The Impact of Postsecondary Remediation Using a Regression Discontinuity Approach: Addressing Endogenous Sorting and Noncompliance

Abstract

Remedial or developmental courses are the most common instruments used to assist postsecondary students who are not ready for college-level coursework. However, despite its important role in higher education and substantial costs, there is little rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of college remediation on the outcomes of students. This study uses a detailed dataset to identify the causal effect of remediation on the outcomes of nearly 100,000 college students in Florida. Using a Regression Discontinuity design, we provide causal estimates while also investigating possible endogenous sorting around the policy cutoff. The results suggest math and reading remedial courses have mixed benefits. Being assigned to remediation appears to increase persistence to the second year and the total number of credits completed for students on the margin of passing out of the requirement, but it does not increase the completion of college-level credits or eventual degree completion. Taken together, the results suggest that remediation might promote early persistence in college, but it does not necessarily help students on the margin of passing the placement cutoff make long-term progress toward earning a degree.

Challenge and opportunity: Rethinking the role and function of developmental education in community college

“…These include studies of Ohio by Bettinger and Long (2005), of Florida by Calcagno (2007) and Calcagno and Long (2008), and of Texas by Martorell and McFarlin (2007). All of these used data from the late 1990s and early 2000s.…”

“…Source: Calcagno & Long, 2008. courses. But the bottom right panel indicates that the additional courses are accounted for by remediation itself.…”

“…Similarly, in Florida, Calcagno (2007) and Calcagno and Long (2008) compared outcomes for community college students who scored just above the statewide cutoff score for developmental education on the College Placement Test (CPT) to those who scored just below it.…”

Readiness: The Key Factor in Remedial Teaching and Learning

“…This situation is exacerbated by results from studies that question the effectiveness of remedial education in enabling underprepared students to overcome their weaknesses, (Bailey, 2009). Alliance for Excellent Education (2011) also cites Calcagno et al (2008) who report that the effects of remediation on postsecondary outcomes present remedial education as a poor substitute for a highquality high school education.…”

How Effective Is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here? The Results of a Comprehensive Evaluation

“…However, this literature has largely focused on postsecondary education, where remedial education can slow a student's progress and increase the cost of earning a degree, thereby acting as a potential deterrent to degree completion (Martorell and McFarlin, 2011;Caldagno and Long, 2008;Scott-Clayton and Rodriguez, 2012). In secondary education, the need to remediate the learning gaps of students who fall behind seems less controversial, the question being how best to do so.…”