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In 2011, the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) redesigned the DE mathematics curriculum from three 16-week courses (48 weeks) into eight 4-week courses (32 weeks), based on mastery (NCCCS, 2013). This reduction was done so that the entire sequence could be completed in one year (NCCCS, 2011b). Different time frames for accelerated courses were evaluated and it was determined that the 4-week model worked best in designing accelerated courses (Austin & Gustafson, 2006). Overlap of redundant course material was eliminated and multiple points of successfully exiting DE were established, based upon the credit-bearing, college-level course that was needed for a program of study (NCCCS, 2011b). Each 4-week course was graded on a mastery system of 80%. Students that did not meet the 80% mastery requirement were immediately re-enrolled in the same module for the next four weeks. Hence, students were not getting slowed down in repeating long courses, but instead immediately repeating the 4-week course they did not master. The shortened class lengths allowed students to repeat courses in the same semester, rather than waiting 16-weeks to repeat a course. Students needing three 4-week mathematics modules could repeat one module and still finish in one semester. Consequently, students were able to move on to college-level, credit-bearing courses more quickly. The acceleration of the sequence leads to discussions of the effect of acceleration on the retention of material. Jaggars and Hodara (2011) questioned whether acceleration of DE mathematics courses hinders student progression and learning. Edgecombe (2011) discussed the benefits of accelerating the sequence, which included less time, greater persistence, increased retention of knowledge, and the creation of an environment of rigor needed in the subsequent courses. The shortened course length allowed students to study and master one topic at a time, shortening the time for forgetting mathematics concepts in between courses (Edgecombe, 2011). One purpose of the NCCCS redesign of DE coursework was to increase the subsequent course pass-rate for DE students completing a credit-bearing gateway course. It is essential to evaluate the success of students in subsequent courses in order to determine the effectiveness of the new structure and acceleration, which may have value for other institutions exploring accelerated course-design options. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the NCCCS redesign in improving subsequent gateway course success rates among students who took the accelerated 4-week DE mathematics courses versus the prior 16-week courses. Twelve community colleges from the North Carolina system were chosen to participate in this study.

The Effect of Acceleration on Subsequent Course Success Rates Based on the North Carolina Developmental Mathematics Redesign