Allison Escandon

Allison Escandon was disappointed to learn she needed to take remedial classes in math and writing before beginning a nursing program at Chattanooga State.

“Math is not my forte,” the 21-year-old said after leaving her morning session on campus. “At first when you are told, you feel kind of behind. ... I should have learned that in high school.”

Traditionally, when students find themselves placed in remedial courses in areas such as math, writing and reading, colleges have taken a one-size-fits all approach. A student who got a single-digit score on the ACT college entrance test and required intensive math training took the same class as a student who only needed a refresher in algebra, community college officials say.

But at a time when many people struggle to put gas in their cars and worry about educational debt piling up, community colleges are rethinking remedial education to make it more timely, tech-savvy and cost effective.

Staff Photo by Tim Barber
Morgan Howard works on intermediate algebra problems at Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

This spring, Chattanooga State, Cleveland State and four other community colleges launched pilot programs that abandoned lecture-style remedial courses, said Saundra King, director of transitional studies at Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

Instead students retake the section they are struggling with rather than having to start at the beginning.

“It was time for a change,” said Marilyn Brown, head of the math department at Chattanooga State. “Anything to get these students out faster. I have seen some positive things.”

At Chattanooga State and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, enrollment in developmental or remedial courses has remained relatively the same over the last four years.

In the pilot program’s first year, 562 students enrolled, Ms. King said.

Pilot programs are part of a Board of Regents’ initiative to redesign developmental programs.

“We just weren’t focusing on the students of today,” said Ms. King, a member of the Regents task force redesigning remedial classes. “They don’t all need to start at the same place.”

Paula Myrick Short, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, said the pilot programs will run for three years at those schools as administrators study progress and determine how to execute the new approach systemwide.

The first report showed encouraging results, she said.

“Students are having greater success and more students are receiving A’s that either didn’t complete or failed in the past,” she said. “We are seeing some really startling improvements.”

In the pilot program, students complete an assessment to identify the specific areas they need to improve.

Unlike traditional developmental programs, students are not placed into Math I, Math II or Math III based on a grade on a placement test or on ACT scores, she said. Students are placed in classes based on their ability.

In the past, students who failed remedial classes because they had difficulty with a few concepts had to retake entire classes, costing them much more money and preventing them from moving on in their education, said Ms. Brown said.

Faculty have worked hard to adapt and meet students needs in the new program, but it still is too early to tell whether it will be successful, said Ms King.

“I think the tide is turning,” she said. “I don’t think it will turn tomorrow, but maybe in the next five years.”

For Ms. Escandon, enrolling in the pilot program made a big difference in her ability to learn and understand math, she said.

“I work on what I need to work on,” she said. “It saves you a lot of time and definitely a lot of money. If you are a slow learner there is no pressure. People are there with you in the lab. They build your confidence.”

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