This document outlines recommendations from Colorado's Developmental Education Task Force for redesigning developmental education. Key recommendations include using multiple measures for placement, compressing English and reading courses, providing contextualized and customizable curricula, and increasing cognitive and non-cognitive student supports. Specific proposals for math include multiple course sequences based on career interests and co-requisite remediation. Proposals for English/reading emphasize compression models and mainstreaming students into credit-bearing courses sooner. The task force also recommends professional development for faculty, expanded advising, and standardized assessment policies across colleges.

1. Redesigning Developmental
Education in Colorado:
Evolving Recommendations from the
Developmental Education Task Force
Bitsy Cohn
CCCS Developmental Education Coordinator

2. Emerging recommendations
Themes
Multiple placement criteria - assessments, secondary
diagnostics, HS transcripts
Compression of English and Reading
Contextualized curriculum – learning communities, writing across
the curriculum
Curriculum at all levels customizable to student needs – hybrid
formats, modular labs
Cognitive and non- cognitive supports
Faculty Professional Development

3. MATH
◦ Multiple developmental sequences/paths/branches available
to students based on their career/major interest.
◦ Non-credit “soft landing” options for colleges to deliver
depending on student and staffing needs – could include
referral to ABE programs, boot camp, AAA Accuplacer
preparation, MFL, Aleks, MOOC’s, tutoring
◦ Each course in each developmental sequence should be
redesigned to only cover content necessary for the college
level course success.
◦ Co-requisite AAA requirement
◦ Multiple models for delivery

4. English and reading
• Develop a compression/co-requisite model that allows
students to enter 100 level classes no later than the second
semester
• Mainstreaming - co-enrollment in 100 level course ex.
ENG090 with ENG 121
• Compression - two sections of developmental coursework in
one semester
• Integration and compression ex. ENG/REA 060
• Secondary writing assessment – WritePlacer or writing
sample scored with a standardized rubric

5. Faculty support and development
◦ Redefined full-time course load
◦ Fund a system of faculty and staff support to carry
out developmental education redesign.
◦ Expand advising to all students who test into
developmental math
◦ Offer limited full time positions during the
implementation phase of this work to stabilize our
workforce to allow for program adoption to scale.

6. Assessment
◦ An institutional administrator (IA) for Accuplacer is
needed at the system level for all colleges instead
of decentralized at each college.
◦ The CO Accuplacer scores should be validated every
3-5 years consistent with test recommendations
from the College Board.
◦ Following a revision of all developmental education
curriculum, develop a Colorado Accuplacer.

7. Assessment
 Following a revision of all developmental
education curriculum, develop a Colorado
Accuplacer.
 Have Testing Center Directors/designated
experts meet to determine processes and
procedures that can be standardized
across colleges. To include but not limited
to: Retakes, Common non-cognitive
questions, and test cost.

8. Assessment
 Accuplacer scores need to be re-standardized to a norm
this should be done by a system IA. Knowing that
faculty/chairs can still allow students to override into
courses.
 Calculators should be allowed on the Accuplacer to align
our pedagogical framework with the K-12 and four-year
system methodology.
 Once the curriculum is developed for each area or
concurrently we need to work with College Board to change
the strands for our Accuplacer. This needs to be flexible
and allow for changes over a period of time so we can see
where students are successful and make amendments to
the test as appropriate.

9. Timeline
 Currently conducting regional meetings
 Recommendations due to the State Board
of Community Colleges and Occupational
Education (SBCCOE) in February
 Begin implementation planning

10. Creative Commons Attribution
This work by Colorado Community College System COETC Grant is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Unported 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).Based on a work
at www.cccs.edu.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.cccs.edu.