Remedial classes in colleges discouraged

The cost of remedial education in colleges and universities in Utah is paid mostly by the students. But according to state education leaders, it's a cost they shouldn't — and wouldn't — have to bear if they could learn those subjects in high school.

The success of developmental courses offered in college has long been an issue in the state. Members of the Utah Legislature, the State Board of Regents and State Board of Education agreed during a joint meeting Wednesday that a solution to the problem is not yet within grasp.

The number of students using the program is dwindling, but the fact that some still need to take the courses — intended to bring them up to speed with their peers in college-level courses — is a topic of concern for lawmakers.

"We need to look at the student's math ability coming out of high school," said Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights. "The public education system is not sending college-math-ready students out the doors."

Lawmakers and educational leaders discussed the make-up of remedial course enrollment. It mostly includes nontraditional students and single parents returning to college after age 21, as well as some new students who never understood the concepts in high school and perhaps beyond that.

"There's a problem when people of normal intelligence struggle through college math classes," Bell said. "I would call it a tragedy and a travesty."

Various initiatives to address math understanding at a young age are in motion in the public schools, targeting students in grades four to six.

"Infusing understanding into a good curriculum," as well as more intense professional development to help train teachers in math, were things State Superintendent Patti Harrington said the state is already promoting in schools.

She said educators are charged with teaching 13 subjects in the classrooms, and "I've told teachers to quit trying to give equal time to each."

It is intended that students learn the subjects well enough in public school to be prepared for college-level courses they can apply toward getting a degree and thus avoid the cost of taking courses that don't apply toward graduation.

"Students are paying most of the bill and, in most cases, tuition is adequate to pay for these selected courses," said Mark Spencer, an analyst with the State Office of Higher Education.