Overview
Most states collect and report data on student participation in remedial/developmental education, whether on a regular, periodic or one-time basis. Unfortunately, few states are publishing comprehensive information that can help evaluate and revise policy decisions and strategies, delivery approaches and funding priorities.
A Getting Past Go analysis of more than 50 state and postsecondary system reports found that data fell into three main categories:
- Participation of students in developmental education
- Success of developmental education students
- Cost of developmental education.
The majority of reports concentrated on participation data, but it also is necessary to know whether students succeed in developmental courses and throughout their college career to evaluate the effectiveness of remedial education. Factoring in cost — or at least expenditures — helps gauge the efficiency of delivering remedial education. Only six states published reports that covered all three areas, according to the GPG analysis.
States and postsecondary systems, however, need to ensure that their data collection and reporting efforts serve a purpose: to understand what is going on, what is working and what needs to happen so that more remedial /developmental education students proceed to college-level courses and reach their postsecondary ambitions. And ideally, these goals would be attained with a consideration for the efficiency of providing remedial services.
Moreover, nearly half the states have joined the Complete College America (CCA) initiative, which along with the National Governors Association has developed a set of Common College Completion Metrics. As such, these states will be collecting data for the outcome and progress metrics, and other states are likely to be influenced by this national project.
Bottom Line: States and postsecondary education systems that collect and report comprehensive and relevant data are better positioned to improve and eventually reduce the need for remedial services, and as a result, to increase college completion rates.
Policy Questions
1. Should your state track data on the cost of remedial education?
2. Should you track data on the success of remedial education students?
3. Should you track data on all students in remedial education?
4. Should you generate a state report on participation and success of remedial education?
State and System Developmental Education Reports by Major Datapoint
GPG Policy Database
Model Policies and Examples
Remedial education reports from six states – Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio – are notable because they provide data on participation, cost and student success. A few examples of these reports include:
Colorado
2010 Legislative Report on Remedial Education
(Colorado Department of Higher Education, 2011)
Colorado’s annual report includes remedial student participation information by subject, gender and ethnicity. Significantly, the report provides data on remedial course completion, retention, transfer and graduation rates for underprepared students. Finally, the report includes the state general fund cost of remedial instruction and for individual institutions.
Hawaii
Hawai’i Community College Annual Program Review Report: Remedial/Developmental Reading Program Review
(University of Hawai’i 2009)
Hawaii publishes a set of three remedial education subject reports (reading, math and writing) that disaggregates students based on whether they were one, two or three levels below college-level courses. The reports examines whether these student groups passed remedial courses and persisted to the following year. Further, the reports include an “efficiency indicator” that lists program allocation in dollars and the cost per student by semester hours.
Ohio
Preparation for College Level Coursework at Ohio’s Public Colleges and Universities
(Ohio Board of Regents, 2009)
An Ohio report provides data on the percent of students enrolled in remedial courses, as well as by age and subject. The report also indicates the percent of remedial students passing courses, returning for a second year and transferring to another institution. Finally, the report lists the dollar amount and percent of state support for remedial instruction as a share of total state support for higher education.
Resources
State Reporting on Developmental Education: Analysis of Findings
(Mary Fulton, Education Commission of the States, April 2010)
State Reports on the Cost of Remedial Education
(Mary Fulton, Education Commission of the States, July 2010)
