High School Coursework and Success in Gateway Courses in College

• In Event: 18.034 - Student Success in Different Contexts: The Roles of Pedagogy, Data, and Instructors

Abstract

Recent legislative changes in Florida introduced a new scenario for many developmental education students: placement tests are optional and students may enroll directly into college-level courses regardless of academic ability. This study aims to understand how students’ high school coursework can be used in the academic advising process in the absence of standardized placement tests. Using increasingly rigorous combinations of high school coursework, we developed two sets of student profiles for English and math pathways to categorize students into levels of preparation that would predict their readiness for the first college-level classes in English or math. Our findings indicate that students with the lowest levels of preparation are least prepared for gateway success. Implications for academic advising practices are discussed.

Authors

• Chenoa S. Woods, Florida State University

• Toby Park, Florida State University

• Shouping Hu

• David Allen Tandberg, State Higher Education Executive Officers

• Tamara Bertrand Jones, Florida State University