Accelerating Achievement

Designing a State-Level Response tothe Developmental Education ChallengePresentation for Southern Regional Education BoardJune 27, 2011

Abby Parcell, MDC

Accelerating Achievement

First Things First: Definitions Developmental education: comprehensive instruction that prepares students for

success in academic coursework

Assessment: standardized tests and other diagnostic activities to determine level of academic preparedness

Placement: the process by which students are assigned to particular courses, based on the assessment process

Modular instruction: developmental course content that is organized according to specific skill competencies

Self-paced instruction: a delivery mechanism that allows individual students enrolled in the same developmental course to progress through course content at their own rate

Accelerated learning: the compression of developmental course work; pairing multiple developmental courses or completing developmental and curriculum courses at the same time

Accelerating Achievement

Developmental Education Initiative Overview DEI builds on the most promising institutional and state

policy work of Achieving the Dream

Fifteen ATD community colleges and six states participating in a three-year initiative

Colleges taking promising developmental education practices to scale

MDC serves as managing partner and funding intermediary with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation

Accelerating Achievement

Promising Approaches Acceleration:

Placement-test preparation Compressed courses Paired remedial and college-level courses

Contextualization ABE-to-college models I-BEST designs

Student Supports Supplemental instruction Intensive advising

Accelerating Achievement

Policy Supports

Preventative strategies: reducing the need for developmental education

Assessment and placement: creating systems that are consistent, flexible, and relevant to a student’s chosen credential program

Performance Funding: designing funding formulas that support completion, not just enrollment

Accelerating Achievement

Preventative Strategies

El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso Texas

PREP program: Pre-testing Retesting Educational Preparation

Have served over 3000 students; on track to add 500 + students each semester

Paired with case management that tracks dev ed students through the attainment of their first 30 college credits

2009-2010 Results: PREP students who advanced at least one level: 65% math, 65% reading, 47% writing

Accelerating Achievement

Preventative StrategiesNorth Central State CollegeMansfield, Ohio Solutions, an adult transition program: self-paced, computer-based

course, paired with individual tutoring

Includes a student success workshop that is credit-bearing

Solutions students’ performance on developmental course/sequence completion, English gateway course completion and persistence exceeds averages of a group of comparable FTIC students.

The college calculated almost $20,000 in savings to students from acceleration through at least one level of developmental course work.

Accelerating Achievement

Assessment/Placement Strategies

Florida Department of EducationDivision of Florida Colleges The Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) was

released in October 2010.

Twenty-four of Florida’s 28 colleges have implemented the P.E.R.T.

Two diagnostic assessments for each discipline are in development

Colleges will begin offering new courses with corresponding competencies and implementing the diagnostic assessments in the fall 2011 or spring 2012 terms.

Accelerating Achievement

Assessment/Placement Strategies

Virginia Community College System System-wide redesign of developmental math completed

Taskforce comprised of high school, community college, and university faculty, along with administration

New placement system that includes customized placement instruments for the new developmental education structures

Curriculum design for English courses is underway

Accelerating Achievement

Performance Funding Strategies

Texas In 2009, the state legislature appropriated $5 million to the Texas

Higher Education Coordinating Board for Developmental Education Demonstration Projects

Five grants of $750K per year for two years; 10 grants of $100K

Colleges required to meet best practice requirements in assessment & placement, student support, innovative curriculum, and data quality

Accelerating Achievement

Performance Funding Strategies

Ohio Ohio Legislature approved performance funding for community

colleges in their 2010-11 budget

Ohio Board of Regents and state community colleges charged with developing the new formula

Recommendation from OH Association of Community Colleges: allocate 5% of FY 2011 state funding based on “success points”; proportion allocated according to these factors would increase to 20% by 2015

Accelerating Achievement

Contact Information Abby Parcell

aparcell@mdcinc.org

DEI Websitehttp://www.deionline.org

May 2011 Jobs for the Future brief: Driving Innovation: How Six States Are Organizing to Improve Outcomes in Developmental Educationhttp://www.jff.org