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Standardized testing and remedial education placement have denied access to college-level courses for eligible students, especially those from underrepresented minority groups. Multiple states, including various organizations such as the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Association of Developmental Education, have already moved towards new ways of assessing and placing their students into college-level courses. In California, a few key community colleges have taken the initiative to combat the racial/ethnic gaps in student outcomes and the disadvantages that come with previous methods of remedial education placement and instruction. The campuses specifically highlighted are Cuyamaca College, College of the Canyons, Las Positas College, Skyline College, Solano College, and Sacramento City College. The following table shows the positive effects these changes have had on student outcomes. All colleges witnessed an increase of access to college-level courses, some up to 7 times as many students. Overall, the results show stable course success rates across all campuses—pointing to the fact that when given the chance, students can meet the academic challenge. It is important that policy makers and community colleges in California realize the importance of this issue for our future economy, but also look for promising results such as these for guidance on the next step in crafting a solution to remedial education outcomes.
