1. Accelerating Achievement Designing a State-Level Response to the Developmental Education Challenge Presentation for Southern Regional Education Board June 27, 2011 Abby Parcell, MDC

2. Accelerating Achievement First Things First: Definitions Developmental education: comprehensive instruction that prepares students for success in academic coursework Assessment: standardized tests and other diagnostic activities to determine level of academic preparedness Placement: the process by which students are assigned to particular courses, based on the assessment process Modular instruction: developmental course content that is organized according to specific skill competencies Self-paced instruction: a delivery mechanism that allows individual students enrolled in the same developmental course to progress through course content at their own rate Accelerated learning: the compression of developmental course work; pairing multiple developmental courses or completing developmental and curriculum courses at the same time

3. Accelerating Achievement Developmental Education Initiative Overview DEI builds on the most promising institutional and state policy work of Achieving the Dream Fifteen ATD community colleges and six states participating in a three-year initiative Colleges taking promising developmental education practices to scale MDC serves as managing partner and funding intermediary with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation

4. Accelerating Achievement Promising Approaches Acceleration: Placement-test preparation Compressed courses Paired remedial and college-level courses Contextualization ABE-to-college models I-BEST designs Student Supports Supplemental instruction Intensive advising

5. Accelerating Achievement Policy Supports Preventative strategies: reducing the need for developmental education Assessment and placement: creating systems that are consistent, flexible, and relevant to a student’s chosen credential program Performance Funding: designing funding formulas that support completion, not just enrollment

6. Accelerating Achievement Preventative Strategies El Paso Community College El Paso Texas PREP program: Pre-testing Retesting Educational Preparation Have served over 3000 students; on track to add 500 + students each semester Paired with case management that tracks dev ed students through the attainment of their first 30 college credits 2009-2010 Results: PREP students who advanced at least one level: 65% math, 65% reading, 47% writing

7. Accelerating Achievement Preventative Strategies North Central State College Mansfield, Ohio Solutions, an adult transition program: self-paced, computer-based course, paired with individual tutoring Includes a student success workshop that is credit-bearing Solutions students’ performance on developmental course/sequence completion, English gateway course completion and persistence exceeds averages of a group of comparable FTIC students. The college calculated almost $20,000 in savings to students from acceleration through at least one level of developmental course work.

8. Accelerating Achievement Assessment/Placement Strategies Florida Department of Education Division of Florida Colleges The Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) was released in October 2010. Twenty-four of Florida’s 28 colleges have implemented the P.E.R.T. Two diagnostic assessments for each discipline are in development Colleges will begin offering new courses with corresponding competencies and implementing the diagnostic assessments in the fall 2011 or spring 2012 terms.

9. Accelerating Achievement Assessment/Placement Strategies Virginia Community College System System-wide redesign of developmental math completed Taskforce comprised of high school, community college, and university faculty, along with administration New placement system that includes customized placement instruments for the new developmental education structures Curriculum design for English courses is underway

10. Accelerating Achievement Performance Funding Strategies Texas In 2009, the state legislature appropriated $5 million to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for Developmental Education Demonstration Projects Five grants of $750K per year for two years; 10 grants of $100K Colleges required to meet best practice requirements in assessment & placement, student support, innovative curriculum, and data quality

11. Accelerating Achievement Performance Funding Strategies Ohio Ohio Legislature approved performance funding for community colleges in their 2010-11 budget Ohio Board of Regents and state community colleges charged with developing the new formula Recommendation from OH Association of Community Colleges: allocate 5% of FY 2011 state funding based on “success points”; proportion allocated according to these factors would increase to 20% by 2015

12. Accelerating Achievement Contact Information Abby Parcell aparcell@mdcinc.org DEI Website http://www.deionline.org May 2011 Jobs for the Future brief: Driving Innovation: How Six States Are Organizing to Improve Outcomes in Developmental Education http://www.jff.org