Is the Corequisite Model Improving College Student Outcomes and Reducing Inequality? Evidence from Nevada Higher Education

Federick Ngo

Postsecondary remedial/developmental education has often not worked as intended and has instead exacerbated inequalities in higher education. I examine the impact of an alternative approach ? the co-requisite model ? where students enroll directly in college-level courses and are provided concurrent supports. I focus on the state-mandated co-requisite policy in Nevada, one of the most diverse but least college-educated states in the nation. I use regression discontinuity design to identify the causal effect of co-requisite placement on student outcomes, leveraging test score cutoffs that institutions use to assign students to co-requisite or standalone math and English courses. I am better able to isolate the effects of the shift to the co-requisite model than prior research since these cutoffs have largely not changed and because math co-requisites have remained algebra-based. Using a difference-in-regression-discontinuity design, I determine if the policy is reducing inequalities over time, focusing on grades, persistence, and credit attainment in all Nevada postsecondary institutions. Importantly, I can examine the impact on math learning outcomes in a subset of institutions with common departmental exams. Subgroup analyses by race/ethnicity, gender, class, and academic preparation allow me to identify whether the co-requisite policy is ameliorating longstanding inequities in Nevada higher education.

About Federick Ngo

Federick Ngo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His research examines the impact of higher education policy and practice on college access and success, with a focus on community college students. His work has examined the impact of developmental/remedial education and developmental education reforms, the persistence and attainment of marginalized and under-served students in the community college setting (e.g., undocumented students; Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander students; students with disabilities), the role of math in college access, and other topics in higher education (e.g., college rankings; college athletics). He teaches courses focused on economics, finance, and policy in higher education, comparative/international higher education, and diversity in higher education. He was formerly a high school math teacher in Oakland, California, and earned his Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California.