CUNY Task Force on

Developmental Education:
Recommendations and
Implementation Plans

DAVID CROOK
FACULTY AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
 Overview of the need for transformation
of developmental education at CUNY

• Institutional vigilance is crucial to serving academically

underprepared students.
• Each fall about 20,000 first year students—more than half of all
CUNY freshmen—enter CUNY assessed as needing
developmental course work.
• Evidence has mounted in recent years that we are not serving
these students well, especially in traditional developmental
courses. Their academic progress is compromised as a result.
• The cost to students in terms of money, time and energy is high,
as is the cost to federal, state and local taxpayers.

1
 As the Task Force on Developmental Education prepared
its recommendations, we consulted widely.

• The Task Force deliberated during the 2015-16 academic year.

• We consulted with the following groups:

Council of Presidents subcommittee on academic affairs
Council of Presidents; Presidents with Associate Degree Programs
University Faculty Senate Leadership
Discipline Councils: Math, Reading, Writing, ESL
Small groups of math faculty members
NYC DOE Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Deputy Chancellor Phil Weinberg
CUNY-DOE Steering Committee
National leaders in developmental education and college readiness

2
 Research-based conclusions guiding
the task force’s work:
1. Close collaboration with the NYCDOE and other local schools is essential to a)
communicate standards of college readiness, b) encourage students to complete a
rigorous college preparatory curriculum, including more advanced math, and c)
partner on key initiatives to identify and intervene with students who may need
extra support as soon as possible.
2. Assigning students to developmental education may have far-reaching, unintended
negative consequences. It may discourage students from pursuing college, impede
early academic momentum for those who do attend, and contribute to attrition.
3. Test scores alone are relatively poor predictors of student success. The use of high
school grades can help CUNY place students more accurately, but all placement
methods lack precision. CUNY should “err” on the side of giving students access to
credit-bearing courses, with academic support to maximize their chances for
success.
4. Timely and consistent advisement is needed to help students choose a
developmental path because CUNY’s many interventions vary in terms of time
commitment, cost, outcomes, and alignment with intended majors. 3
 Conclusions guiding the task force’s
work (continued):
5. Developmental sequences should be structured so that students can complete
them as effectively and efficiently as possible. Co-requisite models are especially
effective (in which developmental students are placed directly into credit courses
with extra support).
6. Developmental math sequences should be aligned with students’ intended course
of study. Students are more likely to be engaged by and learn well in courses that
are relevant and contextualized. Students may also benefit from cognitive and
behavioral tools that increase engagement, performance, and persistence.
7. The need for academic support does not end with developmental course work,
especially in math. Students taking credit-bearing math courses from algebra to
calculus, and including quantitative reasoning and statistics, can benefit from
enhanced support.

4
 Implications of Current Research and
Evidence-Based Practice for CUNY
• Reduce overreliance on high stakes testing for placement into and exit from
developmental education.
• Developmental education must be as efficient and effective as possible:
students need to begin right away and have a path to early exit and credit-
bearing coursework. Shorter sequences, co-requisite models, proven non-
course based interventions are recommended.
• For students not intending to pursue a degree program with algebra
requirements, alternatives to algebra for demonstrating math proficiency
should be available, aligned with students’ academic and career interests.
• Improve the quality of instruction in developmental education; incorporate
best practices like active and adaptive learning strategies, applied and group
work, and frequent low-stakes assessments with feedback, to improve
academic quality and student learning outcomes.
• Align academic advising, communications and messaging, and
supplementary instruction with the goals of developmental education and
national best practices.

5
 Recommendations for
placement into developmental education
Recommendation In place for
Students who earn a 70 or higher on the Algebra 2 or Geometry Spring 2017
Regents or a 65 on the Algebra 2 Regents will be exempt from admissions
developmental courses. Passage of the Algebra 2 course is not a
requirement.
Incorporate high school grades into placement decisions. Spring 2018
admissions
Improve support for students prior to taking placement tests By fall 2016 for
spring 2017
admissions
Allow students who score just below the cut point on placement By spring 2017
tests to complete a short intervention and re-take the test before for fall 2017
making a final placement decision. admissions
Revisit placement criteria and support services for adult Fall 2017
students, especially in math. admissions 6
 Recommendations for developmental
instruction and academic supports

Recommendation In place for

Require colleges to offer at least one alternative to elementary Fall 2017
algebra for students pursuing a non-algebra-intensive major that classes; plan
is better aligned with the student’s intended path of study. (May due to OAA Dec.
be developmental course or co-requisite credit course.) 2016
Strongly encourage colleges to incorporate developmental Fall 2017
instruction into credit-bearing courses (co-requisite model) classes
Encourage colleges to offer courses that combine content from Fall 2017
two currently separate developmental courses, such as classes
arithmetic and Elementary Algebra.
Improve advisement for students to help them choose among Fall 2017
developmental instruction options and encourage them to begin classes
developmental instruction as soon as possible.
Support colleges to improve student outcomes in math and other Fall 2017
STEM courses across the curriculum. 7
 Recommendations for exit from
developmental instruction

Recommendation In place for

Reduce high-stakes exit tests in developmental education. Elementary
Passing the top-level developmental course qualifies the student Algebra and
for exit. Reading: Fall
a) Elementary Algebra: CEAFE exam is 35% of the course grade. 2016;
b) Reading: either a departmental final or Accuplacer exam will Writing:
be no more than 35% of the course grade. Implementation
c) Writing: the CAT-W will be no more than 35% of the final of full
grade. admissions
d) Non-course based interventions (CUNY Start, USIP, CLIP): system.
CUNY will continue to assess the most appropriate markers
of proficiency.

All developmental students who nearly pass the course should Spring 2017
have access to a short post-semester intervention and a chance to classes
retake the final exam. 8
 In the coming weeks and months, we will work with
the colleges, Task Force, the discipline councils,
and faculty to refine and implement these plans
and seek financial support for them.
• The Developmental Task Force has resumed meetings to discuss
implementation.
• The Task Force will broaden its consultations, guidance and support for the
roll-out of other reforms in close collaboration with colleges and by engaging
the faculty.
• In August, the Central Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) issued new exit
policies and will continue to provide guidance on the implementation of the
reforms in this area.
• OAA will advise colleges on the anticipated enrollment implications of the
reforms as the implementation plans take shape.
• OAA will also announce placement policies for new SAT and Accuplacer
placement tests this month.
• CUNY will request additional funds from the city and private sources to support
these reforms.
9