Access, Enrollment, and Success in Transfer-Level English and Math in the California Community College System: Fall 2015 to Fall 2018 Statewide Analysis

The California Community College (CCC) system is now making changes to its assessment and placement processes under Assembly Bill (AB) 705. The bill focuses on colleges maximizing student completion of transfer-level English and math within one year. In anticipation of AB 705, numerous CCCs throughout the state had already begun adjusting English and math assessment and placement for fall 2018 to facilitate direct entry into transfer-level courses aligned with their degree or transfer goal. In order to begin understanding how the mandates of AB 705 will impact enrollment and success over time, a statewide analysis of student outcomes from fall 2015 to fall 2018 was conducted. This report explores outcomes in three key areas for students in transfer-level English and math courses in fall terms from 2015 to 2018: 1) access and enrollment, 2) success and performance, and 3) throughput. The report begins by discussing key findings in each of these areas, identifying specific research questions, providing detailed charts and tables with relevant data, and offering brief analyses of those charts and tables. Next, the report offers a short discussion of the limitations of this particular study, followed by a conclusion that reflects on the report's findings, explores what those findings might mean, and places the findings in the context of the big picture of assessment and placement in CCCs.