INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AND COURSES: DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION

“Developmental education” includes non-credit developmental education courses or non-course-based developmental education interventions, such as co-requisites, tutorials, laboratories, interactive modules, and other means of assistance that may be included in a student's academic plan to help the student succeed in entry-level academic coursework.

An institution of higher education, including a college district, may refer a student to developmental coursework, including basic academic skills education, as considered necessary by the institution to address a student's deficiencies in the student's readiness to perform freshman-level academic coursework, except that the institution may not require enrollment in developmental coursework with respect to a student previously determined under Education Code 51.338(d) or by any institution of higher education to have met college-readiness standards. An institution of higher education that requires a student to enroll in developmental coursework must offer a range of developmental coursework, including online coursework, or instructional support that includes the integration of technology to efficiently address the particular developmental needs of the student.

Education Code 51.336(a)-(b), 19 TAC 4.53(10) [See EI for information on the Texas Success Initiative]

Corequisite Model

Each institution of higher education, including each college district, shall develop and implement for developmental coursework, other than adult basic education or basic academic skills education, developmental education using a corequisite model under which a student concurrently enrolls in a developmental education course and a freshman-level course in the same subject area for each subject area for which the student is referred to developmental coursework. Each institution shall ensure that at least 75 percent of the institution's students enrolled in developmental coursework other than adult basic education or basic academic skills education are enrolled in developmental coursework described by this policy.

If a student fails to satisfactorily complete a freshman-level course described above, the institution of higher education shall:

1. Review the plan developed for the student under Education Code 51.335(a) and, if necessary, work with the student to revise the plan; and

2. Offer to the student a range of competency-based education programs to assist the student in becoming ready to perform freshman-level academic coursework in the applicable subject area.

Each institution of higher education shall develop and implement corequisite model(s) of developmental education for developmental mathematics and integrated reading/writing (IRW) courses and interventions for all the institution's non-exempt students. An institution may enroll the following students in a developmental education course as necessary to address deficiencies in the students' readiness to perform freshman-level academic coursework:

1. A student assessed at Diagnostic levels 1-4 on the Coordinating Board-approved TSI Assessment;

2. A student enrolled in adult education; or

3. A student enrolled in a degree plan not requiring an entry-level academic mathematics course.

Education Code 51.336(c)-(d); 19 TAC 4.61(b)-(c)

Research-Based

Best Practices

Each institution of higher education shall develop and administer a developmental education program using research-based practices that include all of the following components:

1. Assessment;

2. Differentiated placement and instruction based on an individual student's skills, strengths, and needs;

3. Faculty development;

4. Student support services;

5. Program evaluation;

6. Integration of technology; and

7. Non-course-based options.

As part of item 2, above, an institution shall offer an Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW) course/intervention at the highest level (just below college-readiness as determined by the institution) by spring 2015.

As part of item 7, above, each institution shall offer at least one section of each entry-level academic course per developmental education subject area that incorporates non-course-based interventions (NCBO).

Education Code 51.336(e); 19 TAC 4.61(a), (e)

Funding

Public community colleges shall not submit for formula funding any hours for remedial and developmental courses and/or interventions for which a student has exceeded 18 semester credit hours, or 27 semester credit hours if the developmental coursework is English for speakers of other languages. Education Code 51.340(a); 19 TAC 13.107(b)