Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Martinez, A. F. (2018). Accelerating developmental math students in California community colleges: A comparative assessment of two acceleration models. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). California State University, Long Beach, CA.
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of two accelerated pathway models (course redesign and compression) on completion rates for community college students. This summary focuses on the compression accelerated model.
- This study used a nonexperimental design to compare accelerated and non-accelerated pathways to college-level math by tracking the progress of students placed in developmental math courses.
- The study found that participation in the compression accelerated program was significantly related to higher college-level and developmental math completion rates for students placed in mid-level remediation.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the accelerated pathway programs; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The Compression Accelerated Model
Features of the Intervention
A community college in Southern California implemented the Compression Accelerated Model for its developmental math courses. Compression accelerated models aim to restructure or compress multiple sequential courses in a single term. For example, compressing two developmental math courses into a single 16-week semester by extending classroom time. These compressed courses typically do not incorporate changes to curriculum, pedagogy, or student support.
The college offered acceleration courses to students placing two- and four-levels below a college-level math course. The pre-requisite for the acceleration course for students placed two-levels below was either Pre-Algebra or placement via the college’s assessment office. There was no pre-requisite for the acceleration course for students placed four-levels below. Taking the two accelerated math courses in sequence served as an alternative pathway to the traditional, non-accelerated four-course pathway through remediation or developmental math.
The colleges’ developmental math programs consisted of two non-exclusive pathways: a traditional four-level sequential pathway or an accelerated pathway of two sequential courses. The traditional pathway included Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra. The accelerated pathway courses included Combined Basic Math and Pre-Algebra (Math A) which had no pre-requisite and Combined Elementary and Intermediate Algebra (Math B), which had one of three pre-requisites: pre-algebra, Combined Basic Math and Pre-Algebra, or direct placement.
Students placing four-levels below a college-level math course (low-level remediation) were placed in either an accelerated pathway, a traditional pathway, or a mixed pathway (accelerated and traditional). Students placed two-levels below a college-level math course (mid-level remediation) were placed in either an accelerated or traditional pathway.
Features of the Study
This nonexperimental study compared the outcomes of students who participated in the accelerated pathway to those who participated in the traditional pathway. All students included in the study were in below college-level math courses and enrolled in these courses for the first time. The sample included 2,529 students. Using secondary student data from the college’s Institutional Research Office, the author conducted statistical models to examine differences between the groups. Outcomes included completion rates for both developmental and college-level math courses, and the time in years to complete the courses.
Findings
Education and skills gain
- The study found that enrollment in the Compression Accelerated Model program was significantly related to decreased time to complete both developmental and college-level math courses.
- The study found that enrollment in the Compression Accelerated Model program was significantly related to higher college-level and developmental math completion rates for students placed in mid-level remediation.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The author did not account for preexisting differences between the groups before program participation. These preexisting differences between the groups—and not the Compression Accelerated Model — could explain the observed differences in outcomes. Also, the author did not account for self-selection into the accelerated learning pathway. Students who are high achievers or students who have exhausted the number of attempts in the traditional pathway may be more prevalent in the accelerated cohorts. These differences were not accounted for in the study.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the Compression Accelerated Model program; other factors are likely to have contributed.