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A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that the majority of students entering the state's community colleges are placed in remedial courses and most of them never move on to earn a degree, certificate or transfer.
The report found that 80 percent of the state's incoming community college students took at least one developmental course in math, English or both. Most of these students placed in developmental math -- 73 percent of them -- begin at least two levels below the college-ready course.
But just 16 percent of developmental education students earn a certificate or associate degree within six years, and 24 percent successfully transfer to a four-year institution.
"Developmental education that is not effective comes at a high cost to students -- not only in tuition and fees for courses that do not count toward a degree but also in time and lost income," said Marisol Cuellar Mejia, a PPIC research associate and co-author of the report, in a news release. "It is also costly to California, which needs more college-educated workers and relies on community colleges as an entry point to higher education."
