The document recommends reforms to developmental education in Colorado community colleges. It proposes shortening remedial math and English sequences to move students more quickly into college-level courses. Recommendations include reducing the number of levels, integrating reading and English, using multiple placement measures, and accelerating course completion through compressed curricula and alternative delivery methods. Implementation would require cross-college collaboration, new professional development for faculty, and administrative changes to testing and student support services. Projected outcomes include increased enrollment, completion rates and cost-effectiveness of the redesigned developmental program.

1. Developmental Education
Taskforce Recommendations

2. Overview
 History of developmental education in CO
 Our recommendations
 Math
 College Reading and Composition (English & Reading)
 Administrative
 Proposed timeline

3. The problem
―The more levels of developmental courses a
student needs to go through, the less likely
that student is to ever complete college
English or math.‖
- Thomas Bailey (2009) CCRC Brief.

4. Colorado percent of enrollment in developmental
education
27%
73%
Enrollment
Students enrolled in at
least one DE course
All other students

5. CCCS students
61.6
25.3
13.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
MAT ENG REA
Percent of total remedial enrollment
Percent of total remedial
placement

6. Traditional Colorado course pipeline
MAT 030
MAT 060
MAT 090
MAT 099
ENG 030
ENG 060
ENG 090
REA 030
REA 060
REA 090

7. Current course completion
Course 2010-2012: 3 year average
ENG 030 61.6%
ENG 060 63.2%
ENG 090 63.5%
REA 030 64.0%
REA 060 68.1%
REA 090 63.8%
MAT 030 60.8%
MAT 060 66.3%
MAT 090 60.1%
MAT 099 57.9%
Total Average 62.9%

8. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 For students who place two levels below a college
course there are 5 ―exit points‖
 Do they pass the first course
 Do they enroll in the next course?
 Do they pass the second course?
 Do they enroll in the college-level course?
 Do they pass the college-level course?
 Students placing three levels down have 7 exit
points.

9. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 CCCS pipeline example for students beginning in
MAT090
 Enroll in remedial math (6933) 100%
 Do they complete MAT 090 (3053) 44%
 Do they enroll in college math (1746 ) 25%
 Do they complete college math (1239) 18%
 Do they graduate (558) 8%
Nawrocki, Baker, & Corash (2009). Success of remedial math students in the
Colorado community college system: A longitudinal study.

10. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 CCCS pipeline example for students who completed
ENG 030 - fall 2010
 Completed 030(538) 100%
 Do they enroll and complete 060 (189) 35%
 Do they enroll in and complete 090 (32) 6%

11. Student Voice
Duane Hansen, FRCC student

12. The goal of our recommendations
Move students quickly and effectively through their
first college level course.

13. National models considered
 Washington State - iBest
 Tennessee – modules and math emporium
 Los Medinos - shortening the developmental
pipeline and acceleration in math*
 CCBC - Accelerated Learning (ALP)*
 Chabot College – Acceleration and engaging faculty
to dive into pedagogy and practice*
 University of Texas - new mathways project*
 APSU– mainstreaming
* Indicates projects that heavily influenced CO recommendations

14. Our recommendations
 Reduce the amount of time, number of credits, and
number of classes
 Curriculum redesign
 Reverse design
 What students need to know for success in college class
 Active learning experiences
 Ongoing process

15. Math

17. Multiple pathways
 Each course in each developmental sequence should
be redesigned to only cover content necessary for the
college level course.
 Multiple developmental sequences/paths/branches
available to students based on their career/major
interest. Leading to college math clusters in:
 Non-transfer
 Non-STEM
 STEM

18. Student advising as part of placement
 Work with advisors to help students make informed
choices that realistically reflect their academic
preparation, abilities, and interests

19. Assessment preparation
 Non-credit leading to re-test
 Options for colleges:
 Referral to ABE programs
 AAA Accuplacer preparation
 Boot camp
 NROC
 MFL, Aleks, Enhanced web assign
 MOOC’s
 Tutoring

20. College Reading and Composition
(English & Reading)

21. College Reading and Composition
 Offer an accelerated model that provides students
with the opportunity to enter a 100 level class no
later than their second term in enrollment
 Integrate Reading and English
 Current sequence should be compressed and
accelerated
 There are a variety of possible delivery strategies to
achieve this goal

22. Multiple placements
REA030 REA060 REA090 None
ENG030 3% 2% 1% 0%
ENG060 2% 6% 6% 3%
ENG090 0% 5% 14% 20%
ENG121 0% 0% 4% 34%

23. CRC recommendations
Placement Score(s) First Term Leads to
1A)
RC 0-39 and/or SS 0-49
Soft Landing Accuplacer test
1B)
RC 0-39 and/or SS 0-49
CRC 092 + CRC 091 Completion of all REA
and ENG developmental
requirements
RC40-61 and/or SS 50-69 CRC 092 Completion of all REA
and ENG developmental
requirements
2A)
RC62-79 and/or SS 70-94
CRC 093
Studio D
Completion of all REA
and ENG developmental
requirements
2B)
RC62-79 and/or SS 70-94
CRC 094
Studio 121
Completion of all REA
and ENG developmental
requirements

24. Administrative

25. Testing and placement
 Colorado specific Accuplacer with ―strands‖
 Uniform multiple measures built into Accuplacer
system
 Consistent test administration statewide
 Validate Accuplacer scores every 3-5 years – are we
using the right cut scores
 To accomplish these goals use a system level
institutional administrator (IA) in addition to college
site administrators for local control

26. Student support
 Use CCCSE practices
 Orientation
 Goal setting and planning
 No late registrations
 First year experience
 Student success course
 Tutoring
 Supplemental instruction
 Case management/academic advising/career coaches
 College develop a plan to use for
planning, initiating, and sustaining success for
developmental students

27. Faculty support and development
 Colleges create a professional development plan
 Offer limited full time positions to current adjunct instructors
during implementation
 Provide release time for implementation
 Course release and reassigned time to develop and implement
student success strategies
 Functional work groups on campus—i.e. BANNER, Advising,
Testing—address the issues of the implementation process
 Provide, with CCCS, continuing professional development
focusing on research-based strategies
 Train transfer level and developmental faculty

28. Measures of success
 Successful developmental students and programs
should be measured in the following ways:
 In Math – Successful completion of any college level (100+)
math course
 In English and Reading – Successful completion of any college
level (100+) English course or any college level discipline
strands course.

29. Financial comparison of old and new

30. CRC Enrollment comparisons
Old (3 yr
average)
Proposed
Year 1
Proposed
Year 2
Headcount
21,915
21,950 24,500
Sections
1,436
1,219 1,760
Credits
78,119
88,914 98,317

31. Math enrollment comparisons
Old Math Proposed
Year 1
Proposed
Year 2
Headcount
28,050 28,050 35,973
Sections
1,535 1,558 1,998
Credits
97,238
74,098 97,866

32. Revenue and expenses
 Expenses tied to sections = $1950 per section
 Revenue tied to credit hours for FY13 = $174.75 per
credit
 Only instructional expenses in both models

33. Math
Old
model
New
model
Expenses
(sections)
1,535
$2,993,250
1,998
$3,896,100
Revenue
(credits)
97,238
$16,992,340
97,866
$17,101,908
Net $13,999,090 $13,205,808

34. CRC
Old model New model
Expenses
(sections)
1,436
$2,800,200
1,760
$3,432,000
Revenue
(credits)
78,119
$13,651,295
98,317
$17,180,895
Net $10,581,095 $13,748,895

35. What happens next?

36. Implementation teams
 Core implementation team
 Faculty
 Focused on curriculum, content, training, and professional
development
 Redesign advisory group
 Administrative (Banner, Business officer, Advising, financial
aid…)

37. Timeline
 Spring/summer 13 discipline team work to develop
curriculum and to create professional development
training for faculty and staff
 Fall of 13 schools that are already working on
redesign will ramp up projects
 Spring 14 all colleges should transition to the new
models
 Fall of 14 all colleges should be operating with the
new models in place

38. Questions?

39. Creative Commons Attribution
Unless otherwise specified, this work by the Colorado Community College System http://www.cccs.edu is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. The material was created with funds from the Trade
Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant awarded to the Colorado Online Energy Training
Consortium (COETC).