This 50-State Comparison examines state and systemwide developmental education policies. Developmental education, sometimes referred to as remedial education, is designed to develop foundational knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics for students whom the institution deems underprepared for college-level course work based on placement policies and readiness assessments.
Traditional developmental education practices have frequently acted as barriers to student success, most notably for racially minoritized students, adult learners and low-income students who are overrepresented in these courses. These non-credit courses extend time to graduation, increase dropout rates and leave students with debt but no credentials. Over the past three decades, colleges and universities have implemented reforms to create more equitable outcomes in first-year English and courses, also known as gateway courses.
The Strong Start to Finish framework builds on these developmental education reform efforts by emphasizing four key evidence-based areas of reform:
- Placement.
- Acceleration.
- Alignment.
- Data.
These approaches focus on diversifying placement criteria with multiple measures beyond standardized assessments, replacing traditional remedial courses with corequisite models for accelerated credit earning, aligning first credit-bearing mathematics courses with degree pathways and prioritizing momentum metrics alongside localized and disaggregated data. Evidence shows that these strategies improve student outcomes by helping students earn more credits and progress toward credential completion.
Note: Depending on the higher education governance structure in each state, a state may have several policies included in this resource. System-level initiatives, collaborations and programs are excluded. Consequently, while the Strong Start to Finish framework informs this scan, Alignment — which focuses on aligning first-year credit-bearing mathematics courses with degree pathways — is excluded, as these reforms typically occur through system initiatives or transfer agreements, which are not uniformly tracked as state policy.
Key Takeaways
- At least 38 states have a state or systemwide assessment and placement policy.
- At least 33 states or systems allow for the use of multiple measures in placement decisions.
- At least 32 states or systems have authorized the use of innovative developmental education instructional methods and interventions.
- At least 29 states or systems allow or require the use of corequisite support.
- At least 17 states have created statutory developmental education reporting requirements.
Explore the 50-State Comparison
Click on the questions below for a 50-State Comparison showing how states and postsecondary systems approach these policies. Or view a specific state’s approach by going to the individual state profiles page.
- Is there a state or systemwide developmental education assessment and placement policy?
- Are approved assessment instruments identified? If so, which assessments are used or allowed? Are uniform cut scores identified? If so, what are the cut scores for these common assessments?
- Are multiple measures allowed to determine placement? If so, which measures are used or allowed?
- Are instructional methods addressed? If so, which methods are used or allowed?
- Is corequisite support addressed? If so, is it required or allowed?
- Does state statute include reporting requirements?
- All data points for all states.
Placement
Placement reform policies use multiple measures beyond standardized test scores to predict student success in gateway courses regarded as credit-bearing English and mathematics classes more accurately.
Key Terms
Cut Score: The lowest scores a student can receive on an assessment to be considered college ready.
Multiple Measures: Evidence beyond an assessment score that a student may present that can be used to determine if they are ready to be placed into a college-level course. High school GPA is recognized as the best predictor and can be used in conjunction with other methods. In this resource, the following categories are used:
- Other standardized and normed exams, or locally developed exams.
- High school academic performance (GPA, transcript, coursework).
- College academic performance (credit from a prior learning assessment, GPA, transcript, coursework).
- Noncognitive factors (motivation, attitude, emotions).
- Work experience.
- Military experience.
- Is there a state or systemwide developmental education assessment and placement policy?
- Are approved assessment instruments identified? If so, which assessments are used or allowed? Are uniform cut scores identified? If so, what are the cut scores for these common assessments?
- Are multiple measures allowed to determine placement? If so, which measures are used or allowed?
- All data points for all states.
Acceleration
Acceleration reform policies aim to replace long sequences of developmental education courses with accelerated corequisite models. These models are known to increase the chances of students completing gateways courses in their first year, thus accelerating their progression towards graduation. Instructional methods and corequisite support are essential data points for acceleration reforms because they demonstrate how states ensure students succeed in credit-bearing gateway courses while receiving targeted academic assistance.
Key Terms
Corequisite Support: Sometimes referred to as corequisite remediation, corequisite support is a model that provides students with immediate access to credit-bearing, college-level courses, while concurrently offering targeted academic support. State and system policies were examined to determine whether corequisite support is proposed and, if so, whether it is allowed or required.
Instructional Methods: The strategies used to design and implement corequisite support models. If corequisites are allowed or required, the instructional formats were reviewed. They include, but are not limited to:
- Just-in-Time Support: Providing targeted assistance during or immediately after the course to address specific learning needs.
- Integrated Lectures: Extending the primary course with additional instructional time focused on key concepts.
- Individualized Tutoring: Offering one-on-one or small-group sessions tailored to student challenges.
- Cohort-Based Learning: Grouping students into learning communities where they take the corequisite and primary course together.
- Are instructional methods addressed? If so, which methods are used or allowed?
- Is corequisite support addressed? If so, is it required or allowed?
- All data points for all states.
Data
Data reform policies involve collecting, reporting and using disaggregated student data to support successful completion of credit-bearing English and mathematics courses within the students’ first year of enrollment.
Key Terms
Reporting Requirements: Effective data practices emphasize reporting momentum metrics, localized information and disaggregated data to address gaps among racially minoritized students, adult learners and low-income students. In this resource, the following reporting requirements were reviewed:
- Student populations (recent high school graduates, total number or percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses).
- Student characteristics (demographics, developmental education needs, student readiness, high school GPA).
- Student success (pass rates, graduation rates, successful completion of gateway courses).
- High school feedback data.
- Cost of developmental education.
- Course offerings (e.g., types of courses, number of courses, proportion of courses taught by faculty title).
Related Resources
- A State Policy Framework for Developmental Education Reform from Strong Start to Finish.
- Readiness Assessment from Strong Start to Finish.
- Current State Legislation: Postsecondary Developmental Education, Policy Tracking Map Tool. Filter for Issue Area “PS Developmental and Remedial Education.”
- Developmental Education: An Introduction for Policymakers, released in collaboration with the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness.
- Modernizing College Course Placement by Using Multiple Measures, released in collaboration with the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness.
- Common Elements of Developmental Education Policies.
