Written by Lauren Bucher
Overhalf of the freshmen that entered Arkansas colleges in the fall were not prepared for college-level courses, according to a report by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Those students needed remedial classes, whereas only 13 percent of Harding freshmen needed remedial classes.
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education tested 21,689 students entering college at both two and four-year institutions. Of those tested, 11,837, or 54.6 percent, needed to take remedial classes in either English, reading or math. This is a 3 percent increase from the 51.3 percent of freshmen that needed remediation last fall.
Out of 955 incoming Harding freshman, 128, or 13 percent, took a remedial course. In the fall of 2006, 142 out of 911, or 16 percent, of Harding freshmen needed remediation. In 2007, 159 out of 965, or 16 percent, needed remediation. In 2008, 118 out of 986, or 12 percent, needed remediation.
“The retention and graduation rates among [Harding] students who take remedial classes are comparable to other students,” Marty Spears, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, said. “Many students who have taken remedial courses at Harding have gone on to earn graduate degrees.”
At Harding, students may need leveling courses in one subject or all three subjects – math, reading, and English – depending on what skills they need to improve. Not all Harding students take all the remedial classes they need during their first semester of school.
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education reported that this past fall has had the largest increase of remedial students in a decade. This is a reverse of the trend in previous years; the percentage of remedial students had been decreasing. Previously, the largest rise in the rate was an increase of 1.1 percent in 2000. However, the remediation rate is not as high as it has been. In 2002, the rate was 3.8 points higher at 58.4 percent.
ACT scores determine if students need to be put into remedial classes in Arkansas. If students score below 19 out of 36 on the ACT, they need remediation. At Harding, students need to score below an 18 on the ACT to be placed in the ADVANCE program, Harding’s leveling courses.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville had the lowest remediation rate in the state at 11.5 percent. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff had the highest rate with 91.4 percent of students in remedial classes. Harding’s remediation rate is 13 percent.
Remediation classes are taken to bring the students’ skill level up in a specific area but do not count toward a degree.
“Remedial courses are important and very much part of the mission at Harding, because they allow students with the potential for success at Harding to develop necessary skills to achieve their potential,” Spears said.
Jim Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said in an article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that the jump in the remediation rate is partially due to the number of first-time students over the age of 25 who have been forced by the economy to get more education.
“We are retooling people from the workforce,” Purcell said. “And those who are coming back aren’t necessarily ready for higher education yet.”
Diana Julian, deputy commissioner for the Arkansas Department of Education, said in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that this year’s spike in the remediation rate is just one year’s worth of data. The number could have gone up because of an increase in students tested or because weaker students were tested. She added that if the trend continues, then the cause needs to be investigated.
Spears said the percentage of students at Harding in remediation classes has declined slightly over the past few years because of normal statistical variation.
