Barriers to College Success
To: Community Colleges; Dean of Academic Affairs
From: Johanna Torres
Date: February 18, 2016
RE: Barriers to College Success (College Remediation)
The number of students who enter into college remediation after graduating from high school continues to increase in the United States. Students are entering higher education institutions lacking basic skills to be successful in college. “About 1.7 million students in the United States fall into remediation and more than 50% of students who apply to community college need to take remediation classes.”[i] Students who enter into remediation are more likely to struggle and eventually drop out. This is mainly due to lack of motivation and possibly spending a semester or a year taking courses and not gaining credits, “For years, remediation has been at the forefront of the state’s higher education concerns. Data has shown that students who test deficiently in subjects and pay for courses that don’t carry credits towards graduation are more likely to drop out.”[ii]
Why are students failing into remediation? Unfortunately, many students in the United States enter college out of high school ill prepared for college level work. Most community colleges guarantees acceptance for those who have a high school diploma, however, a high school diploma does not guarantees a student’s ability in reading, writing and math. The Board of Education in New York has become a numbers game, administration is occupied with two things, one, getting students to graduate even if it means low passing scores on the regents and/or two, getting rid of students who have a hard time passing exams and transitioning them into CBO’s (Community Based Organizations).The outcome of both of these? Administration gets rid of low academic achieving students, increasing their overall city ranking. Students go through high school without the ability to write an essay or solve algebraic equations. Students who reach their 4th year of high school still needing regents to graduate are intercepted by CBO’s, who then try to make a change in the student’s academic career, but many times it is already too late. They have gone all throughout high school doing the bare minimum to pass classes. How did they get this far without the ability to read, write or do high school level math? In high school it is possible to take an English class, pass it but fail the regents. The regents does not stop you from passing to the next grade but it can stop you from graduating. Because the CBO’s are intended to graduate the student, the focus is on passing the regents, not showing students how to read and write. Once the students pass their regents exam, they now have the opportunity of getting accepted into a community college, but the risk of entering into remediation is greater because of the lack of academic preparedness.
Students who fall into remediation are required to take remedial English and/or math in order to take college level courses. Remedial courses are not credit bearing and cost money. The risk of taking remedial courses means that students take longer to graduate, spend financial aid dollars (for those receiving financial aid) and/or major in something they have no interest in. For example, at a community college in Brooklyn a student who we will call Samantha wants to major in Biology. However, she is currently taking remedial Math (m1). Her first semester, Samantha takes math m1, and other classes not related to her major (she is not allowed to take Bio classes unless she passes remediation). Once she passes m1 she can go on to m2 (another math remediation). This student has now lost 1 year of academic credits and is forced to graduate late. It is only after she passes math m2 that she can start taking college level math and science courses towards her major. This student is now forced to stay in a community college for a minimum of 3 years and lose financial aid money that could have gone towards a senior college. The risk? “Nearly 4 in 10 remedial students in Community Colleges never complete their remedial courses”[iii]
What can be done during high school? “Some blame students under-preparedness for college on the shortcoming of the public schools that are the primary supplier of college bound students”[iv] As soon as the students enter 9th grade, they should have a yearly assessment where teachers, parents and students understand the level and preparedness they will need in college. These assessments can consist of reading passages and answering related questions, writing essays on relevant issues in the community to practice writing, and college algebra practice exams. Perhaps, a college class should be incorporated into the high school curriculum for the 4 years of high school, Pre-Requisite into College. High school counselors should also address the importance of college assessment exams. Not much emphasis is played into this exam and students do not know the importance of doing well. What can be done before students fall into remediation? It is estimated that the US spend about “3 Billion dollars last year in remediation courses”[v]. Instead of spending billions of dollars a year on remediation, programs like CUNY start need to be implemented across all Community Colleges.
What can be done after college acceptance? “CUNY Start provides intensive preparation in academic reading/writing, math, and "college success." The program enrolls prospective CUNY students who have been accepted to college because they have a high school or high school equivalency diploma, but are not ready for college-level work based on their scores on the CUNY Assessment Tests. Students who have enrolled in CUNY Start re-take the required CUNY Assessment Tests. Past students have shown significant skill gains when they re-test; many have bypassed required remedial coursework entirely.”[vi] The students who enroll into a programs like CUNY start, start to take classes after completing high school that will prepare them to take college level courses and pass the CUNY assessment test. Most importantly the classes offered through CUNY Start are free of cost removing heavy burden from a student’s finances. After these remedial workshops are taken through CUNY start, students take the assessment exam once again with the opportunity of passing. According to CUNY Start, “After one semester,CUNY Start students are 22.7% more likely than comparison group to achieve proficiency in reading, 35.6% more likely to achieve proficiency in writing, and 43.7% more likely to achieve proficiency in math.”[vii] If students have the opportunity of intense tutoring before they test, they have a chance of testing out of remediation. We have already established that they do not leave high school with the basic needs necessary for college, however, with rigorous tutoring session before testing, students have the possibility of passing the exam and refraining from taking any remedial classes, or only having to take one. Not only will this assist the students in scoring above remediation, but this also means that students can start taking college level courses that will be counted towards their major, and save financial aid money.
What can students do after? Students need a clear track to graduation. Students who fall into remediation are in need of an advisor who will be with them through their entire college career. Building a rapport with a student is very important. It is necessary to get to know the student and conduct intrusive counseling in order to help the student achieve his/her goals. By having the same advisor through the entire college career students feel comfortable in engaging in conversation, laying out their personal and academic goals and building a feeling of trust. Programs like ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associates Program) and College Discovery are programs that aid in fostering relationships, motivate and encourage students throughout their college career. It is important for someone to hold students accountable through college. An advisor can do just that while at the same time keeping the students moving towards graduation.
If remediation is built on helping students prepare for college level work, it- isn’t accomplishing its goal. With 1 out of 4 students not completing remedial courses it is safe to say that remedial courses is a roadmap to failure. Thank you for reading my letter and my concerns. Ultimately, I want to see our community thrive and we start doing this through education, but it’s hard to have a thriving community if our students are forced to quit before the race begins.
[i] Remediation, Higher Education’s Bridge to nowhere. Complete College America, April 2012.
Www. CompleteCollege.org
[ii] Patrick Malone, More College Students in Remediation. The Pueblo Chieftain, February 8th, 2012.
[iii] Remediation, Higher Education’s Bridge to nowhere. Complete College America, April 2012.
Www. CompleteCollege.org
[iv] Jessica Howell, What influence students need for remediation in college.
[v] Remediation, Higher Education’s Bridge to nowhere. Complete College America, April 2012.
Www. CompleteCollege.org
[vi]City University of New York, Academic Affairs. “CUNY Start: Analysis of student outcome” November 2013
[vii] City University of New York, Academic Affairs. “CUNY Start: Analysis of student outcome” November 2013