"Optional Developmental Education and Its Impact on Passing Subsequent Gateway Courses"

AERA 2018 Annual Meeting: “The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education”
April 13-17, 2018
New York

Title: "Optional Developmental Education and Its Impact on Passing Subsequent Gateway Courses"
Authors: Keith Richard, Toby Park, Chenoa S. Woods (PhD Alumna), Shouping Hu, Tamara Bertrand Jones

Abstract

​Existing research indicates mixed findings on the effect of developmental education (DE) courses on student success, which has prompted various statewide reforms to DE. Unlike any other state, Florida’s new legislation allows large groups of students to bypass DE regardless of their academic preparation or placement test scores. We examined the effect of taking DE on students’ odds of passing gateway math and English courses (entry-level, college-credit bearing courses) for students who enrolled in developmental math or reading/writing when it is optional. Our results indicated null effects of taking remediation, such that there does not appear to be an association between taking optional DE and passing gateway courses.