California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 705, passed in 2017 and taking effect in fall 2019, fundamentally changed the postsecondary pathways available to students entering community college in the state. The law required colleges to revise their placement processes to maximize the likelihood that students would enter and complete transfer-level math and English within their first year of enrollment. While the law did not explicitly require colleges to reduce their below-transfer-level offerings, shifting all students into transfer-level coursework was intended to eliminate the need for remedial coursework through the provision of cocurricular supports, including corequisite courses.
The complementary legislation, AB 1705, was passed in 2022 to close perceived loopholes in AB 705 and further codify the elimination of developmental education throughout the state. California has the largest and most diverse community college system in the country, with 116 colleges serving over two million students. Research for Action, in partnership with researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, is conducting a five-year study to understand the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of these reforms. This report presents findings from the fourth year of the study, focusing on:
- Student Outcomes: Employing several rigorous quasi-experimental designs, we evaluate the changes in enrollment and completion of transfer-level coursework since implementation of the reforms.
- Case studies with 15 community colleges: Data from interviews with faculty and administrators, as well as focus groups with students, was analyzed to understand how institutions are continuing to iterate on their implementation of AB 705 and AB 1705.
- Faculty Perspectives: Data from a survey of math and English faculty members across our study sample provides insights into their perspectives on the reforms and how the reforms are informing changes to their pedagogy and mindsets.
- Cost-effectiveness Analysis: Using the Ingredient Method, we identify costs borne by institutions and students to understand the effectiveness of placement into transfer-level courses with and without additional supports. We then compare costs and outcomes associated with various common cocurricular supports relative to standalone transfer-level courses.
Key findings from this year’s report include:
- Enrollment in transfer-level math and English is strongly associated with various positive short- and long-term outcomes. Students enrolled in transfer-level coursework were significantly more likely to pass those courses, earn additional transfer-level credits, earn credentials, and transfer to a four-year university.
- AB 705 had the most positive and consistent effects on students with middle and low levels of prior academic achievement. These students are more likely to have been placed into developmental education in the pre-policy period, so experienced the most direct effects of the reforms and have shown the greatest benefit.
- AB 705 helped to narrow racial/ethnic gaps in transfer-level course enrollment and completion. Black and Latinx students experienced significantly greater gains in course enrollment and completion relative to White students, especially in math.
- Colleges are still iterating on corequisite structures: Many colleges in our sample are still struggling to target these supports effectively, as most do not require any students to enroll in corequisite-paired courses.
- The reforms have encouraged faculty to re-examine instructional approaches and adopt equity-minded practices: Colleges are utilizing funds provided by the Chancellor’s Office to offer professional development, often focused on improving faculty familiarity and comfort with implementing these practices.
- Transfer-level placement is substantially less costly than prerequisite developmental education: The cost per student is approximately $180 for math and $166 for English for direct placement into transfer-level, compared to $1512 for math and $1446 for English in traditional developmental education.
