This month, more than 200 faculty, administrators and system-level leaders from around the country came together in Minneapolis to take a deeper dive into corequisite remediation. In every presentation, the results showcased were nothing short of astounding.   Armed with incredible outcomes and evidence from around the country, there is no doubt: the time has come to leave behind the practice of stand alone, prerequisite remedial education and make the bold transition to providing intensive corequisite support to students while they are enrolled in college-level courses.

While CCA has held multiple convenings focused on the merits of corequisite remedation, this most recent event was the first ever where states showcased the results of scaling corequisite remediation to the vast majority of students in statewide higher education systems.

Colorado, Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia presented data on their unique approaches to corequisite remediation.  And while each version of the reform differed slightly, the results were remarkably consistent.  Students enrolled in single-semester, corequisite English courses typically succeeded at twice the rate of students enrolled in traditional prerequisite English courses. Students enrolled in corequisite gateway math courses that were aligned with their chosen programs of study saw results at five to six times the success rates of traditional remedial math sequences.

Some key highlights from the day included:

• A presentation by Dr. Tristan Denley from the Tennessee Board of Regents showed that regardless of ACT score, students enrolled in either single-semester corequisite English or corequisite math performed markedly better than students enrolled in prerequisite, modular-based remediation.  Students that scored as low as 13 on the ACT benefited more from corequisite models.
• A session from Mary Ostrye and Kathryn Walz of Ivy Tech Community College showcased the remarkable results from their scaling of corequisite remediation at all 24 state campuses.
• A presentation from Chancellor James Skidmore and Sarah Tucker from the West Virginia Community and Technical College Council highlighted results from their 9-month effort to scale corequisite remediation at all 9 community and technical college institutions in the state. The results were jaw-dropping, with some campuses showing success rates in gateway math courses increasing from 10% to up to 70%.

Faculty joined in the discussion, touting the incredible results associated with corequisite remediation.  Gwen Eldridge (Ivy Tech and President of the National Association of Developmental Education), Shawna Van (Front Range Community College) and Brandon Feres (Community College of Aurora) testified to the effectiveness of their corequsite English models.  In addition, Mike McComas (Mountwest Community College) described the results from his corequisite math model.

Most importantly, this national institute kicked off an 18-month effort to work with up to 16 additional states on the scaling of corequisite remediation.

A bright future is within our grasp, one where hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of students who would otherwise never make it out of remediation will pass gateway courses and enter programs of study.  We look forward to working with CCA Alliance states on this exciting and achievable goal.