The Importance of Institutional Data Reporting Quality for Understanding Dev-Ed Math Enrollment and Outcomes

Student placement test records, course enrollments, and other student-level data collected by community colleges are vital for evaluating the outcomes of students in developmental education (dev-ed) courses. Researchers and policymakers rely on this information to examine the impact of existing programs and assess ongoing reforms to dev-ed-the accuracy of state administrative data is critical to those tasks. In this study, we examine math placement records in a statewide administrative data set to understand how test records provided by colleges in the state aligned with student course enrollment patterns. We highlight systematic data reporting problems, where many students lacked test scores and test exemption records necessary for policymakers and researchers to determine if they enrolled in the appropriate coursework for their needs. We also found that a non-negligible proportion of students enrolled in dev-ed math-10%-did not require remediation due to exemption status or passing placement test scores. We conclude with a discussion of the pressing need for accuracy in data reporting, as up-to-date, high quality student-level data are essential to evaluate ongoing reforms to developmental education.