Repaving The Road To College-Readiness

7/30/2019 Repaving The Road To College-Readiness

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Repaving The RoadTo College-Readiness:

Strategies for Increasing the Successof Mississippis College Students

in Developmental Education


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2012 All rights reserved. Any portion of this report may be reproduced without priorpermission, provided the source is cited as: Sarah Welker. Repaving the Road to College

Readiness. Jackson, MS: Mississippi Economic Policy Center. 2012.

Mississippi Economic Policy Center 4 Old River Place, Suite A Jackson, MS 39202 (601) 944-1100 www.mepconline.org

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About the MississippiEconomic Policy Center

The Mississippi Economic Policy Center (MEPC) is anonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conductsindependent research on public policy issues affecting

working Mississippians. Through public outreach efforts,policymaker education and engaging the media, MEPCuses its analysis to ensure that the needs of low- andmoderate-income Mississippians, in particular, areconsidered in the development and implementation ofpublic policy with the ultimate goal of improving access toeconomic opportunity.

MEPC is managed by the Hope Enterprise Corporation(HOPE), a regional financial institution and communitydevelopment intermediary dedicated to strengtheningcommunities, building assets and improving lives in

economically distressed areas throughout the Mid South.To read more about MEPC, go to www.mepconline.orgTo read more about HOPE, go to www.hope-ec.org

AcknowledgementsThe Mississippi Economic Policy Center receives

crucial support from the C.S. Mott Foundation, the FordFoundation, the Open Society Institute, and the W.K.Kellogg Foundation. Additional support is providedcollaboratively through the national Working Poor Families

Project by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Kresge and JoyceFoundations. In-state support is provided by theFoundation for the Mid South, The Mississippi Low IncomeChild Care Initiative and The Womens Fund of Mississippi.

In addition to working with nonprofit organizationsacross the state, MEPC is a member of the State FiscalAnalysis Initiative, managed by the Center on Budget andPolicy Priorities, and the Economic Analysis ResearchNetwork, managed by the Economic Policy Institute.

MEPC is particularly grateful for the data and guidanceprovided by the Working Poor Families Project and its state

partners. The Center would also like to thank the staff ofthe Mississippi Community College Board, Jones County

Junior College and Northeast Mississippi CommunityCollege for their support and insights during theconstruction of this report.

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Table Of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

INTRODUCTION 6

WHY SHOULD MISSISSIPPI FOCUS ON IMPROVING DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION? 7

WHO TAKES DEVELOPMENTAL COURSES? 8

PRIORITY 1: ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT 10

PRIORITY 2: COURSE DESIGN AND DELIVERY 11

PRIORITY 3: SUPPORT SERVICES 12

PRIORITY 4: DATA COLLECTION, EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY 13

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION 14

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Executive SummaryDevelopmental education courses (remedial courses)

offer a route to college-readiness for thousands ofcommunity college students across Mississippi each year.Developmental education provides the skills underpreparedstudents need in math, english or reading, so they are

better equipped to successfully take college courses, attaina credential, and gain employment with quality wages.Overall, 22,000 community college students neededremedial courses in 2011.

Taking developmental education courses requiresadditional time and financial resources from students and,as a result, has the potential to lengthen a students path toa college credential. Students starting in developmentaleducation also have lower completion rates than theircollege-ready counterparts. In Mississippi communitycolleges, the portion of first-year students starting in

remedial courses that graduate within 3 years is 13.3%.Mississippis students are more likely to enroll in math

remedial courses than any other subject, and manystudents require multiple semesters of remedial courses.Over 19,000 students took a remedial math course in2011 while about 9,400 took remedial english. Onequarter of all students in remedial education courses aresecond-year students.

The potential benefits to working age adults ofcompleting remedial courses and moving through collegequickly cannot be understated. One third of all Mississippi

students enrolled in developmental education are over 21years old. For adult students, remedial education is acritical gateway to college courses and higher wages, andoften adults balancing the demands of family needadditional support. In Mississippi, 255,000 adults over 18years old are in jobs paying less than $9.70 per hour.Adults reaching an associates degree or taking somecollege-level courses earn $10,900 more per year thanthose without a high school degree.

Raising the success of students starting in developmentaleducation will require several improvements toMississippis current delivery of remedial courses.Throughout Repaving the Road to College-Readiness, fourpriorities in need of attention are detailed including:

Better coordinating and improving policies forassessing student skills and placing students indevelopmental education;

Improving the design and delivery of developmentalcourses;

Adding support services that meet the academic andnon-academic needs of an increasingly diverse studentpopulation; and

Prioritizing data collection and evaluating the progressand outcomes of students starting in developmentaleducation.

In addition, adequate funding to make the changesneeded to developmental education must be a priority ofits own. Each of these priorities will require financialsupport through state appropriations and resources fromcommunity college staff and leadership. Implementingthese improvements will help Mississippi meet goals forincreasing credential attainment and workforcecompetitiveness and will ensure more students of all ageshave a smoother road to college completion.

Each year thousands of Mississippi students that enterpost-secondary education do not persist to graduation. Notmaking changes that support these students is a missedopportunity for the state and its residents. Mississippicannot afford to delay efforts to change developmentaleducation and better support underprepared students.Through dedicating additional resources to developmentaleducation and bringing in promising reforms indevelopmental course design and support services,Mississippi can reap the benefits of more studentspersisting to graduation.

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IntroductionEvery Mississippian needs roadways to job opportunities

that provide economic security for themselves and theirfamilies. Challenging economic conditions over the lastseveral years have driven home the importance of collegecredentials for both recent high school graduates and

working-age adults. During the recession, adults without acollege credential experienced unemployment moreregularly than those with a credential and earned lowerwages. To ensure more Mississippians move to collegecompletion and to increase the competitiveness ofMississippis workforce, Mississippis Graduation Rate TaskForce set clear goals for increasing post-secondarycredential attainment over the nextdecade. To meet these goals,Mississippis community collegesneed resources to adapt and meet the

academic needs of an increasinglydiverse student body that includes agrowing number of students in need ofdevelopmental education courses tosucceed.

Mississippis community colleges work to build the skillsof the current and future workforce and are a criticalresource for the states employers and communities.However, too often students enrolling at communitycolleges do not persist to completion. Low completionrates are associated with the volume of students who enter

without adequate preparation and who need additionalsupport on the path to graduation. In the fall of 2011, 52%of Mississippis first-time, full-time community collegestudents entered unprepared to take on college-levelcourses. These underprepared students must enroll indevelopmental education courses (remedial courses) in thesubjects of math, english or reading to become college-ready. In fall 2011, 22,400 students across Mississippis15 community college campuses were enrolled indevelopmental education courses.

Developmental education comes with a cost.

Developmental courses do not count toward the creditsstudents need to graduate and taking the courses increases

the time it takes to reach a degree. Remedial courses canalso use a students limited financial resources. At the sametime, it is essential for building the workforce needed forMississippi to be competitive.

Beyond time and costs, students in remedial courses are

particularly at risk of stepping out of school beforereaching their educational goals. In Mississippi communitycolleges, the portion of freshmen starting in remedialcourses that graduate within 3 years is 13.3%.1 Manyfactors affect the ability to persist to graduation for studentsenrolled in remedial education. Often students that enterunderprepared are first generation college students, come

from low-income households and/or aretrying to balance school withresponsibilities of work or family. Allthese factors contribute to a lower

likelihood of persisting to graduationwhen paired with the skill gapsunderprepared students have uponentering college.

The value to Mississippi and itsworkforce of strengthening developmental education atcommunity colleges cannot be underestimated.Developmental education programs are critical to laying afoundation for underprepared students to move on tocollege-level courses. Without strengthening the delivery ofdevelopmental education, Mississippi will struggle to

advance more working adults and high school graduates tocredential attainment and quality job opportunities.

Repaving the Road to College-Readiness looks at thecharacteristics of the thousands of Mississippi communitycollege students who take developmental coursework. Thereport discusses barriers underprepared students face tocollege success and the current design of the statesdevelopmental education system. Examples of effectiveinnovations in remedial programs are provided alongsidenational research on best practices for increasing thesuccess of underprepared college students.

In the fall of 2011, 22,400

students across Mississippis 15

community colleges were notcollege-ready and were enrolled in

developmental education courses.

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Why Should MississippiFocus On DevelopmentalEducation?

With 52% of Mississippis first-time, full-time communitycollege students entering underprepared for college

coursework, and only 13% of freshmen starting indevelopmental education persisting to graduation withinthree years, the need for an effective developmentaleducation programs is clear. These courses lengthen astudents path to a credential and ultimately, jobs that paywages that can support themselves and their families.Strengthening the delivery of developmental courses canstart more students on a solid path to a degree, providebenefits to students of all ages, and build the statesworkforce competitiveness.

Mississippis Graduation Rate Task Force

State leaders in the Legislature and higher educationhave set ambitious goals for increasing the portion ofMississippi adults with post-secondary degrees.Mississippis Graduation Rate Task Force plans to reach thenational average for associates degree and bachelorsdegree attainment among adults by 2025. Meeting the goalpresents a challenge, as Mississippis community collegesand universities will need to produce 150,000 additionaldegrees beyond current levels of degree production.

To increase degree attainment this drastically, Mississippiwill need to make revisions to developmental educationover the next decade. The Graduation Task Force goal

cannot be attained through recent high school graduatesalone. Producing 150,000 extra degrees will requireimproving the success of nontraditional, adult students indevelopmental courses.

The Connections between College Success,Wages and Self-Sufficiency

The relationship between educational attainment andeconomic security is strong, and a growing number ofMississippi jobs require some form of post-secondaryeducation. Earning wages sufficient for a familyseconomic security also increasingly requires collegecoursework. Many families encounter poverty becausethey are unable to access jobs with quality wages. InMississippi, 255,000 adults over 18 years old are in jobspaying $9.70 per hour or less.2 In comparison, families offour need $10.73 per hour just to reach the federal povertylevel.

Adults with an associates degree or some college earn$10,900 more per year than those without a high schooldegree (Figure 1). Additionally, after the 2007 recession, 1in 10 adults with college experience were unemployedcompared to 1 in 5 without a high school credential(Figure 2). The figures illustrate that a college degree isincreasingly critical for greater earnings and job stability. Toadvance to economic security, thousands of adults willneed to access college through developmental educationand pursue a credential while working or caring for family.Implementing policies that advance developmentaleducation can give students a better path to collegecompletion.

$35,000

$30,000

$25,000

$20,000

$15,000

$10,000

$5,000

$0

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

20%

13.2%

10.7%

Less ThanHigh School

High SchoolDegree

Associates Degreeor Some College

Less ThanHigh School

High SchoolDegree

Associates Degreeor Some College

$17,728

$24,067

$26,619

Figure 1, Median Earnings By Educational AttainmentMississippi Workers

Figure 2, Unemployment Rate By Educational AttainmentMississippi Workers

Source: Economic Policy Institute Analysis of Current Population Survey

Source: US Census Bureau. American Community Servey. 2006-2010

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Who Is Currently EnrolledIn Developmental CoursesIn Mississippi?

In 2011, 52% of first-time, full-time college students atMississippis community colleges enrolled in at least 1

developmental education course to raise their skill levels towhat is needed to succeed in college-level courses.3 Theindicator means that half of Mississippis first-time collegestudents are entering the doors of the states communitycolleges without the necessary preparation to succeed incollege coursework.

Characteristics of Developmental Education StudentsIn the fall of 2011, over 22,000 students were not

prepared for college courses and, as a result, are at ahigher risk of not persisting to college completion.

However, not all of these students enroll directly afterleaving high school. One third (35%) of all studentsenrolled in developmental courses in Mississippi are over21 years old (Table 1). In total, 7,876 students in remedialcourses were well beyond the age students traditionally arewhen they leave high school. Older students are morelikely to be married, have children, be working and havestepped out of school for an extended period of time.

All these situational factors contribute to an addedchallenge for adult students of balancing personalresponsibilities and their courses.

Students that grow up in impoverished households andattend poor performing K-12 schools are more likely toneed remedial coursework when they enter college.4

Mississippis African American and white children are bothvulnerable to growing up in these environments, butAfrican Americans are more likely to grow up in a low-income household.5 In 2010, 49% of African Americanchildren lived in poverty compared to 18% of whitechildren. However, Mississippis children of both racialgroupings are more likely to live in poverty than childrennationally.

Across community colleges, students of color are morelikely than white students to enter underprepared and inneed of developmental education. In Mississippi, AfricanAmerican students represent 57% of students enrolled indevelopmental education courses, while white studentsaccount for 38% of those enrolled (Table 2).6 AfricanAmerican students are also less likely to complete theirremedial sequence and enroll in related college-level

courses than their white counterparts.7

Students from low-income households and older

students are at-risk of encountering both academic andfinancial obstacles. As Mississippi considers reforms todevelopmental education programs, the needs of adult andlow-income students need to be incorporated into courseand support design. Including these needs ensures agreater portion of Mississippis college students canachieve a college credential and a quality career.

How long do Mississippi students take remedialcoursework?

Many of the states college students need multiple

semesters of remedial coursework before reachingcollege-readiness. Previous data indicate that only 21% offreshmen at Mississippis community colleges completeremediation and a college-level course in the same subjectwithin two years.8 One challenge associated with extendedperiods of remediation includes the draining of limitedfinancial aid resources. Additionally, as the time needed toreceive a credential or a degree increases, the likelihoodthat a student will complete the program decreases.Often, students in developmental education courses alsoneed remediation in more than one subject. Entering with

skill deficiencies in multiple subjects can lengthen the timestudents spend in remediation and lengthen their path to adegree. In Mississippi, more than 1 in 3 remedial studentsis enrolled in multiple remedial subjects during onesemester (Figure 3). Students also may need multiplesemesters of remedial courses. In 2011, of all remedialstudents were in their second year of college.

Source: Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning

Source: Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning

Students Age Students Age Total Students15-21 Years 22 Years and Older Developmental Courses

64.9% 35.1% 22,413

Other African American White Total

Total Developmental 1,171 12,832 8,410 22,413Education EnrollmentShare of Developmental 5% 57% 38% 100%Education Enrollment

Table 1. Age of Developmental Education Students inMississippi Colleges

Fall 2011, Audited

Table 2. Students In Remedial Courses By RaceFall 2011, Audited

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The length of time spent in remediation and the numberof students enrolled in more than one remediation classunderscores the need to have a robust remedial educationsystem that moves students through the sequence quicklyand with success.

Outcomes of Students Starting in RemediationAcross Mississippi, 13.3% of students starting in remedial

coursework persist to graduation within three years.9 This issimilar to national rates among remedial students.However, too few community college students inMississippi complete their remedial course requirements,and a very small portion complete college-level courses intheir subject of remediation. This trend is true across agegroups.

A large portion of students that start in developmentaleducation leave school even before completing theirdevelopmental sequence. According to Mississippi-specificdata released by Complete College America, less than 60%

of students in the age groups of 20 to 24 or over 25complete their required math remedial courses. Theportion that complete math remediation and college-levelmath courses drops even further to 10% for students age20 to 24 and 12% for students over 25. Only 1 in 5students age 17 to 19 that start in math remediationcompletes remedial math requirements and college-levelcourses (Figure 4).

Students that need remediation in multiple subjects areparticularly vulnerable to stepping out before completingtheir remedial course requirements. Rates of completing

developmental coursework are lower for students needingremediation in both math and english than in only onesubject. For example, less than half (47%) of students thatneed both english and math remediation between the ageof 20 and 24, completed their remedial courserequirements. Six percent of students in this age groupwent on to complete their remedial sequence and collegecourses. Across all ages less than 1 in 10 students startingin math and english remediation completes their remedialcourses and college level courses.

For Mississippis recent high school graduates and adults, apost-secondary credential is essential for building long-term economic security. The state has set goals forsignificantly increasing its number of credential holdersand raising the workforces competitiveness. MoreMississippi students will need to successfully movethrough college to meet these goals, and the volume ofstudents arriving at community colleges without thenecessary preparation to successfully complete collegecourses presents a challenge to substantially raising

students persisting through college. Additionally, the largeportion of Mississippis students that step out beforecompleting remediation or moving on to college courses isa lost opportunity for the state that has negative effects onits families and workforce.

Changes can be made to improve the outcomes of thesestudents. The following sections describe four priorities foradjusting the way Mississippis community colleges deliverdevelopmental education and makes suggestions forchanges that can result in greater success among studentsstarting out underprepared.

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

70% Age 17-19 Age 20-24 Age 25+

52%

59%

20%

10%12%

56%

47%

57%

10%6% 7%

% CompletingRemedial Courses

% CompletingRemedial andCollege-Level

Courses

% CompletingRemedial Courses

MATH MATH & ENGLISH

% CompletingRemedial andCollege-Level

Courses

Figure 4, Mississippi Students In Remediation Have LowCourse Completion Rates

Source: Remediation, Higher Educations Bridge to Nowhere. 2012

36%More Than 1

DevelopmentalCourse

64%1 Developmental

Course

Figure3, Number of remedial courses taken by Mississippidevelopmental education students per semester

Source: Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research andPlanning. Fall 2011, Audited

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PRIORITY 1: ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENTPlacement and testing policies for developmental

education vary widely across Mississippis communitycolleges. To place students in developmental educationcourses, colleges use a students ACT scores. Colleges usethe subject-specific ACT score in math, english andreading to determine if enrolling students need to bereferred to developmental courses. While the ACT is the

most common assessment tool for remediation screening,research regularly indicates that the ACT may not be thebest predictor of college readiness. To better understandstudent deficiencies, colleges acrossthe country are developing moretargeted assessments of student skills tobetter place students and evaluate skillgaps.

In Mississippi, each college hasdiscretion over setting the ACT scorethreshold that places students in

remedial courses for each subject -called a cut score. If a student scoresbelow the school-specific ACT score,they are referred to remediation. Colleges can alsodetermine the number of remedial courses they deliver ineach subject. Some schools offer 3 levels ofdevelopmental courses in a subject while others offer 1 or2 courses, and the ACT score placing students into thatclass can vary. The same student might be required to take2 courses at 1 school and 1 course at another. Theseadditional courses mean a longer road to a degree for

some students and more use of their limited financial aid.Different requirements can also be problematic fortransferring students who encounter varied courserequirements.

To help generate similar expectations for students,colleges and the Mississippi Community College Boardshould consider better coordination of standards forassessment of and placement in developmental education.Additionally, working to develop a more targetedassessment that better determines student skill levels asthey enter college can better place students in remedialcourses. Designing more effective and targeted placement

tests can also help institutions better design curricula andsupports to meet diverse student needs. Evidence is alsogrowing that a students placement in remedial education

may need to include more than testscores. In some states, such as NorthCarolina, studies have revealed thatusing a combination of test scores andhigh school grades can be a moreeffective placement strategy.10

As colleges pursue alternative testingand placement criteria, the upcoming

changes in K-12 assessment throughthe Common Core Curriculum will alsoneed to be considered. A more

consistent model for placing students in the remediationthey need will also be important for adults beyond theK-12 system that transition into college from work or fromadult basic education programs at the college.

Mississippis leaders and the Community College Boardshould review strategies and findings from other states togenerate a more effective assessment and placementstructure for Mississippis students. Moving to a more

coordinated system of placing students in remedialeducation, without compromising each schools ability toinnovate and meet the unique needs of their students, willbe a critical part of strengthening remedial programs andcreating similar requirements across community collegecampuses.

To advance more of Mississippis

underprepared students and meet

the states goals for degree

attainment, innovations in

remedial course design and

support services will both beneeded.

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PRIORITY 2: COURSE DESIGN AND DELIVERYDevelopmental education is offered in three subjects

math, reading and english. In Mississippi, students are moslikely to need coursework in math. (Figure 5) shows thetotal number of students taking courses in each area ofremediation in Mississippis college campuses.

In 2011, 19,167 students took a remedial math coursewhile 9,371 took remedial english. Enrollment in remedialenglish and reading classes is typically smaller than inmath, but often students with weak reading skills will alsobe enrolled in remediation for math and english. Ninepercent of remedial students takes only a remedial english

course compared to 19% that take math and english.11

Of the students taking math remediation, 25% weresophomores underscoring that a considerable portion ofremedial students must take classes for multiple years,elongating their path to graduation. In Mississippi, 11% ofthe students in remedial reading are sophomores.12,13

Mississippi can make improvements to developmentalcourses that raise the success of the more than 22,000students that enroll in them each year. Across the country,states and colleges have put in substantial effort to raise thesuccess of underprepared students. Research suggests that

changes in course design and student support services areeffective in raising completion rates and retention. Areview of remedial programs by MDRC found that thestrategies holding the most promise focus on improvingstudents skills within a compressed time frame and onlinking remediation to relevant college-level work.14

Figure 5, Enrollment In Remedial Courses by Subject and Cla

20,000

18,000

16,000

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

Freshman Sophomore

Total: 4,342

Total: 9,371

Total: 19,167

Math English Reading

Source: Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research andPlanning. Fall 2011, Audited

EXAMPLES FROM MISSISSIPPI:Jones County Junior College

Some Mississippi community colleges have been tryingto improve the success ofdevelopmental educationstudents. This profile highlights one effort by JonesCountyJunior College. While data on outcomes is notyet available on these efforts, the effort and ideasdemonstrate a willingness to advance developmental

education students.

Like many other community colleges in Mississippi,Jones County Junior College (JCJC) found that 60% oftheir first-time students needed remedial courseworkbefore taking college-level courses. Instructors andcollege leaders also saw that a substantial portion ofthese students were low-income students, workingadults and/or the first from their family to attend college.Among students in remedial courses, those entering withthe lowest ACT scores were most likely to repeat coursesmultiple times and need additional support.

In the fall of 2011, JCJC decided to take a new approachto try to increase the success of students entering withthe lowest skill levels- those with an ACT score of 15 orbelow. The college designed a College ReadinessProgram that requires low-skill developmental educationstudents to enroll in a set of four classes during their firstsemester including: Beginning Algebra, IntermediateEnglish, Essential College Skills and College Orientation.

The same group of students moves together througheach class, and students focus attention on just thesefour classes, not enrolling in additional coursework. In

addition, a counselor is assigned to each cohort whomonitors and calls students that miss courses or thatmention encountering barriers like transportation accessor financial aid needs.

Nearly 300 students enrolled in the College ReadinessProgram in the fall of 2011 underscoring the largenumber of students that enter the college in need ofsubstantial remediation. By the spring of 2012, thecollege also started offering the College ReadinessProgram in the evenings, so working adults with familiescould enroll part-time more easily through night classes.

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Course DesignThree innovations in remedial course design have been

demonstrated to improve the success of remedial studentsincluding:

Courses that are delivered in a modularized structurethat better target student deficiencies,

Courses that integrate occupational content withremedial content, and

Courses that condense developmental content into ashorter, more condensed course.

In addition, there is promise in models that group classesof remedial students together in cohorts. The cohortstructure allows the same classmates to progress through asequence of remedial courses together with additionalsupport and a team of connected instructors.15 Thisapproach may be particularly valuable for the thousands ofMississippi students that are required to enroll in all threeremedial courses each year and students entering with verylow skill levels.

To advance more of Mississippis underprepared studentsand meet the states goals for degree attainment,innovations in remedial course design will be needed. Thereforms needed for students with slight skill deficiencieswill be different from those needed for students with verylow skill levels. Furthermore, all of Mississippiscommunity colleges will need resources and guidance toadapt curriculums and instruction models.

Funding for Developmental Education Course DesignTo cover these costs, some states are using enhanced

state funding for students in developmental educationprograms to innovate and provide instruction. Oneexample is Washingtons I-BEST model, through whichstudents learn basic skills in the context of earning collegecredits toward a professional/technical certificate.Washington funds enrolled students at 1.75 times thenormal amount that colleges are appropriated for each full-time student.16 The higher appropriations for these studentshas resulted in an increased likelihood that students earncollege credit and gain credentials. A similar model forfunding developmental education programs could be

implemented to improve and redesign programs inMississippi.

There is also evidence that models like Washingtonstates I-BEST framework may help students avoidremediation all together when used with students in basiceducation and GED courses. Similar instruction models inMississippi could help reduce the portion of studentsentering with a GED that need remedial coursework.

PRIORITY 3: SUPPORT SERVICESOver the last 20 years, Mississippis community college

students have become more diverse. More students ofcolor are enrolling in higher education, and the number ofstudents from low-income households is rising. AsMississippis student population shifts, meeting a broadergroup of needs through developmental courses becomesmore critical for institutions. Meeting the challenge will

require innovation and reform from colleges andadditional resources.

Since the mid-1990s enrollment has grown by 170%among African American students while enrollment amongwhite students has grown more modestly at 24%.17 AfricanAmerican students are more likely to grow up inimpoverished households and attend poor performing K-12 schools than their white counterparts.18 The challengesfaced by students in that environment also lead to anincreased likelihood of needing remedial coursework.19

Supports like course-specific tutoring and assistance with

registration and financial aid are all critical for low-incomestudents that are more likely to encounter financial andacademic barriers.

In Mississippi, white students make up 38% of thestudents taking remedial courses, and African Americanstudents represent 57% of students.20 However, thedemographics of remedial course enrollment varyconsiderably by course. Enrollment in remedial mathcourses is relatively similar between white and AfricanAmerican students, while African American studentsrepresent 70% of the students in english and reading

remediation.One third (36%) of all students enrolled in

developmental courses in Mississippi are over 21 yearsold. Older students are more likely to be married, havechildren, be working and have stepped out of school for anextended period of time. All these situational factorscontribute to an added challenge for adult students ofbalancing personal responsibilities and their courses.

For an increasingly diverse student population that isstarting in developmental education, both academicsupports and non-academic supports are important for

college success. Mississippi can do more to integrateproven support strategies to enhance student outcomesincluding providing:

Student success courses that focus on study skills, timemanagement and college orientation,

Additional tutoring and supplemental instruction tiedto a specific class, and

Imbedded career and academic advising for alldevelopmental students that encourages earlyenrollment in a course of study.21

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Each of these options could boost the likelihood thatcommunity colleges most at-risk students succeed in theirpursuit of a college credential when they are paired withchanges in course design.

For adults starting in developmental education, supportslike child care, transportation vouchers and careercounseling are also critical to increasing their success.Alternative class times help working adults that can only

enroll in classes part-time or in the evenings. As workingadults continue to enroll in community colleges,imbedding these supports in developmental educationprograms will be increasingly necessary to their success.

PRIORITY 4: DATA COLLECTION, EVALUATIONAND ACCOUNTABILITY

State leaders will need to invest more resources inimproving the delivery of remedial courses and supportservices. Those investments need to be paired withstrengthened data collection and transparency on the

outcomes of students starting out underprepared. Regularlyreleased data can provide information on thecharacteristics of incoming students, on where students aremost at-risk for stepping out of college, and on what newinterventions increase the success of Mississippisdevelopmental students.

Recent requirements from the Mississippi Legislature willlead colleges to release data on developmental courseenrollment to education leaders and public policy makers;however, there will still be limitations in regularly-released,publically available data on developmental students and

their outcomes.Examples of data to make available to educators, policy

makers, and state and local leaders include: Characteristics of developmental education students

(age, race, Pell eligibility, gender) Number and percent of students enrolling in each

developmental subject Percent passing first developmental course and

completing developmental sequences Percent enrolling in college-level courses Percent passing first college-level course

Percent attaining a degree or certificate within 150%of the normal time and 300% of normal time.

Measures like these can be imbedded into a collegesexisting data collection and reporting. The measures wouldprovide background for teachers, department chairs andadministrators and inform a regular review of outcomes forremedial students. These measures can also be reportedannually to the public and public policy makers todetermine if additional support and resources are neededto advance success of underprepared students. In the

longer-term, benchmarks can be set for the success andprogress of students starting in developmental education.And state leaders can appropriate incentive funding tocolleges advancing student outcomes associated withthose benchmarks.

Mississippi has taken steps to release enrollment data indevelopmental education programs, but more regularinformation on student outcomes could also enhanceeducator and leader knowledge of these students.Mississippi needs better tracking and evaluation of studentsduring their remedial sequence and into credit-bearing

courses. Knowing where along the pathway to graduationdevelopmental education students are vulnerable tostepping out or failing provides a path to continuousreview and advancement of these programs that leads tomore Mississippians attaining a college credential and apath to greater economic opportunity.

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Recommendations ForStrengtheningDevelopmental Education:

Meeting the rising demands for skilled workers and the

states goals for degree attainment lifts up the need toimprove the outcomes of developmental educationstudents on community college campuses. These reformsare also important for working adults and high schoolgraduates who seek out community colleges as a pathwayto a degree and jobs with quality wages.

The value of making investments in strengthening andbetter coordinating developmental programs andenhancing data collection cannot be understated.However, several years of strained state funding have leftmany colleges with limited resources, and these reforms

cannot be fully implemented without additionalinvestment from the state. Making developmentaleducation a priority can ensure students entering collegewith the greatest obstacles have a smoother pathway tosuccess.

The five recommendations below make up a package ofpolicymaking priorities that together can advancedevelopmental education to a higher level of success.Through policy and program changes these can improvethe performance of the community college system and itsmost underprepared students for many years to come.

RECOMMENDATION 1. Better coordinate and improvedevelopmental education assessments and placementpractices across the Mississippi community collegesystem.

Mississippis community colleges need greatercoordination of placement and assessment policies, sostudents face similar requirements across colleges and areplaced in the developmental instruction they need. Acrossthe country, community colleges are exploring alternativesto the ACT and developing more targeted testing of studentskills, and growing evidence indicates that alternative

student characteristics such as high school grades may be abetter predictor of a students developmental educationneeds. Colleges are also considering how the upcomingshift to the Common Core curriculum may affect collegeassessment and placement. Mississippi should establish acommission with leaders in higher education to researchand set a statewide system for more effectively testing andplacing the states developmental education students.

RECOMMENDATION 2. Implement new models indevelopmental education course design that are proven toincrease student success.

Models to promote include: compressing developmentaleducation courses, integrating content from developmentacourses with occupational skills content, and breakingdevelopmental courses into smaller, modularized units thatare more targeted to student skill deficiencies. Innovationsin course design should also consider how to ensure thecontent in developmental courses aligns with expectationsin college-level math and English courses in the studentsfield of study, so students are more successful uponentering credit bearing courses.

RECOMMENDATION 3. Combine additional supportservices for students in developmental courses withinnovation in course design.

Student success courses, supplemental tutoring andregular advising that encourages students to enter programsof study when they first enroll are each support options forbolstering the academic success of students indevelopmental courses.22 Services also help individualsadjust to the demands of college life and courses. Thesesupports can be most effective when they are delivered in

tandem with innovations in course design and areparticularly important for at-risk students and adults tryingto balance demands of their families, work and school.

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1 Remediation: Higher Educations Bridge to Nowhere. 2012. Complete CollegeAmerica. http://www.completecollege.org/docs/CCA-Remediation-final.pdf.

2 Bailey, Thomas, Dong Jeong, Sung-Woo Cho. 2010. Referral, Enrollment, andCompletion in Developmental Education Sequences at Community Colleges.Economics of Education Review. Volume 29. Pp. 255-270.

3 Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning. AuditedData from the Fall of 2011. Provided on November 2, 2012.

4 Ibid.

5 Attewell, Paul, David Lavin, Thurston Domina, Tania Levey. 2006. New Evidence inCollege Remediation. The Journal of Higher Education. 77(5), 826-924.

6 Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning. Audited

Data from the Fall of 2011. Provided on November 2, 2012.7 Remediation: Higher Educations Bridge to Nowhere. 2012. Complete College

America. http://www.completecollege.org/docs/CCA-Remediation-final.pdf.8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.10 Burdman, Pamela. 2012. Where to Begin? The Evolving Role of Placement Exams for

Students Starting in College. Jobs for the Future.

http://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/ATD_WhereToBegin_080212.pdf11 Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning. Audited

Data from the Fall of 2011. Provided on November 2, 2012.

12 Qualls, Fiona. 2010. State of Developmental Education 2010. Mississippi CommunityCollege Board Division for Academic Affairs.

13 Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning. AuditedData from the Fall of 2011. Provided on November 2, 2012.14 Rutschow, Elizabethand Emily Schneider. 2011. Unlocking the Gate: What We Know About Improving

Developmental Education. MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publications/601/full.pdf.15 Ibid.16 Wachen, John, Davis Jenkins and Michelle Van Noy. 2010. How I-BEST Works:

Findings from a Field Study of Washington States Integrated Basic Education and SkillsTraining Program. Community College Research Center, Columbia University.

17 National Center of Education Statistics. Integrated Postsecondary Data Center. Accessed

June 15, 2012.18 Sivak, Ed and Sarah Welker. 2011. Family Economic Security, Racial Disparities and the

Implications for Future Growth in the Mississippi. Mississippi Economic Policy Center.19 Attewell, Paul, David Lavin, Thurston Domina, Tania Levey. 2006. New Evidence in

College Remediation. The Journal of Higher Education. 77(5), 826-924.20 Mississippi Community College Board. Division of Research and Planning. Audited

Data from the Fall of 2011. Provided on November 2, 2012.

21 Remediation: Higher Educations Bridge to Nowhere. 2012. Complete CollegeAmerica. http://www.completecollege.org/docs/CCA-Remediation-final.pdf.

22 Ibid.

SOURCES

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RECOMMENDATION 4. Better track the characteristicsand evaluate outcomes of developmental educationstudents across the community college system.

Ultimately, advancing underprepared students indevelopmental courses will depend on betterunderstanding barriers these students face and whichcourses and supports enhance their success. Several statesincluding North Carolina, Texas and Connecticut provide

annual information to community college staff and thepublic on the characteristics of developmental educationstudents. The data reveals the likelihood students inremedial courses have of completing their developmentalsequence, passing college courses and persisting to adegree. Mississippi should provide and analyze similardata with educators, state leaders and policy makers, sothe state can make investments that increase studentpersistence and degree attainment.

RECOMMENDATION 5. Provide funding to colleges todevelop and implement new models in developmentaleducation.

Redesigning curriculum and delivering proven models indevelopmental education will take time and resourcesfrom college faculty and administrators. Colleges will needto dedicate more of their own resources to developmentaleducation reform, but those resources need to be

buttressed with additional state appropriations fordevelopmental education students and philanthropicfunding to elevate the number of Mississippi communitycollege students that are successful in reaching theireducation goals.


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