Transcript Document
Designing a State-Level Response to
the Developmental Education Challenge
Presentation for Southern Regional Education Board
June 27, 2011
Abby Parcell, MDC
Accelerating Achievement
First Things First: Definitions
Developmental education: comprehensive instruction that prepares students for
success in academic coursework
Assessment: standardized tests and other diagnostic activities to determine level of
academic preparedness
Placement: the process by which students are assigned to particular courses, based
on the assessment process
Modular instruction: developmental course content that is organized according to
specific skill competencies
Self-paced instruction: a delivery mechanism that allows individual students enrolled
in the same developmental course to progress through course content at their own
rate
Accelerated learning: the compression of developmental course work; pairing
multiple developmental courses or completing developmental and curriculum courses
at the same time
Accelerating Achievement
Developmental Education Initiative
Overview
DEI builds on the most promising institutional and state
policy work of Achieving the Dream
Fifteen ATD community colleges and six states
participating in a three-year initiative
Colleges taking promising developmental education
practices to scale
MDC serves as managing partner and funding intermediary
with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and
Lumina Foundation
Accelerating Achievement
Promising Approaches
Acceleration:
Placement-test preparation
Compressed courses
Paired remedial and college-level courses
Contextualization
ABE-to-college models
I-BEST designs
Student Supports
Supplemental instruction
Intensive advising
Accelerating Achievement
Policy Supports
Preventative strategies: reducing the need for
developmental education
Assessment and placement: creating systems that are
consistent, flexible, and relevant to a student’s chosen
credential program
Performance Funding: designing funding formulas that
support completion, not just enrollment
Accelerating Achievement
Preventative Strategies
El Paso Community College
El Paso Texas
PREP program: Pre-testing Retesting Educational Preparation
Have served over 3000 students; on track to add 500 + students each
semester
Paired with case management that tracks dev ed students through
the attainment of their first 30 college credits
2009-2010 Results: PREP students who advanced at least one level:
65% math, 65% reading, 47% writing
Accelerating Achievement
Preventative Strategies
North Central State College
Mansfield, Ohio
Solutions, an adult transition program: self-paced, computer-based
course, paired with individual tutoring
Includes a student success workshop that is credit-bearing
Solutions students’ performance on developmental course/sequence
completion, English gateway course completion and persistence
exceeds averages of a group of comparable FTIC students.
The college calculated almost $20,000 in savings to students from
acceleration through at least one level of developmental course work.
Accelerating Achievement
Assessment/Placement Strategies
Florida Department of Education
Division of Florida Colleges
The Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) was
released in October 2010.
Twenty-four of Florida’s 28 colleges have implemented the P.E.R.T.
Two diagnostic assessments for each discipline are in development
Colleges will begin offering new courses with corresponding
competencies and implementing the diagnostic assessments in the
fall 2011 or spring 2012 terms.
Accelerating Achievement
Assessment/Placement Strategies
Virginia Community College System
System-wide redesign of developmental math completed
Taskforce comprised of high school, community college, and
university faculty, along with administration
New placement system that includes customized placement
instruments for the new developmental education structures
Curriculum design for English courses is underway
Accelerating Achievement
Performance Funding Strategies
Texas
In 2009, the state legislature appropriated $5 million to the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board for Developmental Education
Demonstration Projects
Five grants of $750K per year for two years; 10 grants of $100K
Colleges required to meet best practice requirements in assessment
& placement, student support, innovative curriculum, and data quality
Accelerating Achievement
Performance Funding Strategies
Ohio
Ohio Legislature approved performance funding for community
colleges in their 2010-11 budget
Ohio Board of Regents and state community colleges charged with
developing the new formula
Recommendation from OH Association of Community Colleges:
allocate 5% of FY 2011 state funding based on “success points”;
proportion allocated according to these factors would increase to 20%
by 2015
Accelerating Achievement
Contact Information
Abby Parcell
[email protected]
DEI Website
http://www.deionline.org
May 2011 Jobs for the Future brief:
Driving Innovation: How Six States Are
Organizing to Improve Outcomes in
Developmental Education
http://www.jff.org
Accelerating Achievement