At their meeting today, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education were provided an update on the progress of efforts to implement corequisite coursework models in Oklahoma public higher education. Oklahoma was one of eight states selected in fall 2015 to participate in a three-year National Scaling Corequisite Initiative by Complete College America (CCA), an organization dedicated to increasing our nation’s college degree completion rate.
As a participant in the initiative, Oklahoma committed to and met its goals for corequesite remediation, including: by fall 2017, 90 percent of all state system students in need of academic support (remediation) were able to attend an institution offering corequisite remediation; and 75 percent of all state system students in need of academic support could enroll in corequisite remediation. All Oklahoma public institutions, including two research universities, 11 comprehensive universities, 12 community colleges and two technical branches, have been included in reform activities and have implemented the corequisite remediation model for college-level mathematics courses. Additionally, work has begun to offer corequisite courses and to develop one-year course pathways and align college-level mathematics courses by discipline. Representatives from Cameron University and Tulsa Community College presented an overview of corequisite development efforts on their campuses.
“The Oklahoma state system of higher education is pleased that all of our public colleges and universities are participating in yet another national initiative designed to strengthen our degree completion efforts,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “Corequisite courses give students the unique opportunity to move through remedial and gateway coursework more efficiently, so they can successfully complete their college degrees in less time.”
Corequisite remediation replaces traditional prerequisite remedial education sequences with support for students while they are enrolled in college-level gateway courses. Academic support is focused on the skills and competencies essential for success in the college-level course, and with more effective course placement and better alignment of gateway math courses with programs of study, many states have more than doubled the success of students completing their freshman English and math courses.
Corequisite models include the Accelerated Learning Program, a form of mainstreaming remedial students by enrolling them in college-level courses, often with non-remedial students, and enrolling them in an ALP companion course that offers supplemental instruction; Mandatory Lab or Tutoring, which delivers customized support to students enrolled in a traditional college-level course for an additional one to two hours per week in a required non-credit lab or tutoring session, addressing specific needs related to success in the course; and Sequenced Courses, which accelerate students through basic skills content and the common single-semester college-level math or English composition course in one semester. Under the Sequenced Courses model, students would attend class five days a week, with the first five weeks dedicated to basic skills support, followed by the college-level course. Other related models could include two-semester models, where a single-semester remedial course could be tightly aligned to a college-level course, providing an introduction of content in the course and requiring the student to commit to both courses in the freshman year.
Since 2011, Oklahoma has partnered with CCA to ensure production of a highly skilled, college-educated workforce to attract and retain quality jobs and help grow the state’s economy.
CCA’s Scaling Corequisitive Initiative, funded primarily by Lumina Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, with supplemental support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York, is an effort to dramatically increase the number of states and higher education institutions scaling corequisite academic support for students who would have otherwise been placed in traditional remedial education. CCA provides participating states with guidance, planning and evaluation assistance, and content experts from other states.