OHIO Report: College freshmen need better preparation

Remediation rates in Ohio show a need for outreach.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Figures indicating that nearly four in 10 first-year college students need remedial help in math or writing shows more needs to be done to prepare them, Ohio's top higher education official says.
Making students and their families realize the importance of taking rigorous classes in high school is essential, said Roderick G.W. Chu, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, which oversees the state's colleges and universities.
"We see we need to start in middle school," Chu said. "High school is frankly too late."
Numbers: In its latest annual report on Ohio higher education, the regents say 36 percent of the 57,985 first-year students at Ohio's colleges and universities in the fall and summer of 2000 needed remedial math or English.
"It is a concern," said Jim McCollum, executive director of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, an association that represents the 13 public state universities and two free-standing medical schools.
"Generally speaking, you're going to need a strong support system for students such as tutoring help, writing and math labs," McCollum said.
The percentage of new students needing help was highest at community colleges, where 57 percent of the 7,480 first-year students had to take remedial math or English.
It was lowest at main campuses, where 23 percent of the 31,452 first-year students had to take remedial math or English, according to the report.
Explanation: One cause could be high school curriculum.
According to the report, 36 percent of first-year students in the fall and summer 2000 said they entered school without college-preparatory courses, defined as four years of English, three years of math, science and social studies.
Higher education officials say they're hopeful that new elementary and high school curriculum standards developed by the state board of education will match better with college curriculum.
Standards: The state board of education this week adopted new standards in math and language arts, and work continues on new standards in science, social studies, foreign languages, technology and the arts.
"Our goal from the start was to develop standards that were rigorous enough that students who met the 12th-grade standard would be ready for college and university," said Bob Bowers, associate state superintendent.
This is the second year of the annual report, but the first year that detailed information on remediation was included. Higher education officials say the remediation figures are similar to past indications.