at resolving students' math deficiencies, which allows for academic success in college-level courses (Bahr 2008;Bettinger and Long 2009).…”

Section: Theory Of Action Behind High School Transition Coursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Switch in Time: The Academic Effects of Shifting Math Remediation from College to High School

Boatman

Bennett

2021

Education Finance and Policy

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One explanation for negative or null findings in prior research on postsecondary remediation is that college may be too late to address issues of academic under-preparedness. This study evaluates the impact on student outcomes when college math remediation is offered in the senior year of high school. The Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program in Tennessee targets students with low 11th grade ACT math scores. Students who pass SAILS in 12th grade can enroll directly in college-level math courses at any Tennessee community college. Using a triple-difference design, we exploit variation in students' treatment status based on ACT math scores (remediation-eligible vs. remediation-ineligible), high school adoption of SAILS (first cohort vs. later cohort), and senior year (before vs. during first SAILS year). We find that SAILSeligible students in the first cohort were significantly less likely to enroll in remedial math courses in college, and more likely to enroll in and pass college-level math overall. These students also earn 2.8 additional credits by their second year. We detect no significant differences in high school graduation rates, college enrollment, or postsecondary credential attainment within two years. The program advanced progress towards several, but not all, of the potential goals examined.

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How Extending Time in Developmental Math Impacts Student Persistence and Success: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity in Community Colleges

Cited by 15 publications

References 35 publications

Shining the Spotlight on Those outside Florida’s Reform Limelight: The Impact of Developmental Education Reform for Nonexempt Students

Shining the Spotlight on Those outside Florida’s Reform Limelight: The Impact of Developmental Education Reform for Nonexempt Students

Giving Community College Students Choice: The Impact of Self-Placement in Math Courses

A Switch in Time: The Academic Effects of Shifting Math Remediation from College to High School

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