Closing the College Success Gap for Underprepared Students: Evidence From a Statewide Remedial Education Reform

• In Event: Education Interventions That Influence Student Success

Abstract

In response to the ineffectiveness of the traditional remedial education, many states have implemented corequisite remediation, which allows underprepared students to take college-level courses immediately upon college enrollment with concurrent academic support. In this study, we will examine the heterogeneous effects of corequisite vs. prerequisite remediation by academic preparedness, demographic characteristics, and corequisite delivery methods, using data from the Tennessee Board of Regents from 2010 to 2019. To address self-selection into remediation, we will use a difference-in-differences model to compare remedial students with similar placement scores before and after the implementation, using college-ready students who are exempted from remediation as the control group. Preliminary results suggest that corequisite remediation improved first-year gateway completion to various extents by students’ prior preparedness.

Authors

• Hojung Lee, University of Delaware

• Florence Xiaotao Ran, University of Delaware