Location of Developmental/Remedial Coursework Predicts Successful Completion of College Algebra: A Study of Louisiana's Developmental Students

Developmental education programs and services have long provided underprepared and unprepared postsecondary students with the academic tools and life-management skills necessary to successfully complete college-level coursework. Eegislation and policy changes, including implementing statewide minimum admissions requirements and restricting developmental coursework to the campuses of community colleges, have changed the landscape of developmental education within the State of Eouisiana. While both four-year and two-year institutions have offered developmental coursework in the past, these policy changes have added to the debate of whether developmental learners are better served on the campuses of four-year institutions or community colleges. Using data from the Louisiana Board of Regents' Statewide Student Profile System, Student Transcript System, ACT Class Profiles, and Financial Aid Data System for AY 2006, this study sought to determine if the location of developmental English and math courses could predict success in college-level English and math courses. Results indicated that students who completed developmental mathematics courses at a four-year university were 20% less likely to successfully complete college algebra than students who completed developmental mathematics at a community college (OR-.796; C195