A new study underscores the positive effects of placing students directly into college-level courses, rather than depending on conventional placement procedures, to enhance their academic journey.
Scrutiny of Developmental Education
Developmental education, designed to prepare students for advanced coursework, has come under scrutiny.
Critics argue that these remedial classes may actually impede timely degree completion and hinder academic progress.
Rather than acting as a helpful stepping stone, such courses can dissuade students from pursuing higher-level classes or may even lead to increased dropout rates.
In a December report released by the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR), researchers found that students placed directly in college-level math and English courses were more likely to earn credits and complete their degrees successfully.
Research Methodology
The report suggests that colleges and universities should consider increasing the number of students who are directly enrolled in these advanced classes.
This could be accomplished by lowering the criteria for direct placement or by implementing alternative methods that yield similar outcomes.
The findings from CAPR indicate that around 75% of colleges employ multiple measures assessment (MMA) systems to determine placements in remedial courses.
These systems evaluate students based on various factors, including standardized test results and high school GPAs.
The research analyzed data from 12 community colleges across Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin, involving nearly 30,000 students, to compare the effectiveness of MMA systems against traditional test-based placement methods in predicting students’ long-term academic success.
Incoming students who took placement tests were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those placed using the traditional test-only system and those assessed through MMA.
The researchers monitored the academic outcomes for both groups to gauge their long-term performance.
Key Insights
The analysis revealed that the placement results for most students were similar across both assessment methods.
Specifically, 81% of students in the math study and 68% in the English study ended up being assigned to comparable course levels—either entirely college-level or purely developmental.
In the New York sample, around 44% of students were advanced to college-level English courses and 16% to college-level math courses through the MMA placement, even though the test-only approach would have recommended them for developmental courses.
On the other hand, about 7% of students were downgraded to developmental English courses based on the MMA placement findings.
From the Wisconsin data, 15% of students assessed through MMA were elevated in their English placements, while 14% saw similar advancements in math.
Those placed in higher-level courses using MMA were markedly more successful in completing college-level math or English compared to peers in the traditional test-only group who had similar academic backgrounds.
Across the various samples studied, this group showed an 8% higher likelihood of passing college-level courses and averaged an additional 2.0 credits earned.
They also had a 1.5% greater chance of graduating or transferring to a four-year institution within nine semesters.
Conversely, students placed in developmental education through the MMA system—but not under the test-only method—experienced lower success rates.
The findings suggest that a greater percentage of students assigned to college-level courses tends to lead to better academic outcomes, indicating that it may be time to rethink existing placement methods.
Implementing an MMA system is relatively inexpensive—costing about $60 per student—but it can translate into significant savings for students, as they would likely take fewer developmental courses and earn more credits overall.
In conclusion, the report emphasizes that using an MMA system to increase direct placements into college-level courses is a cost-effective strategy that can significantly boost student success in education.
Source: Insidehighered