A Course of Action to Help Students Succeed in College

The California State University system doesn’t want to be in the business of teaching remedial English and math classes anymore. So now where will high school graduates who need remedial courses go for this help so that they can meet the requirements to start college-level courses? And where will the students who fail the soon-to-be-implemented high school exit exam get the course work they will need to meet graduation requirements? Probably not at the high school where they failed.

Everyone agrees that the logical place for all these students to go is the state’s two-year community college system, which already provides some remedial help. However, there are obstacles to establishing a full-fledged remedial program in community colleges, including the fact that many of these students aren’t ready for college courses of any kind, whether at a university or in a community college.

What should be done? We propose adding a third year to the front end of a community college education, a “college readiness year,” as it were, that would include remedial work but also much more.

In most community colleges, students already can take classes in study skills, effective reading and time management. These study skills classes could be made a formal part of the college readiness year, which also could include some elective classes as a part of a student’s overall schedule.

A third component of a college readiness year could be support. Getting through the first year of college is difficult, especially for students who need remedial help. A key component to the college readiness year would be adequate academic, personal and family counseling. The college readiness year could also include certain social activities, such as clubs and athletics.

In other words, the college readiness year would be a holistic approach to preparing a new student for a full-fledged college experience.

We propose that admission and classes to such a college readiness program be provided free, including books and campus activities.

Who would pay for this? Some money could come from the per-student funding provided to community colleges by the state, although this may need to be supplemented. And some money also could come through partnerships with private businesses. Other sources of funding could be explored.

At their inception, community colleges were charged with providing the first two years of a four-year college education. Yet today, there is a larger gap between high school students’ academic preparedness and the demands of a community college and university education.

The community college system can do more to bridge this gap, but only if it has some bold new programs.