From 2018 to 2023, enrollment in developmental education courses dropped by an estimated 64,000 students. However, disparities in gateway course completion rates persist for students in corequisite models, particularly for Black students. Additionally, research shows that some students are delaying enrollment in required math and English courses.

What is DERA?

In March 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed the historic HB 2170–the Education and Workforce Equity Act. Through the leadership of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and with a broad coalition of advocates, including PCC, the comprehensive bill centered on dismantling systemic racism across multiple sectors, including in education and workforce development, and established the Developmental Education Reform Act (DERA).

PCC was awarded a new, multi-year grant from Ascendium Education Group in 2026 to continue the next phase of DERA research and implementation strategies. The grant supports PCC’s work with institutions that are interested in implementing corequisite models of support, placing students into credit-bearing courses with additional, differentiated supports that help students succeed. This follows PCC’s initial September 2021 award, granted in partnership with the state’s community college governing body, the Illinois Community College Board. 

Click here to read the latest PCC report on DERA implementation, showing successes, areas for improvement, and future metrics to evaluate change.

DERA Goals

  • Address the widespread structural inequality of community college students placed into developmental education courses.
  • Present examples of how state agencies and private organizations can leverage collective knowledge and resources to support state policy implementation primarily at community colleges.
  • Work with ICCB and other key stakeholders to produce resources and gather state-level data to build context and awareness for the need to reform traditional developmental education models.
  • Employ a comprehensive campaign to build our collective capacity to support colleges in undertaking remedial reform on their campuses.
  • Cultivate a collaborative of statewide faculty champions to build knowledge, awareness, and support for adopting corequisite developmental reform models aligned with the evidence-based approaches.
  • Highlight opportunities that exist for institutions operating within the same policy and legislative ecosystem to work collaboratively toward a unified purpose.

Network of Partners

Latest DERA Blog Posts

Institutional Partnerships IDEEA Cohort 2025 Institution Logos

PCC Announces the Next Cohort of the Illinois Developmental Education Equity in Action Network

• DERA, Featured, Institutional Partnerships, PCC Blog

Fourteen community colleges from around Illinois have made the commitment to reform their developmental education programs as a part of the Partnership for College Completion’s second cohort of...

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PCC Awarded Multi-Year Grant by Ascendium Education Group

• DERA, Featured, PCC Blog

The Partnership for College Completion was granted a transformative, multi-year award from Ascendium Education Group that will support the next phase of work on the Developmental Education Reform...

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Upcoming DERA Events

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