How the Effects of Postsecondary Remedial and Developmental Courses Vary by Level of Academic Preparation

This article examines the impact of remedial and developmental courses on college students with varying levels of academic preparedness, thus focusing on a wider range of students than previous studies. The authors provide causal estimates of the effects of placement in different levels of remedial courses on short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes at both 2- and 4-year colleges.

Similar to other research, the authors find that remediation has negative effects for students on the margin of needing one developmental course. However, for students with lower levels of academic preparation, the effects of remediation are estimated to be positive in some subjects.

These strongest  effects were observed for students at 2-year institutions.