Borst and Cordrey (1984) reported on the implementation of a skills prerequisite system at Fullerton College. This involved mandatory assessment of learning skills, followed by prescriptive mandatory placement in remedial instruction, if necessary, prior to any enrollment in skill-dependent entry-level courses. It first required identification of the basic skills necessary to succeed in entry-level courses, with the addition of an experimental phase in which students were placed in 13 entry-level classes.
A 2-year follow-up study of the program implementation found a decline in withdrawal rates from 38% in 1977 to 21% in 1983, along with improvements in grade point average for those students who participated in remedial classes in basic skills during their first semester of enrollment (Borst and Cordrey, 1984). The authors did not, however, focus on specific placement instruments or informal assessment processes.
Prerequisite Waivers and Counselor Overrides
...