By Justin Muszynski
A recent bill proposed by the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee will see public institutions of higher education unable to require students to take remedial classes should the bill be passed.
Many faculty members around the state are concerned about what effects this would have on students and CCSU is no different. Not many people seem to be in favor of this bill (S.B N.O. 40) besides the committee that is in charge of implementing it.
The two departments that would most likely be affected by this bill are mathematical sciences and English.
Stephen Cohen, Chair of the English Department, says “We cannot wish away the need for remediation,” and feels this bill, while it’s designed to help students, would do the exact opposite.
“If students arrive at CCSU unprepared for college-level work, we do them a disservice by allowing them into classes in which they cannot succeed,” said Cohen.
The bill attempts to address this issue by suggesting that professors can “offer remedial support in the classroom to students who demonstrate shortcomings in any entry level course in a college level program.”
Jeffrey McGowan, the Chair of Mathematical Sciences, says this would put professors in a delicate situation.
“The professor is stuck with a terrible choice of either trying to help the students who really shouldn’t be there or ignoring them to help the students who should be there,” said McGowan. “It just disrupts the whole class setting.”
A public hearing was held Thursday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford concerning this matter. Sen. Beth Bye, chairwoman of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee, said at the hearing that students shouldn’t be prohibited from taking an advanced course because of their test scores.
“If a student wants to try, why not let them?” asked Bye.
However, students are already given an option to prove that their SAT scores aren’t a true reflection of their ability. A student coming into CCSU, if they are required to take Math 099, can take a placement test to prove they are capable of going directly to Math 101.
There is also a third option in math, a class offered that combines materials from Math 099 and Math 101. James Mulrooney, Chair of the Biomolecular Sciences, says this is a great option for students. It awards three credits for its completion, but unlike Math 099, those credits are counted towards graduation. He contrasts this with the solution the bill offers by asking professors to conduct remedial help during class.
“The difference with that model is the students belong in there, there’s no 101 students in there,” said Mulrooney. “Everyone in that class was supposed to be placed in 099 and they have this opportunity to kind of do two semesters in one.”
Rep. Roberta Willis, co-chairwoman of the Higher Education Committee, said at the hearing that what’s currently in place is not working and supports the bill’s answer to improving graduation rates.
However, Mulrooney, who also serves on CCSU’s Retention and Graduation Council, says “Ultimately I think it will hurt graduation rates.” He adds that a couple of years ago the academic good-standing GPA level was raised to 2.0 and that allowing students to take courses that they aren’t prepared for could set them up for failure at the university. He says it could create a “domino” effect.
Cohen agrees with Mulrooney’s assessment using his own department as an example.
“An increased failure rate in ENG 110 (or any entry-level course) will increase student frustration, leading to more students dropping out in their first year, and will burden even those who do not drop out with F’s on their transcripts and lower GPAs,” said Cohen.
He’s also disappointed by the lack of faculty input that the state has allowed in bills that will directly affect them.
The bill doesn’t prohibit universities from offering remedial classes but won’t allow them to mandate these classes. Mulrooney questions how many students would be willing to take something that’s not required.
“What student is going to take it?” asked Mulrooney. “Are you going to pay for three credits that you can’t count towards graduation?”
Cohen also brings up another adverse effect that this bill could create.
“Given the difficulty of in-class remediation, there would be a greater demand for out-of-class assistance from the Writing Center and in office hours,” said Cohen. “The bill makes no mention of increased funding for Writing Center staff, and the English Department has no extra room in its budget to hire that staff.”