This article provides the first causal evidence of a system-wide corequisite reform in Tennessee, which mainstreams underprepared students into college-level courses with concurrent support. Using regression discontinuity and difference-in-regression-discontinuity designs, we find that, for those on the margin of college level, students placed…

In a corequisite approach to developmental education, students enroll in a college-level course paired concurrently with a support course designed to address student learning needs in a given subject. This report, sponsored by Strong Start to Finish, examines early college outcomes of students placed into corequisite reading courses at the 13…

Studies have shown that students' positive experience during their first year in college plays a significant role in their success in terms of persistence and satisfaction. That premise has been the motivation for the development of a first-year connection course by the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tennessee Tech University. Recent…

Many states are redesigning their college remediation policies to increase postsecondary degree completion. In 2012, Tennessee began waiving college math remediation for high school students who completed a computer-based remedial math course (SAILS) during their senior year. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that the high school…

The United States has seen an increase focus in science education at the same time that more students with disabilities (SWDs) are educated in a general education classroom. Because of this, science teachers must know how to implement best practices of working with SWDs. However, many science teachers report they do not feel prepared for this.…

Many U.S. students arrive on college campus lacking the skills expected for college-level work. As state leaders seek to increase postsecondary enrollment and completion, public colleges have sought to lessen the delays created by remedial course requirements. Tennessee has taken a novel approach by allowing students to complete their remediation…

This year's "Tennessee Higher Education Fact Book" consists of four sections and an appendix of additional resources and terminology. The four main sections of the report provide data on Student Participation, Student Success, Academic and Fiscal Trends, and Outcomes-Based Funding. New this year, the report includes additional detail on…

This is the technical appendix for the report "Gaining Momentum: Refining Corequisite Learning Support to Boost Student Success in the First Year and Beyond" which seeks to develop a body of actionable information about how to refine learning support, close equity gaps, and promote strong momentum toward success for community college…

Over the last decade, community colleges in Tennessee have reimagined remediation. More than half of first-time students at Tennessee community colleges require remediation upon enrolling. Colleges provide these students with "learning support" in key gateway courses. To meet the needs of each student, Tennessee community colleges have…

The closure of equity gaps is a foundational component of the work of Tennessee community colleges. According to the Tennessee Board of Regents' (TBR) equity policy, this commitment means "ensuring that each student has access to a high-quality education and that each student receives what they need to be successful through the intentional…

For many students, developmental education is the largest obstacle to college success, hindering progress before they ever enroll in a college-level course. Postsecondary practitioners and researchers have been re-examining and challenging many traditional elements of developmental education from placement strategies to the sequence of courses…

This article discusses the use of ePortfolios in interdisciplinary online adult degree programs at two universities. Whereas one university uses the ePortfolio only in a capstone course, the other institution introduces the ePortfolio in an introductory course that focuses on goal setting and then has students add content to the ePortfolio in the…

Corequisite remediation, which mainstreams students deemed academically underprepared into college-level courses with additional learning support, is rapidly being adopted by colleges across the nation. This paper provides the first causal evidence on a system-wide corequisite reform, using data from all 13 community colleges affiliated with the…

This paper examines primarily the courses in the accounting major and a portion of the business core of the best thirty accounting programs in the United States as identified by the Accounting Degree Review. A thorough examination of each school's web site has been conducted to gather current (2014) information concerning the requirements for a…

The majority of Tennessee ninth graders graduate from high school, but far fewer make the leap to postsecondary education. Recently launched statewide initiatives have fundamentally shifted the educational landscape, substantially reducing barriers to postsecondary access. The state now stands at the cusp of a historical transformation where it…