Giving Compass' Take:

· A new guide from the Education Commission of the States shows that nineteen states use multiple measures for placement in remedial classes. Education Dive reports that policymakers and education leaders are also looking for new approaches to remedial education as traditional methods are proving unsuccessful. 

· Do remedial classes really help students? What is a better approach to help struggling students succeed and learn the course material? 

· Here's more on remedial placement and its effects on students. 

Policymakers and higher education leaders are rethinking how they approach remedial education as a growing body of research reveals traditional programs may not be working.

Assessments used to determine whether a student has to take developmental education are not always effective, some studies have found. At community colleges, one in three students placed in remedial courses is likely "misdirected," according to a report by the Community College Research Center and MDRC. And in one system, about one-third of students placed in English remedial courses could be earning a B grade or better in credit-bearing courses, according to a report by the Brookings Institution that discusses related research.

Being placed in remedial classes can significantly prolong the length of time a student is in college. Generally, fewer than 10% of students in such courses graduate on time, according to the Center for American Progress.

Read the full article about remedial placement by James Paterson at Education Dive.