"We Need to Test the Students": Diagnostic Assessments as Lethal Mutations to Developmental Education Legislation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership and Tracking/Detracking

Abstract

In 2013, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1720, redesigning developmental education (DE) by making placement tests and remedial coursework optional for the majority of students attending the 28 Florida College System (FCS) institutions. In this longitudinal qualitative study, we explored how assessments were used to determine students’ readiness for college-level coursework instead of required placement tests. Findings revealed gateway-promoting and gatekeeping strategies across 21 visited FCS institutions. Gateway-promoting strategies included strategies incorporated into college-level courses that experienced increased enrollment from students who may have been required to take DE before the reform. Gatekeeping strategies included diagnostic assessments given to students during the beginning of the semester, which we suggest are “lethal mutations” to the implementation of SB 1720.

Authors

• Hollie Daniels, Florida State University

• Tamara Bertrand Jones, Florida State University

• Amanda N Nix, Florida State University

• Shouping Hu, Florida State University