New report: Tennessee Community Colleges mark decade of progress in student success through developmental education reform

A new report from the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) highlights a decade of transformative progress in student success at the state's community colleges, driven by reforms to academic support known as corequisite learning support.

Each year, two-thirds of incoming students at Tennessee community colleges are identified as academically underprepared in math, reading, or writing. These students often face barriers to success before they even begin credit-bearing coursework, making innovation in academic support a critical priority for the state’s colleges.

The new report documents how Tennessee became the first college system in the nation to replace traditional developmental education at community colleges with corequisite learning support. Under the previous model, students were required to complete non-credit remedial courses before enrolling in college-level classes — a process that often delayed progress and discouraged persistence. In contrast, the corequisite model allows students to enroll directly in credit-bearing math and writing courses while receiving targeted academic assistance, enabling them to earn college credit immediately while building the skills they need to succeed.

The report also outlines the next phase of reform, including expanded student coaching models, targeted tutoring, and new placement practices that ensure students receive the right support at the right time.

“Tennessee and TBR have been innovating in student success for many years, and the imperative around innovations to address academic preparation challenges is of critical importance,” said Dr. Flora W. Tydings, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. “Since launching corequisite learning support at scale a decade ago, we have been steadfast in seeking better ways to improve student learning and success. The results of these reform efforts from the last few years illustrate how hard work among our faculty and staff, as well as clever innovation design and faithful implementation, can have a significant impact on helping students succeed.”

Learn more: View the full report, entitled "Gaining Ground: A Decade of Student Success with Corequisite Learning Support at Tennessee Community Colleges"

A Statewide Strategy for Student Success 

Tennessee's reform work has shown promising results. Since implementing corequisite support in 2015, Tennessee's community colleges have seen student success rates in gateway math and writing courses more than double, with math completion increasing from 12 percent to 47 percent and writing completion from 31 percent to 67 percent. Students enrolled in corequisite models are now twice as likely to complete an associate degree within three years, demonstrating the long-term impact of these reforms on student persistence and graduation.

According to data included in the report, the corequisite learning reforms have played a pivotal role in advancing Tennessee’s statewide attainment agenda by enabling more students to complete college-level math and English within their first year, which is a key milestone strongly correlated with long-term completion and employment outcomes.

A National Model for Reform 

Nationally, more than one million students begin college each year in developmental education courses that do not count toward a degree. Research has shown that fewer than one in 10 students who start in traditional remedial sequences ever graduate from community college within three years. A 2024 Washington Monthly investigation referred to these courses as "Higher Education’s Bermuda Triangle”, where students often enter but few ever emerge with a credential.

By replacing traditional barriers with corequisite learning support, Tennessee’s community colleges have demonstrated that scalable, evidence-based reform can dramatically improve student outcomes and reduce time to degree — a model now being replicated by states nationwide. These reforms have strengthened the state’s capacity to meet employer demand for skilled talent in high-growth fields.

“Tennessee’s leadership has fundamentally reshaped how states and system leaders think about student success,” said Dr. Victoria Ballerini, director of Strong Start to Finish, an initiative of the Education Commission of the States. “A decade ago, Tennessee was a trailblazer in this movement—setting the standard for reform and expanding access to credit-bearing courses for thousands of students. Today, the state is once again leading the way, testing innovations designed to refine those early models — and meet the needs of the next generation of learners. It’s a powerful blueprint for state policymakers and higher education leaders across the nation.”

For more information and to read the full report, visit the Tennessee Board of Regents website