Supporting Early Academic Momentum of Community College Students: the Impact of Incorporating GPA into Course Placement

• In Event: Institutional Policies and Practices that Support Student Success in College

Abstract

Placing community college students into their first math or English course is a critical decision with significant implications. Students placed into coursework that is too challenging may struggle to persist, while those placed into unnecessary developmental coursework may experience reduced academic momentum, delayed graduation, and increased costs (Chen, 2016). Recent research has found that using multiple measures for placement, like high school GPA alongside standardized test scores, can improve placement accuracy and student’s academic outcomes (Scott-Clayton et al., 2014; Barnett et al., 2018; Woods et al., 2018; Ganga & Mazzariello, 2019). This study assesses the impact of a new multiple measure placement policy at City Colleges of Chicago, which boosts students with a high school GPA of 3.0 or above into higher math and English course levels, reducing their need for developmental education. In practice, the math and English placement boost applied to fewer than 5 percent and 8 percent of students, respectively, with even fewer students taking advantage of the boosted placement. Despite the small number of affected students, using a difference in regression discontinuity design we find that access to a placement boost in math or English courses decreased the number of developmental courses taken by students without affecting overall academic performance or persistence. However, it also led to delayed course-taking for these required math and English courses. Qualitative findings from interviews with students revealed a lack of awareness about the policy, suggesting a need for better communication and easier transcript sharing between Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges to maximize policy benefits.

Author

• Kelly Hallberg, University of Chicago
  Presenting Author