Shaping Policies Related to Developmental Education: An Evaluation Using the Regression-Discontinuity Design

Abstract

Utilizing the regression-discontinuity research design, this article explores the effectiveness of a developmental English program in a large, multicampus community college. Routinely collected data were extracted from existing records of a cohort of first-time college students followed for approximately 6 years (N = 1,473). Results are consistent with a conclusion that students’ participation in the program increases English academic achievement to levels similar to those of students not needing developmental coursework. The findings are also consistent with a conclusion that those students in greatest need of developmental English benefit the most from the program. This study provides an inexpensive, inferentially rigorous, program evaluation strategy that can be applied with few additional efforts to assess existing programs and to guide policy decisions.

Challenge and opportunity: Rethinking the role and function of developmental education in community college

“…Lesik (2006) studied three cohorts of first-time, full-time students at a large state university and found that developmental education improves the chances of completing a first-level college math course on the first try. Moss and Yeaton (2006) studied students at a large community college and concluded that students who took developmental English do as well in subsequent college courses as students who scored above the developmental cutoff score.…”

The Underprepared College Student: How Non-Cognitive Factors Influence Academic Preparedness

“…Many colleges provide higher education opportunities through open access to students who are underprepared for college-level courses (Moss & Yeaton, 2006). However, simply providing opportunity may not be sufficient to deal with academically underprepared students, who may require further development and training to integrate them into higher education better (Boylan, 2008).…”

“…One outcome of this Act was the initiation of open-access policies that encouraged more students to attend college regardless of their academic preparedness by offering incentives of interest-free loans, part-time jobs, and need-based scholarships (Bankston, 2011;Mulvey, 2008;Salas, Portes, D'Amico, & Rios-Aguilar, 2011). While open access policies were meant to increase accessibility to higher education, an unintended result has been a substantially higher increase in academically underprepared college students (Moss & Yeaton, 2006).…”

Research on Innovation and Creativity in Higher Education in Engineering and Science for Community Colleges: Student Strengths and Challenges

“…Moss and Yeaton define remediation as a practice that is guided by learning theory and includes non-credit courses that address fundamental skills that students lack that is determined by college placement examinations. 25 Alternatively, per Moss and Yeaton, developmental education considers the life experiences of the students in addition to their entering skill level. Developmental education emphasizes the need for students to become independent and have self-regulation in their learning, rather than focusing on a deficit perspective of education, as is the case with remediation.…”