Academic Remediation Inefficacy in Postsecondary Persistence
The majority of incoming community college students are assigned to non-credit remedial courses to fix academic deficits, but developmental education programs consume massive financial resources without significantly improving long-term college persistence or graduation rates.
Picture this
Standard developmental remediation is like forcing aspiring drivers to complete months of classroom parking simulations before letting them drive on real roads. Because the simulations take time and money without moving drivers closer to their destination, most drivers become discouraged and quit driving before ever reaching the main highway.
What the evidence says
Approximately 60% of entering community college students are referred to at least one developmental/remedial course, but rigorous evaluations show developmental education programs generally fail to improve degree completion rates.
- Who
- National US community college population datasets (over 60% of entering students referred to remediation).
- How
- Synthesis of developmental education evaluations and national community college expenditure reports ($2+ billion annually).
What to do
Replace standalone non-credit remedial course sequences with corequisite support models or non-academic case management to prevent early momentum loss.
From the source
"About 60 percent of students entering community college are referred to at least one remedial education class... generally with disappointing results."
Increasing Community College Completion Rates among Low-Income Students: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of a Case Management Intervention