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Mandating Multiple Measures and Encouraging Student Supports: Evaluating a New Approach to Developmental Education in California’s Community Colleges

AB705 is a landmark higher education policy that has changed approaches to developmental/remedial education in the California Community College system. We study one district that implemented reforms by placing most students in transfer-level math/English courses and encouraging enrollment in support courses based on multiple measures of academic preparation (e.g., GPA). We use regression discontinuity designs to examine the impact of these new placement procedures, finding benefits to English support course recommendations for low GPA students, but no evidence of benefits or penalties for math. We use inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to explore the relationship between support course enrollment and subsequent outcomes. While enrollment in concurrent support courses appeared beneficial, enrollment in developmental courses was associated with poorer outcomes.

Keywords
higher education policy; community colleges; developmental education; regression discontinuity
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/neqq-gd84

EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:

Ngo, Federick, and Tatiana Melguizo. (). Mandating Multiple Measures and Encouraging Student Supports: Evaluating a New Approach to Developmental Education in California’s Community Colleges. (EdWorkingPaper: 22-662). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/neqq-gd84

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