and we shouldn’t need them except for exceptionally slow students because everyone coming to college has graduated from high school or, at least, gotten their GED.
The Higher Education Roundup this week has an interesting section titled “Remedial Courses Cost Colleges and Taxpayers $2.3 Billion, a New Report States”
Nearly four out of five students who are required to take remedial courses in college had a high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher, according to a new report from Strong American Schools, a group advocating more rigorous academic standards in high school. The report, “Diploma to Nowhere,” calculates the cost of remediation, borne by colleges and taxpayers, to be between $2.3 billion and $2.9 billion each year. Overall, the report states, more than one-third of college students take remedial courses. The rates are highest at community colleges, where 43 percent of students take remedial courses.