City College of New York and the California State University system has proposed that if developmental courses are offered to entering students, they must be successfully completed within the first year of enrollment. Students would not be allowed to enroll in developmental courses after twelve months of attending the institution. Some four-year institutions are already subcontracting developmental course work that is conducted on their campus to a neighboring community college. Examples include Northern Arizona University and Iowa State University. The previously mentioned individual actions stem from beliefs and trends that have become prominent with the national education scene.
Developmental education is viewed by some as another form of affirmative action .
With the current fervor by some to eliminate affirmative action and its proactive programs, it is untrue to cast developmental education's target population as students of color. Developmental studies have existed for more than 100 years at some of the nation's most prestigious campuses. And far before those campuses regularly admitted students of color or of low socioeconomic status. Developmental education courses help to water down the academic standards of all courses on campus. These are done by admissions officers, administrators, faculty committees, and state higher education executive offices.