Corequisite Course Models in California Community Colleges: Implementation Variation and Challenges

Fewer than one third of students who are assessed as not meeting college readiness standards and placed into traditional developmental education (DE) complete their DE sequences and move on to college-level coursework (Bailey et al., 2010). Research suggests that allowing these students to enroll directly into introductory college-level courses—either with concurrent DE or in lieu of DE—is an effective alternative approach to increasing completion (Cho et al., 2012; Jenkins et al., 2010; Park-Gaghan et al., 2020). Experimental and quasi-experimental evidence suggests that many students placed into DE may be able to pass college-level gateway courses where they can immediately earn college credit (Attewell et al., 2006; Logue et al., 2016; Scott-Clayton et al., 2014; Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2015).

As more community colleges and systems move away from DE and encourage students to enroll in introductory college-level coursework to complete their math and English requirements, it is critical to provide students with additional academic supports to help them succeed. One such model is the corequisite course, a model that offers introductory, transfer-level sections in math or English linked with a separate support lab to provide academic remediation. Typically, students register separately for the main course and the support lab. In some cases, students may receive course credits or units for both the lecture and support lab.

Research has shown that corequisites can produce higher completion rates than prerequisite remediation (Boatman, 2012; Cho et al., 2012; Jenkins et al., 2010; Logue et al., 2016; Logue et al., 2019; Ran & Lin, 2022). However, analyses in California present a less uniform picture of outcomes among students enrolled in corequisite courses. While corequisite courses produced higher completion rates in some cases, including among Latino and Black students, there has been considerable variation in outcomes among students enrolling in community college corequisite courses statewide. Indeed, while some colleges have seen improved outcomes among students enrolled in corequisite courses, others have experienced higher completion rates among students in course sections without cocurricular support and significantly lower completion rates among students enrolled in corequisite courses (Cuellar Mejia et al., 2023).

This paper draws on mixed-methods data collected as part of a larger study on the implementation and impact of AB 705, a law requiring California community colleges to revise their placement processes to maximize the likelihood of students completing introductory, transfer-level math and English coursework within one year. In response to AB 705, most California community colleges have not only revised placement approaches, but have also reduced their DE offerings and enrolled many incoming students into introductory, transfer-level coursework in math and English with various cocurricular supports, including corequisites. This paper highlights trends in the implementation of the corequisite model in California community colleges in terms of 1) the 2 prevalence of institutions offering course sections with corequisite support, 2) the variation in the implementation of the model, and 3) the challenges of implementation.