The portion of Colorado high school graduates who need remedial courses at state-funded colleges rose from 28 percent to 30 percent last year, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education said today.
The greatest increase was in writing. Female students needed more help than male students, and minority students needed more help than white students, according to a report issued by the commission.
Performance varied widely among high schools, even within the same school district, the report said. In Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest district, 22.7 percent of Chatfield High School students required remediation while 65.3 percent of Jefferson High School graduates did.
Rick O’Donnell, executive director of the commission, said many students are not getting the high school courses they need to prepare them for college, adding costs for the students as well as the colleges.
“These students must pay extra tuition to take remedial courses that don’t count toward their degree. It is unfortunate that many students graduate from high school with diplomas that don’t prepare them for college,” he said.
