Post-Reform Placement and Writing Proficiency in Community College Transfer-Level Composition Courses

Objective: Extensive reform has been implemented in community colleges across the nation to help expedite the attainment of students’ academic goals of degree completion and transfer to 4-year institutions. Reform at the institution in this study resulted in replacement of the college writing placement exam and the precollegiate course sequence with an online assessment questionnaire by which students were provided with an automated recommendation based on their high school records to enroll into one of two versions of the transfer-level composition course, either with or without a support course. Examined are: (1) whether students who need the most writing support are effectively positioning themselves to receive it; and (2) whether the new placement policy improves students’ chances for college success while examining its impact on specific student subgroups. Method: An analytic writing assessment and survey were administered to students. Compared are students’ scores on the assessment, their self-reported high-school GPA, and their final course grades. Results: Findings show: (1) no significant differences in academic writing proficiency between students enrolled in the two course types; (2) students mostly followed the college’s recommendation for enrollment based on their high school GPA, which is found to be weakly related to their measured levels of writing proficiency; and (3) generally high course pass rates of students at all levels of proficiency. Contribution: This study generates data that can help inform policy and practice in community colleges and clarify ways to best support students in composition toward achieving their academic goals of degree attainment and transfer.