Developmental Education Placement
Participation in Developmental Courses: Arkansas
What Is Measured?
Percentage of Arkansas Community College students enrolled in developmental English/reading and mathematics courses during their first year
Who Is Counted?
Students entering Arkansas Community Colleges for the first time in fall 2006
What It Tells Us
Some 26 percent of students ages 17-19 in Arkansas Community Colleges enrolled in developmental English/reading and mathematics courses during their first academic year while 30 percent of students ages 20-24 and 26 percent of students ages 25 or older enrolled.
Why It's Important
For students in need of developmental education, enrolling in a specific course mandated by the placement test is the first step toward advancement to a college-level program. Many students never enroll in developmental courses at the level at which they are assessed, however. Because placements are not always binding, many students enroll in higher- or lower-level courses. Some may skip courses in the remedial sequence or skip developmental education altogether. As a result, the rates at which students enroll in developmental courses provide an incomplete picture of the need for remediation. Placement information, however, is rarely available, leaving enrollment rates as the only measure for gauging students' college readiness.
About the Data
First-time students: include students with no prior postsecondary experience except for college credits earned during high school or in the summer before enrolling in the fall.
Race/ethnicity: Other includes Asian; American Indian or Alaska Native; and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Racial categories exclude persons of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, who are presented separately.