Retention is a major concern in higher education, maybe especially so for universities. When students leave, they take tuition dollars with them and that really hurts when budgets are already tight.
It’s more than that, though. Retention matters because education matters. Those with a college degree will make more money over the course of a career than those without. Even with a tough economy, unemployment is lower for college educated workers. A four-year degree is becoming a pre-requisite for many entry-level jobs. Plus, college offers a wealth of opportunities for personal growth. So, getting students to persist to degree completion is a top priority for all kinds of reasons.
The role of remedial course work is a perpetual thorn in the retention puzzle. Some studies have shown that students who enroll in a four-year college and place into remedial courses have lower graduation rates. This fuels the argument that universities should not offer remedial courses because they lower academic standards and set up under-prepared students for failure. Policy makers on this side of the debate believe that remedial work should be completed prior to university enrollment, putting the responsibility on the two-year college system.
But the other side of the debate has studies to point to, as well. Students who actually complete remedial coursework (a very different measure than just looking how many place into the courses) had similar graduation rates when compared to students who took no remedial coursework. Other studies have found that many students who start in remedial course work are older, meaning the test scores probably reflect time away from school more than the ability to be successful. Yet other studies note that the number of remedial courses a student takes is significant, especially if remedial reading is among them.
In other words, there are all kinds of scenarios to consider in the retention equation and the link between remediation and retention is hardly glaring. Obviously, placement scores indicate some level of academic preparedness in certain subjects, but they do not necessarily predict success or failure. Someone can be very strong in math, but less so in writing. A returning student may test low, but be highly motivated. Sometimes, students admit that they don’t take the placement tests seriously, which presents a whole different set of issues.
Regardless of how or why students end up in remedial courses, it should not be viewed as a sign of “doom.” The need for remedial courses is no different than the need for tutoring or other academic support services. And, like other kinds of academic support, the students who use resources well are likely to succeed.
