The Adverse Consequences of our Misaligned System Katherine Hughes Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University “Enhancing the Education Continuum – A Policy Forum” Middlesex County College, NJ, May 11, 2011

Problems through the Pipeline Challenges to high school completion and attainment Challenges to transition from high school to college Challenges to persistence and success in college

Public HS Graduation Rates 2008

9th Graders’ Chance for College by Age 19 (2006)

Percent of 18 to 24 Year Olds Enrolled in College (2007)

Three-Year Associate Degree Graduation Rates (2007)

Three-Year Graduation Rates for Associate Students in 2008 Retrieved from

Well-Known Challenges U.S. youth are not completing HS, entering college, persisting in college, and attaining credentials at rates we need them to One of the main problems is the lack of alignment of HS and college content and standards, which results in high numbers of new college students being placed into developmental education Students placed into developmental education are less likely to earn a college credential

The Dev Ed Problem Over 60 percent of entering community college and one-quarter of entering four-year college students are referred to developmental education There is no strong evidence that developmental education is effective Developmental education is expensive: Up to $2 billion per year at community colleges and $500 million per year at four-year colleges (Strong American Schools, 2008). State expenditures in the tens of millions of dollars

In-Order Completion and Enrollment: GK 3+ levels below 2 levels below 1 level below GK Algebra Referred to Level 3+ 96,653 Completed in-line: 6% TOTAL: 10% Not completed 22% Not completed 10% Not completed 4% Not enrolled 19% (9%) Not enrolled 14% (2%) Not enrolled 6% (1%) Not enrolled 4% Sample: cohorts, tracked for three years Percentages in ( ) indicate skipping that level & enrolling in higher level Percentages in blue indicate total enroll, including skippers Passed 50% Enrolled 73% Enrolled 34% 39% Passed 24% Enrolled 18% 23% Passed 14% Enrolled 10% 14% Not completed 2% 10% total GK completion accounts for skippers who enrolled in a higher level and progressed

Assessment and Placement Confusion about what it means to be “college ready”—no obvious cutoff point, and a single cutoff point exaggerates the distinction between developmental and college-ready Tests may be reasonable predictors of college-level success, but are less effective at identifying who is likely to benefit from dev ed (or alternative interventions) Assessments do not provide adequate diagnostic information Students are confused about the process and are not well advised

How to Avoid Dev Ed? Alignment of HS exit standards with college entrance standards Interventions such as: –dual enrollment –summer bridge programs – diagnostic early assessments with tailored interventions

How to Reform Dev Ed? Approaches to reform: –format/structure (re-packaging or re-organizing) –curriculum/content (what content do students really need to know? Algebra vs. Statistics) –pedagogy (change in teaching strategies) CCRC Assessment of the Evidence Series also addresses: –validity and diagnostic value of placement testing –student supports –broader college context

For more information: Please visit us on the web at where you can download presentations, reports, CCRC Briefs, and sign-up for news announcements. CCRC is funded in part by: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, National Science Foundation (NSF), Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education Community College Research Center Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY Telephone: