At one point, four-in-ten incoming freshmen on Ohio’s public colleges and university campuses needed refresher courses on things they should have learned in high school. That number is falling, but officials are still concerned about the number of kids needing remedial work – which can be costly.
Higher Education Chancellor John Carey has been on the job since 2013, and says back then the state was spending about $140 million on remedial courses for a big percentage of students.
“We are trending in the right direction. When I first became Chancellor it was about 43 percent. Now it’s down to 31 percent.”
Carey says remedial work needs to start in high school or in prerequisite courses. The state has said it’s a goal to eliminate remedial funding in higher ed, and the new budget requires public colleges and universities to report annually on how many students need remedial work and how much that costs.
