Investigation of Remedial Education Course Scores as a Predictor of Introduction-Level Course Performances A Case Analysis at One For-Profit Institution

This study explores whether performance in remedial English and remedial math is a predictor of success in a college-level introduction English or college-level math class; and whether demographic variables increase the likelihood of remedial English and remedial math as a predictor of success in a college-level introduction English or college-level introduction math course. Participants included two cohorts of students from a degree-granting, for-profit institution taking either face-to-face or online courses. There were 1,091 students for math and 1,297 students for English in the fall quarter of 2007 cohort and 1,098 students for math and 1,372 students for English in the fall quarter 2008 cohort. Analysis showed that remedial class performances for both math and English were weakly associated with college-level class performance. Additionally, results showed that family income and race/ethnicity appear to be significant predictors of performance in their corresponding college-level course.