Developmental Education Placement
Placement in developmental courses, by year: Maryland
What Is Measured?
The percentage of students who needed developmental education
Who Is Counted?
Students who graduated from Maryland high schools who were enrolled in Maryland community colleges in the years 2009-10, 2010-2011, or 2011-2012
What It Tells Us
A majority of recent Maryland high school graduates enrolled in Maryland community colleges, around 70 percent, needed developmental education. The percentage of Maryland community college students who have developmental need has remained stable from the 2009-10 academic year to the 2011-12 academic year.
Why It's Important
Assessment for college readiness to determine the appropriate placement in a subject is particularly important for community colleges. Such assessment is needed because their open-access admissions policies and outreach to nontraditional students mean that a much larger proportion of their students take developmental education courses than do students in other sectors of higher education. For students needing developmental education, enrolling in the developmental course mandated by the placement test is the first step toward completion. Most institutions select from a handful of standardized assessments to place students in developmental education, but tremendous variation still exists across and within states and even institutions on which tests and cutoff scores are used.
About the Data
Data is also reported in Maryland Higher Education Commission. (2013). 2013 Data Book. Baltimore, MD. http://www.mhec.state.md.us/publications/research/AnnualPublications/2013DataBook.pdfData Source
Maryland Higher Education Commission. (2015). 2015 Data Book. Baltimore, MD.
Maryland Higher Education Commission. (2014). 2014 Data Book. Baltimore, MD.