“Now Let Us Shift”: A Case Study of Developmental Education Reform in a Hispanic Serving Community College

Authors

Audrey Baca

Abstract

Background: Latina/o/x students who persist to college are likely to enter through community college (Contreras & Contreras, 2018) and until the enactment of California Assembly Bill 705, would have been susceptible to placement in developmental education courses (Rodriguez, Cuellar Mejia, & Johnson, 2018). The implementation of AB 705 shifted the requirements for new student placement in all 115 California Community Colleges. With compliance mandated by Fall 2019, the law required colleges to "maximize the probability" that entering students enroll and complete transfer-level English or mathematics within a one-year timeframe and within a three-year timeframe for students enrolled in English as a Second Language courses (A. B. 705, 2017, para. 2).

Purpose: This study examined organizational changes related to developmental education reform, AB 705, at a Hispanic Serving Community College.

Methodology: This instrumental case study, at a Hispanic Serving Community College, employed various data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, document collection and analysis, physical artifact collection, and observations. Primarily, the enquiry focused on learning from eleven participants (faculty, staff, and administration) who were strategically involved in reform efforts.

Conclusions: The findings identified structural and procedural changes to the placement process as well as existing supplemental supports and curriculum at the research site. Barriers and supports for faculty, staff, and administration influenced the change process and the perceived implications for equitable student outcomes of students. As all community colleges throughout the state are required to comply with AB 705, this study may be of interest to those invested in similar change processes.

Author Statement

Audrey Baca, Ed.D. Dr. Baca is a 2019 graduate of the CSUSB, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program and is currently a Program Specialist and Holmes Program Coordinator for the Ed.D. program. Her work was supervised by Dr. Nancy Acevedo, Dr. Edna Martinez, and Dr. Carmen Carrasquillo Jay.

Recommended Citation

Baca, Audrey (2021) "“Now Let Us Shift”: A Case Study of Developmental Education Reform in a Hispanic Serving Community College," Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice: Vol. 11: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/wie/vol11/iss1/4