In 2013, the Florida legislature drastically restructured developmental education placement and instruction through Senate Bill 1720. The new law mandates that the 28 state colleges (formerly the community colleges) in the Florida College System (FCS) provide developmental education that is more tailored to the needs of students. This law gives students much more flexibility in deciding whether they need developmental education and how they can go about receiving developmental education instruction. For many students, developmental education and placement tests are now optional regardless of prior academic preparation. In addition, developmental education must now be delivered through a variety of accelerated and co-requisite strategies. The legislation does not mandate the specific programmatic details around each option (it only requires that each option be provided), and therefore allows the individual campuses in the FCS some flexibility in the form and delivery of each option.
Project Publications
Hu, S., Mokher, C., Spencer, H., Park-Gaghan, T., Hu, X., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2019). Institutional transformation reflected: Administrators’ perceptions of the fifth year of developmental education reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Park, T., Mokher, C., Spencer, H., Hu, X., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2019). Increasing momentum for student success: Developmental education redesign and student progress in Florida. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Mokher, C., Spencer, H., Hu, X., Park, T., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2018). Exploring institutional change: Administrator’s perceptions of the fourth year of developmental education reform in the Florida college system. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Brower, R. L., Woods, C., Bertrand Jones, T., Park, T., Hu, S., Tandberg, D. A., Nix, A. N., Rahming, S. G., & Martindale, S. K. (2018). Scaffolding mathematics remediation for academically at-risk students following developmental education reform in Florida. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Hu, S., Bertrand Jones, T., Brower, R., Harrison, J., Sermon, J., Daniels, H., Park, T., & Mokher, C. (2018). Meeting the Needs of Students: Site Visit Report of the Fourth Year of Developmental Education Reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Mokher, C., Spencer, H., Hu, X., Park, T., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2018). Exploring Institutional Change: Administrator’s Perceptions of the Fourth Year of Developmental Education Reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Mokher, C. G., Harris, J., Park, T., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2017). Continuing adaptations: Administrators’ perceptions of the third year of developmental education reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success at Florida State University.
Brower, R., Bertrand Jones, T., Tandberg, D., Hu, S., & Park, T. (2017). A policy implementation typology of Florida’s developmental education reform. Journal of Higher Education, 88(6), 809-834.
Woods, C., Richard, K., Park, T., Tandberg, D., Hu, S., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2017). Academic advising, remedial courses, and legislative mandates: An exploration of academic advising in Florida community colleges with optional developmental education. Innovative Higher Education, 42(4), 289-303.
Hu, S., Bertrand Jones, T., Brower, R.L., Park, T., Nix, A., Rahming, S., Harrison, J., Sermon, J. & Daniels, H. (2017). Changes on the Ground: Site Visit Report of the Third Year of Developmental Education Reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Mokher, C., Harris, J., Park., T & Bertrand Jones, T. (2017). Continuing adaptions: Administrators’ perceptions of the third year of developmental education reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Park, T., Woods, C., Tandberg, D., Richard, K., Cig, O., Hu, S., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2016). Examining student success following developmental education redesign in Florida. Teachers College Record.
Hu, S., Park, T. J., Woods, C. S., Tandberg, D. A., Richard, K., & Hankerson, D. (2016). Investigating developmental and college-level course enrollment and passing before and after Florida’s developmental education reform (REL 2017–203). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
Hu, S., Richard, K., Woods, C., Nix, S., Tandberg, D. A., Park, T., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2016). Adapting to Change: Administrators’ Perceptions of the Second Year of Developmental Education Reform in the Florida College System. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Bertrand Jones, T., Brower, R., Nix, A., Martindale, S., Rahming, S., Park, T., & Tandberg, D. A. (2016). Learning to Adapt: Lessons from the Second Year of Developmental Education Reform at Florida College System Institutions. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Park, T., Woods, C., Richard, K., Tandberg, D. A., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2016). Probability of Success: Evaluation of Florida’s Developmental Education Redesign Based on Cohorts of First-Time-In-College Students from 2009-10 to 2014-15. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Park, T. J., Woods, C. S., Richard, K., Tandberg, D. A., Hu, S., Bertrand Jones, T. (2016). When developmental education is optional, what will students do? A preliminary analysis of survey data on student course enrollment decisions in an environment of increased choice. Innovative Higher Education, 41, 221-236.
Park, T. J., Tandberg, D. A., Hu, S., Hankerson, D. (2016). One policy, disparate reactions: Institutional responses in Florida’s developmental education reform. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(10), 824-837.
Hu, S., Bertrand Jones, T., Brower, R., Park, T., Tandberg, D., Nix, A., Rahming, S., & Martindale, S. (2015). Learning from the Ground Up: Developmental Education Reform at Florida College System Institutions. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Woods, C., Richard, K., Tandberg, D., Park, T., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2015). Diving into the Deep End: How State College Administrators in Florida Describe the First Year of Developmental Education Reform. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Park, T., Woods, C., Tandberg, D., Bertrand Jones, T., Hankerson, D., & Richard, K. (2015). How Students Make Course Enrollment Decisions in an Era of Increased Choice: Results from a Survey of Enrollment Patterns and Choice Factors. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Park, T., Tandberg, D., Hankerson, D., Collins, R., & Nix, A. (2014). Florida developmental education reform: Responses from the leaders of Florida College System institutions. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Tandberg, D. A., Park, T., Nix, A., Collins, R., & Hankerson, D. (2014). Florida developmental education reform: What do the Florida College System institutions plan to do? Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Hu, S., Tandberg, D.A., Park, T., Nix, A. Collins, R. & Hankerson, D. (2014). Policy Brief 1, Developmental education reform in Florida: Perceptions of institutional leaders and plans for institutional actions. Tallahassee, FL: Center for Postsecondary Success.
Woods, C.S., Richard, K., Park, T. Tandberg, D.A., Hu, S., & Bertrand Jones, T. (2016). Academic advising, remedial courses, and legislative mandates: An exploration of academic advising in Florida community colleges with optional developmental education. Innovative Higher Education, doi:10.1007/s10755-016-9385-4.
