Remediation in higher education has received a great deal of attention over the past decade. This article describes one intervention to curb the number of students who need such remediation. California State University’s Early Assessment Program (EAP) provides students with information about their college readiness before their senior year of high school. Using qualitative methods, the authors investigate how students use this information to prepare for and apply to college. The authors conclude that information alone, although potentially useful, is an insufficient remedy for overcoming remediation or increasing access to college.
ACT. (n.d.). College readiness: Benchmarks met. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/news/data/07/benchmarks.html
2.
Adelman, C. ( 1998). The kiss of death? An alternative view of college remediation . National Crosstalk, 6(3), 11.
3.
Beil, C., & Knight, M.A. ( 2007). Understanding the gap between high school and college writing. Assessment Update, 19(6), 6-8.
4.
Bettinger, E.P., & Long, B.T. ( 2005). Addressing the needs of under-prepared students in higher education: Does college remediation work? (NBER Working Paper No. 11325). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
5.
Boylan, H.R., Bonham, B.S., & White, S.R. ( 1999). Developmental and remedial education in postsecondary education. New Directions for Higher Education, 108, 87-101.
6.
Boylan, H.R., & Saxon, D.P. ( 1999). What works in remediation: Lessons from 30 years of research . Boone, NC: National Center for Developmental Education.
7.
Breneman, D.W. ( 1998). Remediation in higher education: Its extent and costs . In D. Ravitch (Ed.), Brookings papers on education policy (pp. 359-382). Washington, DC: Brookings Institute.
8.
Breneman, D.W., & Harlow, W.N. ( 1998). Remedial education: Costs and consequences. Remediation in Higher Education Symposium. Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Report, 2(9), 1-57.
9.
Calcagno, J.C., & Long, B.T. ( 2008). The impact of postsecondary remediation using a regression discontinuity approach: Addressing endogenous sorting and noncompliance (NCPR Working Paper). New York: National Center for Postsecondary Research.
10.
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. ( 2008). Report on the system’s current programs in English as a second language (ESL) and basic skills. Sacramento, CA: Author.
11.
California State University. (n.d.). Early Assessment Program. Retrieved from http://www.calstate.edu/EAP/
12.
Callan, P.M., Finney, J.E., Kirst, M.W., Usdan, M.D., & Venezia, A. ( 2006). Claiming common ground: State policymaking for improving college readiness and success (National Center Report No.06-1). San Jose, CA : The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
13.
Campaign for College Opportunity. (2007). Practices with promise: A collection of working solutions for college opportunity (Executive summary). Oakland, CA: Author.
14.
Center for Distributed Learning. (n.d.). CSU English success. Retrieved from http://www.csuenglishsuccess.org
15.
Clowes, D.A. ( 1992). Remediation in American higher education. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 8, chap. 10). New York: Agathon Press.
16.
Coleman, J. S., & Fararo, T. J. (Eds.). (1992). Rational choice theory: Advocacy and critique. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
17.
College Board. (n.d.). About AP. Retrieved rom http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
18.
Deil-Amen, R., & Rosenbaum, J.E. (2002). The unintended consequences of stigma-free remediation. Sociology of Education, 75, 249-268.
19.
Education Data Partnership. (2009, May 22). State of California education profile: Fiscal year 2007-2008. Retrieved from http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/Navigation/fsTwoPanel.asp?bottom=%2Fprofile.asp%3Flevel%3D04%26reportNumber%3D16
20.
Educational Testing Service. (n.d.). Early Assessment Program (EAP) 2009 test results, Retrieved from http://eap2009.ets.org/ViewReport.asp
21.
Goen-Salter, S. ( 2008). Critiquing the need to eliminate remediation: Lessons from San Francisco State. Journal of Basic Writing , 27, 81-105.
22.
Grubb, W.N., & Associates. (1999). Honored but invisible: An inside look at teaching in community colleges. New York: Routledge.
23.
Hurley, D., McBain, L., Harnisch, T., Russell, A. ( 2009). Policy matters: Top 10 state policy issues for higher education in 2009. Washington, DC: American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
24.
Institute of Education Sciences. (2007). Education research grants (Request for Applications No.IES-NCER-2008-01). Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
25.
Institute for Higher Education Policy. (1998 ). College remediation: What it is, what it costs, what’s at stake. Washington, DC: Author .
26.
Johnson, H. ( 2009). Educating California: Choices for the future. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California .
27.
Jun, A., & Tierney, W.G. ( 1999). At-risk students and college success: A framework for effective preparation. Metropolitan Universities, 9(4), 49-60.
28.
Kirst, M.W., Venezia, A., & Antonio, A.L. ( 2004). What have we learned, and where do we go next? In M. W. Kirst & A. Venezia (Eds.), From high school to college: Improving opportunities for success in postsecondary education (pp. 285-319). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
29.
Lumina Foundation. (2007, Winter). A changing picture: California effort focuses on early intervention and high school-college alignment. Focus, 2-7.
30.
Martorell, P., & McFarlin, I. ( 2007). Help or hindrance? The effects of college remediation on academic and labor market outcomes. Unpublished manuscript, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
31.
McCusker, M. ( 1999). ERIC review: Effective elements of developmental reading and writing programs. Community College Review, 27, 93-105.
32.
Murray, V.E. ( 2008). The high price of failure in California: How inadequate education costs schools, students, and society. San Francisco, CA: Pacific Research Institute.
33.
National Association of System Heads. (2002 ). Aligning K-12 and postsecondary expectations: State policy in transition. Washington, DC: Author.
34.
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. (2008). Measuring up 2008: The national report card on higher education (National Center Report No.08-4). San Jose, CA: Author.
35.
Obama, B.H. ( 2009, February 24). Remarks of President Barack Obama-Address to Joint Session of Congress. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarksof-President-Barack-Obama-Address-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/
36.
Rosenbaum, J. ( 2001). Beyond college for all. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
37.
Sanoff, A.P. ( 2006, March 10). What professors and teachers think: A perception gap over students’ preparation. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(27), B9.
38.
Soliday, M. ( 2002). The politics of remediation: Institutional and student needs in higher education. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
39.
Spence, D. ( 2005, September). Early assessment academic preparation initiative . Presentation at the meeting of State Policy Dimensions for K-16 Reform, Racine, WI.
40.
Strong American Schools. (2008). Diploma to nowhere. Washington, DC: Author.
41.
Tierney, W.G., & Garcia, L.D. ( 2008). Preparing underprepared students for college: Remedial education and early assessment programs. The Journal of At-Risk Issues, 14(2), 1-7.
42.
University of California. (n.d.). Analytical writing placement exam data. Retrieved from https://uasother.ucop.edu/cgi-bin/awpe/results.pl
