This document summarizes Colorado's efforts to redesign developmental education to accelerate students' progress through course sequences to college-level courses. It notes traditionally high attrition rates in developmental education and outlines the goals of helping more students complete college English or math. Key aspects of the redesign include shorter course sequences, integrated reading and English courses, math pathways, improved student support services, and tracking student outcomes through completion of college-level courses rather than just developmental courses. Implementation teams are working on curriculum changes, professional development, and transition timelines to have the new models in all colleges by spring 2014.

1. The problem
“The more levels of developmental courses a
student needs to go through, the less likely
that student is to ever complete college
English or math.”
- Thomas Bailey (2009) CCRC Brief.

2. Traditional Colorado course pipeline
MAT 030
MAT 060
MAT 090
MAT 099
ENG 030
ENG 060
ENG 090
REA 030
REA 060
REA 090

3. Why high attrition rates are a
structural problem
• For students who place two levels below a
college course there are 5 “exit points”
– Do they pass the first course
– Do they enroll in the next course?
– Do they pass the second course?
– Do they enroll in the college-level course?
– Do they pass the college-level course?
• Students placing three levels down have 7 exit
points.

4. Why high attrition rates are a
structural problem
• CCCS example for students who completed
ENG 030 - fall 2010
– Completed 030(538) 100%
– Do they enroll and complete 060 (189) 35%
– Do they enroll in and complete 090 (32) 6%

5. The goal of the redesign
Move students quickly and effectively through
their first college level course.

6. Board adopted policy in February 2013
To accelerate students by reducing the amount
of time, number of developmental credits,
and number of courses in the developmental
sequence so students can have access to and
be supported for success in a college level
course.

7. What “Redesign” looks like
• Math – pathways at the developmental level
– Algebra
– Non-Algebra (statistics and math for liberal arts)
– Non-transfer (career math, clinical calculations)
• College Composition and Reading (formerly
reading and English)
– Integrated disciplines
– Tiers of student support in classrooms

8. Testing
• Working with Pearson on a diagnostic
• Tentative timeline – we still don’t have a
product or contract
– Item analysis Fall 13
– Test analysis Spring 14
– Test pilot Fall 14
– Test implementation Spring 15

9. Student support
• Use CCCSE practices
– Orientation
– Goal setting and planning
– No late registrations
– First year experience
– Student success course
– Tutoring
– Supplemental instruction
– Case management/academic advising/career coaches

10. Student Services Plans
• College develop a plan to use for planning,
initiating, and sustaining success for
developmental students

11. Measures of success
• Successful developmental students and
programs should be measured in the following
ways:
– In Math – Successful completion of any college
level (100+) math course
– In English and Reading – Successful completion of
any college level (100+) English course or any
college level discipline strands course.

12. Outcomes
• How many students successfully complete
college English or college math?
– Used to only measure course completion
• Cohort tracking – how many are completing
college courses?

13. Implementation teams
• Core implementation team
– Faculty
– Focused on curriculum, content, training, and
professional development
• Redesign advisory group
– Administrative (Banner, fiscal, advising, financial aid)
– Testing – faculty for content. Testing center directors
when we have a platform to experiment with.
•

14. Timeline
• Spring/summer 13 discipline team work to
develop curriculum and to create professional
development training for faculty and staff
• Fall of 13 schools that are already working on
redesign will ramp up projects
• Spring 14 all colleges should transition to the
new models
• Fall of 14 all colleges should be operating with
the new models in place

15. Example of Student Services Plan
from Lamar Community College

16. Student Services
• CCSSE strategies for planning, initiating, and
sustaining success. All developmental education
students will:
– Required to seek academic advising prior to the start
of each semester
– Required to meet with the career advisor at least once
each semester
– Students who are in both math and CCR courses will
be required to enroll in an academic success course
– Strongly encouraged to enroll in an academic success
course

17. Big areas for immediate campus
decisions
• CCR
• Math
• Student services
• Timing

18. Places to go for more information
• DE site
• Word Press site
• D2L shells
• Campus teams
• Regional training
• Invited presentations
• 2:2 sharing

19. CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION
Unless otherwise specified, this work by the Colorado Community College System http://www.cccs.edu is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. The material was created with funds
from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant awarded to the Colorado
Online Energy Training Consortium (COETC).