Opinions of the success or failure of state supported post secondary remediation through the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP)

Abstract

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), mandated by House Bill 2182 (1987), requires all postsecondary state institutions to provide the developmental coursework for those students who fail to pass one or more of three TASP test sections (reading, mathematics, and writing). This study's purpose was to examine the opinions of TASP program directors, and English and mathematics faculty at selected state supported institutions of higher education regarding the success or failure of the TASP program. The data was collected from two questionnaires, one which was completed by TASP program directors and the other by randomly selected English and mathematics instructors. The type of institution and the responses to the questionnaires were the variables analyzed. Results indicate a significant difference in the opinions of university level English and mathematics faculty and those of jr./technical college faculty in regard to the effectiveness of the TASP program. Over half of jr. /technical college faculty responded that TASP was successful in comparison to one-third of university level faculty who responded that TASP was successful. TASP program directors indicated elements for successful developmental programs are operational in Texas institutions. Conclusions indicate: (1) Although TASP benefits the younger, traditional student, the older student receives the greatest benefit; (2) the tracking process is difficult; (3) students are subjected to too much testing; (4) TASP cannot compensate for 12 years of inadequate public school instruction; (5) continued funding is the primary concern of TASP administrators; and (6) a final decision on the success or failure of the TASP program would be premature in this study; with the lack of hard data, the researcher had to rely on opinions. Recommendations include: (1) The state should continue to authorize funding for developmental programs; (2) the state should facilitate implementation of interactive programs for high schools, two-year colleges and universities; (3) colleges and universities should consider establishing relationships with private industry and other businesses to bolster funding; (4) the establishment of more graduate programs in developmental education; and (5) an external evaluation of the TASP program by an agency that is neither state nor federally funded.