Posts published on February 14, 2011
Columbia Study Questions Accuracy Of Community College Placement Tests
Assessing Developmental Assessment in Community Colleges (CCRC Working Paper No. 19, Assessment of Evidence Series)
By: Katherine L. Hughes & Judith Scott-Clayton — February 2011. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
Placement exams are high-stakes assessments that determine many students’ college trajectories. The majority of community colleges use placement exams—most often the ACCUPLACER, developed by the College Board, or the COMPASS, developed by ACT, Inc.—to sort students into college-level or developmental education courses in math, reading, and sometimes writing. More than half of entering students at community colleges are placed into developmental education in at least one subject as a result. But the evidence on the predictive validity of these tests is not as strong as many might assume, given the stakes involved—and recent research fails to find evidence that the resulting placements into remediation improve student outcomes.
While this has spurred debate about the content and delivery of remedial coursework, it is possible that the assessment process itself may be broken; the debate about remediation policy is incomplete without a fuller understanding of the role of assessment. This paper examines the extent of consensus regarding the role of developmental assessment and how it is best implemented, the validity of the most common assessments currently in use, and emerging directions in assessment policy and practice. Alternative methods of assessment—particularly those involving multiple measures of student preparedness—seem to have the potential to improve student outcomes, but more research is needed to determine what type of change in assessment and placement policy might improve persistence and graduation rates. The paper concludes with a discussion of gaps in the literature and implications for policy and research.
–Download this paper by clicking on the PDF icon below. A summary version, CCRC Brief No. 50, is also available for download.
» An introduction to the Assessment of Evidence Series
Colorado Graduates More Students But They Also Need More College Remediation
More State High Schoolers Graduating, but Many Still Take Remedial Classes in College
Colorado high schools graduated more students on time in 2010 than the year before, according to state data that uses a new formula established by the U.S. Education Department. But a separate state report shows that many graduates still are not prepared for college-level courses, and their remediation cost colleges $19 million in 2009-10, up from $13 million the year before.
Understanding The New Common Core Curriculum For College Readiness
Common Core initiative and The American Council on Education (ACE) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), in partnership with Achieve and with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, has released an issue brief (PDF) describing the the major lines of implementation work in which higher education must be engaged. Over 40 states have adopted the common core which features an aligned curriculum with college standards.
