Corequisite Learning Support Placement and Outcomes by Students’ Income Status - Working Paper 2 - October 2021

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah

Corequisite Learning Support Placement and Outcomes by Students’ Income Status analyzes how Tennessee community college placement into corequisite learning support varies by students’ income background and how these placements relate to course completion and long-term persistence. Findings show low-income students were placed into learning support at higher rates from fall 2015 to 2019, and that low-income learning support students completed gateway math courses and later persisted and graduated at lower rates than non-low-income peers. Gaps remain even after accounting for academic preparation, race, and college factors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Summary of Findings

Learning Support & Equity at Tennessee Community Colleges

Background

Placement into Learning Support

Success in Learning Support

Gateway Course Enrollment

Gateway Course Success

A Closer Look at Math

First-Year Retention Rates

Three-Year Graduation Rates

Key Takeaways

Additional Resources & Data Appendix

Corequisite Learning Support Placement and Outcomes by Students’ Income Status Working Paper \#2 October 2021 Table of Contents Summary of Findings 3 | Learning Support & Equity at Tennessee Community Colleges | 4 | | --- | --- | | Placement into Learning Support | 5 | | Success in Learning Support | 9 | | Gateway Course Enrollment | 9 | | Gateway Course Success | 10 | | A Closer Look at Math | 12 | | First-Year Retention Rates | 13 | | Three-Year Graduation Rates | 14 | | Key Takeaways | 15 | | Additional Resources & Data Appendix | 16 | About this Project The College System of Tennessee is the state’s largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology, and the online TN eCampus. The system is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. This report is part of Gaining Momentum: Refining Corequisite Learning Support to Boost Student Success in the First Year and Beyond, a TBR project focused on identifying best practices and developing equity-focused data insights about corequisite learning support at community colleges. TBR is grateful to the Education Commission of the States’ Strong Start to Finish network for their support of this project. Click here to learn more about this project. Low-income students were placed into learning support at higher rates than non-low-income students . Students at Tennessee community colleges can be placed into corequisite learning support courses if they do not meet benchmarks for college readiness. From fall 2015 to 2019, 68% of low-income students were placed into learning support, compared to 49% of non-low-income students. Some students are placed into learning support for multiple subjects. Low-income students were placed in learning support for all three subjects at twice the rate of non-low-income students. Trends in learning support placement differed by college and region . At every community college in Tennessee from fall 2015 to 2019, low-income students were placed into learning support at higher rates than non-low-income students. Additionally, in all but four counties in Tennessee, lowincome students were placed into learning support at higher rates than their non-low-income peers. Placement rates were high for low-income students across the state. For example, at Nashville State Community College, 76% of low-income students wereplaced into learning support compared to 49% of nonlow-income students. At Southwest Tennessee Community College, 88% of low-income students wereplaced into learning support compared to 70% of nonlow-income students. Low-income learning support students completed gateway math courses at lower rates than non-low-income students . From fall 2015-2019, 36% of low-income students who were placed into learning support math completed a college-level math course by the end of their first year, compared to 43% of non-low-income students. This represents a seven-percentage point gap between lowincome and non-low-income students. Academic preparation may account for some of these differences, as low-income students had ACT math scores and high school GPAs that were lower, on average, than non-low-income students. However, even after using statistical methods to account for factors such as academic preparation, race, and college, lowincome students were three percentage points less likely than their non-low-income peers to complete gateway math courses within their first year of enrollment. Gaps in outcomes for low-income learning support students persisted in longer-term outcomes as well. Low-income students who were placed into learning support courses persisted and graduated at lower rates than non-low-income students in learning support. These gaps exist for every combination of learning support placement. Among low-income students who were placed into corequisite learning support at community colleges from fall 2015 to 2019, fewer than half returned for the fol

FAQs

How do placement rates into learning support differ by income status in Tennessee community colleges?

From fall 2015 to 2019, 68% of low-income students were placed into learning support versus 49% of non-low-income students, with higher placement rates for low-income students at every community college and in nearly all Tennessee counties.

Do low-income learning support students succeed in gateway math at the same rates as non-low-income students?

No. From fall 2015 to 2019, 36% of low-income students who were placed into learning support math completed a college-level math course by the end of their first year, compared with 43% of non-low-income students.

How persistent and graduation outcomes compare after placement into corequisite learning support, and do gaps remain long-term?

Gaps persist. Low-income students placed into learning support persisted and graduated at lower rates than non-low-income students across learning support placement combinations, and among low-income students placed into corequisite learning support, fewer than half returned the following year while only one in seven graduated within three years.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah