Using a Regression Discontinuity Design to Estimate the Impact of Placement Decisions in Developmental Math

Melguizo, Tatiana; Bos, Johannes M.; Ngo, Federick; Mills, Nicholas L.; Prather, George

doi:10.1007/s11162-015-9382-y

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 25 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%

“…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. Only one study by Boatman and Long (2018) has demonstrated more positive evidence of the impacts of developmental education for lower-performing students assigned to multiple levels of developmental courses.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 80%

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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: 80%

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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“…Recent research supports the notion that many students are being placed into remedial courses using a single-placement test score, as is the case of Tennessee (Hughes & Scott-Clayton, 2010). Significant numbers of these students would likely succeed in college-level courses but are instead adding additional time and money to their path through college due to their requirement to enroll in remedial coursework instead (Melguizo, Bos, Ngo, Mills, & Prather, 2016; Scott-Clayton, Crosta, & Belfield, 2014). Incorporating high school transcripts into the placement policy helps significantly reduce under- and overplacement into remedial courses, given that transcripts include data collected over several years and a placement test is typically conducted in 30 to 60 minutes (Scott-Clayton et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Remediation Work for All Students? How the Effects of Postsecondary Remedial and Developmental Courses Vary by Level of Academic Preparation

Boatman

Long

2017

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

146

132

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A large proportion of students enter postsecondary institutions underprepared for collegelevel work (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). In an effort to bring these students up to the level of skill needed for college-level courses, colleges and universities often offer a range of remedial and developmental courses in reading, writing, and math that are designed to bridge this gap. Research from the U.S. Department of Education estimates that nearly half of all first-year students today are taking some form of remedial coursework, with 40% of those starting at a 4-year institution and 68% of those starting in a community college taking at least one remedial course during their college careers (Chen, 2016). Remediation comes at a great expense to colleges and universities, with efforts estimated to cost well more than a billion dollars a year at public colleges alone (Strong American Schools, 2008). In a 2011 study, the Alliance for Excellent Education concluded that the total cost of delivering remediation nationwide for college students enrolled during the 2007-2008 academic year was US$5.6 billion in the form of direct costs both to students (e.g., tuition) and to institutions (e.g., instructional costs), and lost lifetime wages due to the greater likelihood that remedial students will drop out of college before earning a degree.

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“…Several studies, many of which employed RD designs, found that developmental math placement led to a decreased likelihood of remaining enrolled in community college (Boatman & Long, 2018) and virtually no effect on labor market outcomes (Martorell & McFarlin, 2011). Other studies found that the impact of remediation can vary by institutional context (Melguizo et al, 2016) and by students’ level of academic preparation (Boatman & Long, 2018; Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2015). Overall, a meta-analysis of RD studies showed that placing into developmental education has a negative and statistically significant effect on the probability of passing the college-level course in which remediation was needed, college credits earned, and attainment (Valentine et al, 2017).…”

Section: Math Remediation In Stem Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Developmental Math on STEM Participation in Community College: Variation by Race, Gender, Achievement, and Aspiration

Park

Ngo

2020

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

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We use regression discontinuity design to examine the impact of placing into developmental math on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation in community colleges and whether these relationships differ for underrepresented racially minoritized (URM), women, STEM-oriented, and STEM-aspiring students. Results show that lower math placement was a deterrent to both math progression and STEM participation, especially for those at the margin of placement in transfer-level math. Subgroup analyses suggest that lower math placement may have supported women, and to a lesser extent URM students, in completing transferable STEM credits. For STEM-oriented students, we find suggestive evidence that lower placement deterred them from accumulating transferable credits. We discuss how community colleges can support these students and bolster the community college STEM pathway.

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Using a Regression Discontinuity Design to Estimate the Impact of Placement Decisions in Developmental Math

Cited by 36 publications

References 25 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

Does Remediation Work for All Students? How the Effects of Postsecondary Remedial and Developmental Courses Vary by Level of Academic Preparation

The Effect of Developmental Math on STEM Participation in Community College: Variation by Race, Gender, Achievement, and Aspiration

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