Project Activities
This study will use secondary analysis of student transcript data to evaluate the effects of assignment to a higher or lower level of basic skills math courses on college progress and success. It focuses on the impact of math remediation across semesters and successfully passing the course. Researchers will evaluate the indirect impact of basic skills math courses on degree attainment and transfer to four-year colleges.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study is conducted in the nine community colleges that comprise the Los Angeles Community College District.
Sample
The study participants will be 158,000 students who were placed in basic-skills mathematics courses at these nine community colleges between 2001 and 2006.
Intervention
Students with scores near the cut-point (both above and below) for placement into basic skills math courses will comprise the treatment and comparison groups. The course-taking patterns, grade point average, transfer and graduation outcomes will be compared to estimate the efficacy of basic skills mathematics courses in improving student outcomes.
Research design and methods
A regression discontinuity design will be used to estimate the effect of taking basic skills math courses on key outcomes. Analyses examine this effect for students assigned to different levels of remediation. In addition, survey data are available for 15 percent of the students (who are randomly selected) to provide additional academic and background information for the subgroup analyses.
Control condition
The comparison groups will be students who were just above the cut-points for remediation decisions.
Key measures
The efficacy of remedial math programs will be assessed in regard to success in the following math course (either next basic skills or college-level math), enrollment and passage of a college level course, community college grade point average, total college credits earned (including those earned at transfer institutions), degree attainment, and transfer to a four-year college.
Data analytic strategy
This study will combine descriptive analyses with a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of developmental education. In the regression discontinuity design, students near the cut-point (on either side) will comprise the treatment and comparison groups. Regression lines will be produced for each group, and compared to determine whether placement into basic skills math courses results in a shift in expected performance. In addition, demographic and background variables will be used to estimate impact for subgroups of interest. An instrumental variable will be used to adjust for actual participation in the basic math courses. Analyses comparing colleges may identify campuses at which participation in basic skills math courses are particularly effective in improving student outcomes.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project will include published reports with evidence of the effect of basic skills math courses for community college students on their subsequent progress in traditional college courses.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Fong, K. E., and Melguizo, T. (2017). Utilizing Additional Measures of High School Academic Preparation to Support Students in their Math Self-Assessment. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 41(9), 566-592.
Fong, K. E., Melguizo, T., and Prather, G. (2015). Increasing Success Rates in Developmental Math: The Complementary Role of Individual and Institutional Characteristics. Research in Higher Education, 56(7), 719-749.
Melguizo, T., Bos, J., and Prather, G. (2011). Is Developmental Education Helping Community College Students Persist? A Critical Review of the Literature. American Behavioral Scientist, 55(2), 173-184.
Melguizo, T., Bos, J. M., Ngo, F., Mills, N., and Prather, G. (2016). Using a Regression Discontinuity Design to Estimate the Impact of Placement Decisions in Developmental Math. Research in Higher Education, 57(2), 123-151.
Melguizo, T., Kosiewicz, H., Prather, G., and Bos, J. (2014). How are Community College Students Assessed and Placed in Developmental Math? Grounding our Understanding in Reality. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(5), 691-722.
Ngo, F., and Melguizo, T. (2016). How can Placement Policy Improve Math Remediation Outcomes? Evidence From Experimentation In Community Colleges. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 38(1), 171-196.
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Johannes Bos
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
