Three years after the passage of the Developmental Education Reform Act (DERA), PCC created the Illinois Developmental Education Equity in Action Network, a two-year cohort that provides 17 colleges and universities with the technical assistance needed to reform their developmental education programs in line with state requirements. The group officially launched in December 2023 and has been meeting regularly to discuss ways that practitioners can navigate the changing requirements of developmental education.
As part of ongoing efforts to educate IDEEA participants about these changes, PCC will host its inaugural IDEEA Exchange, Oh DERA! Navigating Change to Make Progress and Transform Developmental Education on April 26. The virtual gathering will focus on how our community of practice can intentionally establish the conditions for students to succeed in gateway English and math courses. Change is difficult and only achievable with a coherent plan or a cohesive team working collaboratively toward similar goals and objectives. This convening is intended to offer time and space for IDEEA institutional partners to exchange lessons learned in the process of implementing their respective DERA plans.
The IDEEA Exchange will include a keynote address from nationally focused Student-Ready Strategies, a case study presentation led by Saint Xavier University’s math redesign team and a session from PCC’s public policy team to comment on the DERA legislation.
Additionally, PCC will unveil a Progress Report on Reforming Developmental Education in Illinois, its latest report that focuses on the implementation of DERA. Attendees will be presented with outcome data on multiple measures of placement and the various models Illinois institutions use to reform developmental education course delivery.