Remedial courses questioned

About half the first-time freshmen taking remedial classes in Utah colleges and universities are fresh out of high school, states a preliminary report released Friday to the State Board of Regents.

It's a number that seems to give fuel to the march toward relieving the state of its funding obligation for remedial or "developmental" courses, at least for those right out of high school.

"I'm not surprised," Gov. Olene Walker told the Deseret Morning News.

The new numbers are in line with estimates discussed when Walker told school presidents last December to come up with plans by July for stand-alone, self-sustaining facilities for all remediation courses.

"That's where we're going," said Commissioner of Higher Education Rich Kendell. Within the next two months, he added, regents will have a new policy on remediation.

Deseret Morning News graphic Remedial classes Requires Adobe Acrobat.

Legislators estimated last session that the state could save about $3 million if students funded remediation on their own. The 2004 Legislature passed a resolution that also puts pressure on higher education to solve its remediation funding woes.

The new report published by the Utah System of Higher Education shows that from fall 1998 to fall 2003, an average each year of 3,373 first-time freshmen — 17 percent of the total freshman student population — were enrolled in remedial classes throughout the system.

Of that group, 48 percent entered college within 12 months of high school graduation, according to the report. About three-quarters of those students needed remediation in math while the rest needed help in composition, reading and English as a second language.

Phyllis Safman, USHE assistant commissioner for academic affairs, said more information will be gathered in areas like age, ethnicity and gender of those taking remedial courses and how much the classes help with a student's overall success in college.

Analysis of the latest data appears to point the finger at public schools for not better preparing students for college.