Some colleges require students to take placement exams to ensure that their introductory level classes meet their basic needs. Students who receive low scores on these tests may be placed in remedial classes first. In other cases, students may end up in remedial classes by choice or because they fail a core class. Remedial classes typically focus on developing basic college skills in reading and writing, and students who have chosen a major for which they are not ready may take remedial preparation classes for this major.
Professors who notice that students are struggling might require them to do additional reading, attend supplemental instruction sessions or meet regularly with a study partner. Private tutoring, the use of a college writing or math center and reviewing high school material also serve as forms of remediation. Some types of remediation slow the pace of learning, because they require students who are prepared to wait for students who are struggling to catch up. This is especially true when a professor provides remedial help to an entire class.
Formal remedial classes are a common part of the college landscape. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 34 percent of all public college and university students require remedial classes and 43 percent of students at community colleges need remedial classes. A study by ACT, a college testing organization, reports that a majority of students graduating high school in 2012 did not meet college readiness benchmarks for math and science.
Poor preparation for college in high schools accounts for a large number of students who need remedial education. Practices such as teaching for standardized tests rather than teaching basic skills can play a major role, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. The National Conference of State Legislatures emphasizes that a large portion of adult learners -- people returning to college after a period of time outside of school -- require remedial education and this may be due to time spent away from the classroom.
Although remedial education can provide the help students need, inadequate college preparation is costly. The Alliance for Excellence in Education estimates that remedial education costs 3.7 billion dollars annually. The need for remedial education can also slow down a student's path toward graduation because she needs to take extra classes to catch up. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that students who require remedial education are more likely to drop out of college, indicating that inadequate preparation for college can cause problems for a student well after she begins college.