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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Multiple Measures Placement policies and the Developmental Education Redesign in community colleges in North Carolina by examining success rates, persistence rates, and demographic characteristics. This study employed a causal-comparative, nonexperimental research design. Comparison groups came from two cohorts of developmental students, fall to fall: 2011-2012 (Cohort 1, before the redesign), and fall to fall: 2016-2017 (Cohort 2, after redesign). Overall, the results indicated that success rates and persistence rates have not improved in math, and only success rates have improved for Multiple Measures students in English courses. Furthermore, demographic characteristics did impact the success of some students.
Nationwide, about 42% of first-year undergraduates at two-year public institutions enroll in at least one remedial course throughout their time in college (Clotfelter, Ladd, Muschkin, & Vigdor, 2015). These courses focus on getting students "college ready" in reading, writing, and math and traditionally have been thought to increase student success through higher rates of curriculum-level course completion and ultimately, graduation. Current research, however, indicates that students who enroll in developmental coursework have higher drop-out rates and are actually less likely to persist to graduation than students who do not enroll (Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2015; Belfield & Crosta, 2012; Clotfelter, Ladd, Muschkin, & Vigdor, 2015; Parsad & Lewis, 2003).
In North Carolina, a drastic increase in overall student enrollment led to many two-year institutions providing a majority of the developmental courses; and as a result new challenges began to emerge. During the 2010-2011 academic year, 69% of recent high school graduates placed into at least one developmental course upon entering community college (Liston, 2012). Results ofnumerous statewide studies, however, indicated that developmental coursework led students to withdraw before being able to successfully complete a degree program (Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2015; Belfield & Crosta, 2012; Clotfelter, Ladd, Muschkin, & Vigdor, 2015; Parsad & Lewis, 2003). Additionally, only 8% of students who were placed at the lowest levels of a traditional developmental math course successfully completed a gateway math course, whereas the cost ofprovidingtheseservicesconsumed approximately 10% of the statewide community college budget (Liston, 2012). These gateway courses are essential because they typically serve as entry-level, creditbearing curriculum courses and are often taken within the first year of enrollment.
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