Officials worry that remedial schooling ‘sends an unintended message’ to students
In spite of the fact that nearly forty percent of its incoming students have been required to take the classes, one California university system is doing away with remedial courses in order to increase its graduation rates.
California State University has eliminated “traditional remedial education” through an executive order issued by the school’s chancellor, Timothy White, The Sacramento Bee reports.
“University officials argue [remedial classes are] no longer the right approach in an era of mounting concerns over college affordability,” The Bee reports.
James Minor, a “senior strategist for academic success and inclusive excellence” at California State University, claims that remedial courses “[send] an ‘unintended message’ to students, many of whom get discouraged that are they not progressing toward their ultimate goal of graduation.”
The required remedial courses at CSU have up until now been offered at no credit. In the fall of 2015, “nearly 3,300 freshmen…did not complete their remedial classes and were ineligible to return to school.”
The order leaves it to campuses to decide how they will meet the new curriculum policy, but all students can expect to earn credit starting their first day. Freshmen who would usually be directed to developmental English or math will instead enroll in the same general education classes as their peers, but they might receive additional tutoring or take the course at a slower pace, stretched over multiple semesters. A summer program for incoming freshmen who need extra preparation will be redesigned to count for credit.
CSU also plans to eliminate the placement tests it used to determine students’ readiness for college-level work. Skills assessments will instead be based on high school grades and standardized test scores.
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