College Remediation Rates Vary
Slight decline seen in math; increases found in reading, English
Last updated Friday, February 2, 2007 9:53 PM CST in News
By Rose Ann Pearce
The Morning News
The number of first-time college students at the University of Arkansas who need remediation in math appears to be dropping, while remediation in English and reading has increased slightly over the last two years, according to a report released Friday by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Statewide, more than half of new college students still have to take remedial classes, but the number is the lowest in 20 years, the report states.
Remedial courses are mandatory at state colleges and universities for students entering with less than a 19 on the ACT entrance exam. The state report shows 52.6 percent of the 18,838 first-time freshmen scored below 19. The score indicates which remedial courses the students must take.
Students must pay to take remedial courses but receive no credit toward graduation. The courses are intended to prepare students for more rigorous college course work.
"I hope and believe our efforts to get more focused and with more rigorous work (at the high school level) is paying some dividends," Springdale Superintendent Jim Rollins said Friday. "It's a positive indicator."
Rollins is a leading proponent of high school reform in Arkansas to better prepare students for college or work after their high school graduation.
About 10 years ago, Springdale had a higher education remediation rate of 18 percent, meaning 18 percent of the graduates who entered college had to take one or more remedial courses.
"That was the lowest in my career," Rollins said.
The remediation rate for Springdale graduates now stands at 35 percent, influenced over the years by changing demographics, poverty and the number of students taking the ACT.
"That's still too high," Rollins said, noting that the Springdale rate is below the state level.
At NorthWest Arkansas Community College, 63 percent of first-time freshmen were assigned to math remediation, down about three percentage points since 2004.
The two-year Bentonville college also posted a slight gain in the number of students who were remediated in English and in reading.
President Becky Paneitz said the numbers reflect the demographics at the two-year college, where many are older, nontraditional students who are coming to college after being in the work force for several years.
Nontraditional students typically may need remediation to get up to speed for college-level courses, Paneitz said. The college is particuarly concerned about recent high school graduates who had a good grade average but enter college in need of remediation.
Paneitz sid the 63 percent remediation rate in math is unacceptable.
A gap exists between what they are learning in high school and what they need to learn for college and points to a need for better communication and coordination between colleges and universities and high schools, Paneitz said.
At a glance
Remediation
Arkansas colleges and universities enrolled 18,838 first-time freshmen last fall. Of those:
* 8,846 students, or 45 percent, needed remediation in math.
* 5,951 or 32 percent, required remediation in English.
* 5,498, or 29 percent, had to take remediation in reading.
Among the 2,784 first-time freshmen at the University of Arkansas,
* 249 students, or 9 percent, were assigned to remediation in math.
* 161, or 6 percent, needed remediation in English.
* 165, or 6 percent, required remediation in reading.
At NorthWest Arkansas Community College,
* 567, or 63 percent of the 1,051 first-time freshmen needed remediation in math.
* 407, or 45 percent, required remediation in English.
* 358, or 38 percent, were assigned to remediation in reading.
Source: Higher Education Coordinating Board report
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My ACT: 26, Math: 16; English: 35 wrote on Feb 3, 2007 5:25 PM: