Research Brief - September 2023 - Lessons from the Dana Center’s Corequisite Research Design Collaborative Study

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Research Brief September 2023 examines how corequisite remediation in community colleges and four-year institutions supports students who are underprepared for gateway math and English. It describes a collaborative initiative launched in 2020 across four partner colleges, guided by evidence-based, equity-minded course model design and holistic supports. Findings draw on interviews, focus groups, observations, and a survey of 171 students during fall 2021 and spring 2022, addressing implementation practices, leadership perspectives, and stakeholder and student experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Data Sources and Analysis

Interviews, focus groups, and observations

Online student survey and enrollment data

Research Brief \ September 2023 Lessons from the Dana Center’s Corequisite Research Design Collaborative Study Oscar Cerna, Vivianna Plancarte, Julia Raufman, Jorge Mahecha-Rodriguez, with Ellen Wasserman Research has shown that the traditional system of multisemester prerequisite developmental education hinders academic progress for large numbers of students and has disproportionately negative effects on students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.1 In response, there has been an increased national interest in implementing corequisite remediation in community colleges and four-year institutions, with the goal of better helping incoming students complete gateway college-level math and English courses.2 Corequisite remediation involves placing students who have been designated as underprepared directly into collegelevel courses with corequisite supports—such as in-class tutoring, online learning labs, or a supplemental class— rather than making them take non-credit-bearing developmental courses first. As multiple studies conducted across the country demonstrate that granting students access to college-level courses through corequisite remediation leads to improved student outcomes, the number of corequisite courses—and the number of colleges that offer them—has increased.3 Despite the plethora of studies, there are still questions about which practices can address the needs of diverse groups of students, particularly students who struggle with basic math or English skills. Additionally, multiple research studies illuminate how equity issues persist in college and course placement among some student subpopulations, such as Hispanic or Latino and Black students.4 More evidence is needed to better understand how corequisite courses affect students’ ability to complete their course and graduation CAPR \ Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness requirements, and future research should examine how different student groups fare indifferent types of corequisite courses. Starting in 2020, through the Corequisite Research Design Collaborative (CRDC), the Charles A. Dana Center designed an initiative for implementing equity-minded, holistic corequisite course models to scale at four partner institutions.5 These institutions comprise three Minnesota colleges—Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and St. Cloud State University—and Houston Community College in Texas.6 The goals of the collaborative are to dramatically increase the number of students enrolled in corequisite courses that are implemented with evidence-based design principles and to encourage students’ self-advocacy in class. These principles guided the design and delivery of instruction and cocurricular supports that help students complete gateway math and English courses.7 Researchers from the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR), led by MDRC and the Community College Research Center, partnered with the Charles A. Dana Center to study and offer formative feedback about the implementation of corequisite course models at the four participating colleges (though the study was not meant to measure the fidelity or efficacy of a particular model) . The researchers also sought to better understand if and how the corequisite courses integrated an equity focus that better supported students’academic and cultural learning styles in order to reduce the equity gaps that exist in math and English course completion. Three research questions guided the evaluation study: 1. How did the CRDC colleges implement holistic student supports in gateway corequisite math and English courses? 2. What did corequisite course leaders at the CRDC colleges consider to be the successes and challenges of implementing their courses? What were their strategies for improvement? 3. How did students, faculty, and other stakeholders experience the holistic corequisite courses? What successes and challenges

FAQs

What problem does the brief address about traditional prerequisite developmental education?

It argues that multisemester prerequisite developmental education slows academic progress and harms students of color and students from low-income backgrounds more than others.

What does corequisite remediation mean in this study?

It places designated underprepared students directly into credit-bearing gateway courses with corequisite supports such as tutoring, online labs, or a supplemental class rather than starting with non-credit developmental coursework.

How did the collaborative study the implementation and impact of corequisite course models?

It used interviews, focus groups, and researchers’ observations, plus an online student survey administered to students enrolled in corequisite math or English during fall 2021 or spring 2022.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys