Measuring the effectiveness of developmental writing courses

Community College Review, Fall, 2004 by Anne Hay Southard, Jennifer K. Clay

In addition, the apparent gap between developmental English and Composition I needs further study. The low correlation between grades in College Prep English II and Composition I and the drop in developmental students' grades from College Prep English II to Composition I suggest a gap between a successful developmental student's writing skills and the necessary entry-level skills for a passing Composition I student.

Faculty in every developmental writing program should periodically assess their curriculum's effectiveness--knowing that these programs can prepare students to succeed in college-level writing is not the same as knowing that one's own program does so. OWCC's developmental writing course levels the playing field for its students, but the challenge remains to identify a more accurate placement method so that the college may better meet its students' academic needs.

Table 1

A Comparison Between Composition /Results of Group 1 (Developmental
Students) and Group 4 (Non-Developmental Students)

Measure of Effectiveness                         Group 1      Group 4
                                                 (n = 58)    (n = 792)

Pass rate for all students initially enrolled
  in the course                                   74%         63%
Pass rate for all students completing the
  course                                          84%         78%
Average grade for all students initially
  enrolled in the course                          74% (a)     68% (a)
Average grade for all students completing the
  course                                          77% (a)     79% (a)
Percentage of students withdrawing from the
  course                                          12%         18%
Percentage of completers earning an F (no
  credit)                                         14%         19%

(a) Note. Passing is a C, which is 75%. An A is 95%, a B is 85%, and an
F is 65% or lower.

No pluses or minuses are awarded.

Table 2

Grade Changes From College Prep English II to Composition I
for Group 1 (n = 58)

                f       f%

Same grade      17    29.3%
Lower grade     39    67.2%
Higher grade     2     3.4%

References

Berger, D. M. (1997). Mandatory assessment and placement: The view from an English department. In J. M. Ignash (Ed.), Implementing effective policies for remedial and developmental education (pp. 33-41). New Directions for Community Colleges, no. 100. Retrieved June 26, 2003, from WilsonSelectPlus database.

College Entrance Examination Board. (2002). The College Board: Accuplacer. Retrieved July 11, 2003, from http://cpts.accuplacer.com/docs/ CoordinatorGuide.html

Glau, G. R. (1996, March). Bringing them home: Arizona State University's new model of basic writing instruction. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Milwaukee, WI. (ERIC Document Reproduction Services No. ED403558)

Jenkins, A. & Boswell, K. (2002). State policies on community college remedial education: Findings from a national survey. Retrieved August. 8, 2003, from Education Commission of the States, Center for Community College Policy Web site: http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/40/81/4081.pdf