Developmental education (DE) has come under increasing scrutiny as researchers have identified that a) many students placed in DE would be successful if placed in college-level coursework; b) lengthy DE course sequences lead to decreased retention and completion rates; and c) racialized disparities in placement mean that Black, Latine, and Indigenous students are more likely to experience DE’s harmful effects.
In 2017, the California legislature passed California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 705, codifying multiple measures placement for all entering students, and setting the goal for all students to enter and complete transfer-level math and English within one year. In 2021, RFA was awarded a highly-competitive, five-year $3.2 million grant from IES to study the implementation, impact, and cost-effectiveness of AB 705. Just a year into the study, the California legislature passed AB 1705, which closed perceived loopholes in AB 705, eliminating developmental education, and streamlining STEM math pathways.
Our study, drawing on administrative data as well as in-depth case studies at 15 colleges sampled to maximize variation in context and implementation, sought to answer questions regarding who was involved in implementation of AB 705 and 1705 reforms, what changed in classrooms and on campuses, and how have students fared. Our implementation study findings provide insight into the lived experience of the faculty, administrators, and counselors on the ground charged with implementation of these reforms, as well as the experience of students on these campuses. Our impact study has sought to identify the impact of placement in transfer-level coursework rather than traditional DE, and our cost study compared the costs associated with traditional DE and transfer-level placement.
This final report at the conclusion of the study summarizes our findings across the three strands of the study, elevating learnings and recommendations for the field.
