Are Student Outcomes the Same at All Colleges Following Developmental Education Reform? The Case of Florida's Senate Bill 1720

• In Event: Mitigating Loss: Student Transition Policies in Higher Education

Abstract

Florida implemented a statewide developmental education reform (SB 1720) in 2014. Through the reform, developmental education was made optional for many students entering the 28 state colleges in Florida. Each institution was required to develop a plan to implement SB 1720, which gave institutions some choice in how to respond to the statewide policy change. With some flexibility in the response, this study is to examine the heterogeneity of the institutional outcomes related to SB 1720 by examining cohort passing rates in English Composition, Intermediate Algebra, and college-level mathematics courses. In particular, while our ongoing work examines several institutional characteristics that could influence policy outcomes, this paper investigates differences in outcomes between rural and urban institutions.

Authors

• Xinye Hu, Florida State University

• Toby Park-Gaghan, Florida State University

• Hayley Spencer, Florida State University

• Christine Mokher, Florida State University

• Shouping Hu, Florida State University