2016 Reports

Is Corequisite Remediation Cost-Effective? Early Findings From Tennessee

Belfield, Clive; Jenkins, Paul Davis; Lahr, Hana Elizabeth

In fall 2015, with leadership from the Tennessee Board of Regents, the 13 community colleges in Tennessee implemented corequisite remediation at scale for math, writing, and reading. Under the corequisite model, academically unprepared students take entry-level college courses simultaneously with remedial academic support. The corequisite model differs from the conventional approach in which remediation is provided as a prerequisite to college-level coursework.

This brief examines the cost-effectiveness of the corequisite remediation model as it was implemented in Tennessee in fall 2015. Using transcript data and information on costs, the authors estimate the net effect of corequisite remediation on passing the initial college-level math and writing sequences and find that there are gains in cost-effectiveness in moving from prerequisite to corequisite remediation. Based on these Tennessee data, the success rates from corequisite remediation indicate a more efficient instructional system for students who enter college academically underprepared.