The task force was formed to recommend ways to reduce the time students spend in developmental education courses. Currently, 27% of CCCS students enroll in at least one developmental education course. The recommendations include compressing course sequences, allowing students to bypass levels, and mainstreaming students into college-level courses more quickly. For math, pathways are recommended based on career goals, and multiple measures will be used for placement. For English and reading, an accelerated integrated model is proposed to allow students to complete prerequisites in one semester or less. Implementation will begin in spring 2014. The goal is to reduce time, credits, and courses needed to help more students complete college-level coursework.

1. Update: CCCS Developmental
Education Taskforce
Recommendations to Date

2. Overview
 Why the SBCCOE formed the DETF.
 What is the current status of the task force work?
 What is the timeline for implementation?

3. The problem
“The more levels of developmental courses a
student needs to go through, the less likely
that student is to ever complete college
English or math.”
- Thomas Bailey (2009) CCRC Brief.

4. Colorado percent of enrollment in developmental
education
27%
73%
Enrollment
Students enrolled in at
least one DE course
All other students

5. CCCS students
61.6
25.3
13.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
MAT ENG REA
Percent of total remedial enrollment
Percent of total remedial
placement

6. Traditional Colorado course pipeline
MAT 030
MAT 060
MAT 090
MAT 099
ENG 030
ENG 060
ENG 090
REA 030
REA 060
REA 090

7. Current course completion
Course 2010-2012: 3 year average
ENG 030 61.6%
ENG 060 63.2%
ENG 090 63.5%
REA 030 64.0%
REA 060 68.1%
REA 090 63.8%
MAT 030 60.8%
MAT 060 66.3%
MAT 090 60.1%
MAT 099 57.9%
Total Average 62.9%

8. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 For students who place two levels below a college
course there are 5 “exit points”
 Do they pass the first course
 Do they enroll in the next course?
 Do they pass the second course?
 Do they enroll in the college-level course?
 Do they pass the college-level course?
 Students placing three levels down have 7 exit
points.

9. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 CCCS pipeline example for students beginning in
MAT090
 Enroll in remedial math (6933) 100%
 Do they complete MAT 090 (3053) 44%
 Do they enroll in college math (1746 ) 25%
 Do they complete college math (1239) 18%
 Do they graduate (558) 8%
Nawrocki, Baker, & Corash (2009). Success of remedial math students in the
Colorado community college system: A longitudinal study.

10. Why high attrition rates are a structural problem
 CCCS pipeline example for students who completed
ENG 030 - fall 2010
 Completed 030(538) 100%
 Do they enroll and complete 060 (189) 35%
 Do they enroll in and complete 090 (32) 6%

11. The goal
Move students quickly and effectively through their
first college level course.

12. Some of the possibilities
 Compression models that combine existing levels
 Mechanisms for bypassing remedial levels
 Mainstreaming students into college-level courses
 Integrated reading and writing courses that
replace multiple levels of reading and writing
 Pre-statistics courses that replace the traditional
algebra sequence
 Contextualized instruction in career-technical
programs

13. Some of the national models and ideas
considered
 Washington State - iBest
 Tennessee – modules and math emporium
 Los Medinos - shortening the developmental
pipeline and acceleration in math
 CCBC - Accelerated Learning (ALP)
 Chabot College - engaging faculty to dive into
pedagogy and practice
 University of Texas - new mathways project
 APSU– mainstreaming

14. Local innovations and successes
 Aurora
 Integrated curriculum
 A move from stand alone DE reading or English – at the
highest DE levels (old 090) all are paired with college courses
 Denver
 Fast Start - compression and paired learning communities
with DE English and reading and math
 Additional student support structures
 Front Range
 Learning communities & ALP

15. Themes
 Key metric is success in college courses
 Time is the greatest barrier to student success in a
college course
 Use evidence based practice
 Continuous improvement is essential to long-term
success
 Developmental curriculum should be transformative
and have college preparatory skills imbedded in it

16. What do the recommendations look
like right now?

17. Goal statement
Reduce the amount of time, number of credits, and
number of classes
 Curriculum redesign
 Reverse design
 What do students really need to know for success in college
and careers
 One semester for MOST students. Two semesters or less for
any student in developmental education
 There should be an active learning experience included with
each lesson
 This is an ongoing process

18. Math

19. Currently in the recommendations
Soft Landing
EA < 45
MAT107
EA ≥ 45
Non-Transfer Path
(060ish & nec 090)
EA ≥ 45
MAT108
EA ≥ 60
MAT112
EA ≥ 45
MAT109
EA ≥ 60
MAT103
EA ≥ 60
Non-STEM Path
(060ish & nec 090/099)
EA < 85
MAT120
EA ≥ 85
MAT155
EA ≥ 85
MAT135
EA ≥ 85
STEM Path
(090 & heavy 099)
EA < 85
MAT121
EA ≥ 85
MAT123
EA ≥ 85

20. Multiple pathways
 Each course in each developmental sequence should
be redesigned to only cover content necessary for the
college level course.
 Multiple developmental sequences/paths/branches
available to students based on their career/major
interest.
 Non-transfer
 Non-STEM
 STEM

21. Student advising as part of placement
 Work with advisors to help students make informed
choices that realistically reflect their academic
preparation, abilities, and interests

22. Soft landing
 Non-credit prerequisite options leading to re-test:
 AAA Accuplacer preparation
 Referral to ABE programs
 Boot camp
 NROC
 MFL, Aprion, Aleks, Enhanced web assign
 MOOC’s
 Tutoring
 For credit – Co-requisite support with chosen
pathway course

23. Co-requisite soft landing
 Instead of non-credit, students with lowest
placements could enroll in a AAA math course
designed to provide them with tutoring, college
readiness, career counseling, and support structures
to promote success.
 Instructed by the same person who is teaching their math
course
 Learning community format
 Co-enrolled with the same cohort of students

24. English and Reading

25. Overall ENG/REA
 Colleges will offer an accelerated model that provides
students with the opportunity to enter a 100 level
class no later than their second term in enrollment
 The sequence should be compressed and accelerated
 Reading and English should be integrated
 There are a variety of possible delivery strategies to
achieve this goal

26. Multiple placements
REA030 REA060 REA090 None
ENG030 3% 2% 1% 0%
ENG060 2% 6% 6% 3%
ENG090 0% 5% 14% 20%
ENG121 0% 0% 4% 34%

27. Currently in the recommendations
College Course
College
Reading and
Composition
(CRC)
Soft landing
(non credit)
College Course
CRC +
Recitation
College Course
+ Mainstream

28. Placement Entry Level Course Entry Level Course
Description
Next step
RC 0-39 and/or SS 0-
49
Soft landing
Non-credit, institutional choice on
design
Accuplacer re-test
RC 0-39 and/or SS0-
49 or any level
Recitation
Reading and writing across the
disciplines curriculum to include at
least one of the discipline groups:
Communication, Arts and Letters,
Science, Social Science
RC 0-39 and/or SS 0-
49
CRC +
Recitation
Integrated REA/ENG with co-
requisite reading and writing
across the disciplines support
Any transfer level course or ENG
121 as needed. Meets
requirements for all pre-college
REA/ENG
RC 40-61 and/or SS
50-69
College
Reading and
Composition
(CRC)
Integrated REA/ENG reading and
writing across the disciplines
Any transfer level course or ENG
121 as needed. Meets
requirements for all pre-college
REA/ENG
Either RC 62-79 or SS
70-94 or both
Mainstream
Integrated REA/ENG with co-
requisite gateway level course.
Could be ENG 121 or any Arts and
Letters, Science, or Social Science
100 level course.
Any transfer level course or ENG
121 as needed. Meets
requirements for all pre-college
REA/ENG

29. Soft landing
 Non-credit. Goal would be to raise entry level
assessment scores.
 AAA Accuplacer preparation
 Referral to ABE programs
 Boot camp
 MFL
 Tutoring
 Recitation. Credit based co-requisite reading and
writing in the disciplines

30. Comp
 Comp. Integrated REA/ENG (old 060/060 and
090/090). This would prepare students in all ENG
and REA prerequisites in one semester.
 Comp w/ Co-requisite Recitation. This option is
designed to support schools that want to offer a
credit option to students who assess at the lowest RC
and SS levels to allow them to meet
scholarship, athletics, and housing eligibility.

31. Mainstreaming
 Integrated REA/ENG (old 090/090), Co-requisite
with ENG 121 or Arts and Letters, Science, or Social
Science 100 discipline strands.
 Discipline strands – discipline specific content in
new courses to allow colleges to reverse design to any
of four groups of courses i.e. Communication, Arts
and Letters, Social Sciences, and Science depending
on student’s completion goals.

32. Other items of interest

33. Student support
 Case management/academic advising/career
coaches for developmental students. Minimum
400:1.
 Co-registration with AAA. Could be extended
orientation, intensive advising, Core Skills
Mastry, more traditional classroom experience… Aim
to address academic success strategies, college
readiness, career counseling.

34. Faculty development
 State funded system of faculty and staff support to carry
out developmental education redesign.
 Colleges shall incorporate a number of strategies to
facilitate successful implementation:
 Offer limited full time positions to current adjunct instructors during
the implementation phase of this work to stabilize our workforce to
allow for program adoption to scale on an accelerated pace.
 Provide release time to current full time faculty and pay to adjunct
faculty so they can work with the implementation team to prepare to
offer new courses and formats.
 Offer course release opportunities to faculty in an ongoing way to
promote student success strategies including advising and case
management of developmental education students.

35. Testing and placement
 An institutional administrator (IA) for Accuplacer at
the system level
 Monitor common multiple measures,
 Consistent placement scores,
 Ensure consistent training for testing center directors,
 Create uniform test delivery and scoring practices,
 Standardize and norm Accuplacer scores,
 Prepare all new Accuplacer testing platforms,
 Implement best practices for National College Testing
Association (NCTA) standards

36. Testing and placement
 CO Accuplacer scores should be validated every 3-5
years
 Once the curriculum is developed for each area
change the strands for a CO Accuplacer
 Have testing center directors/designated experts
meet with a system IA to determine processes and
procedures that will be standardized across colleges.
To include but not limited to: retakes, common non-
cognitive questions, and test cost

37. Measures of success
 Successful developmental students and programs
should be measured in the following ways:
 In Math – Successful completion of any college level (100+)
math course
 In English and Reading – Successful completion of any college
level (100+) English course

38. Timeline
 Some colleges are starting on implementation work
now with TAA grant money support
 February policy recommendations to SBCCOE
 After policy is adopted
 Spring/summer discipline team work to develop curriculum
and to create professional development training for faculty and
staff
 Fall of 13 schools that are already working on redesign will
ramp up projects
 Spring 14 all colleges should transition to the new models
 Fall of 14 all colleges should be operating with the new models
in place

39. CONTACT YOUR COLLEGE
REPRESENTATIVE(S). FOR A
COMPLETE LIST SEE
WWW.CCCS.EDU/DETF
OR CONTACT CASEY SACKS
CASEY.SACKS@CCCS.EDU
720-858-2841
Questions or for more information

40. Creative Commons Attribution
Unless otherwise specified, this work by the Colorado Community College System http://www.cccs.edu is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. The material was created with funds from the Trade
Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant awarded to the Colorado Online Energy Training
Consortium (COETC).