Corequisite remediation is a concept; It’s not a formula

By: Kathleen Almy

Policymakers mean well, but they can overlook the complexity of implementation.

I.e., the devil is in the details.

Currently, multiple states have mandates or laws that affect the number of remediation colleges can offer and the placement approaches used. My state (IL) has legislation, but there's still a lot of choice for colleges within it. Other states have tried that and not always seen the realities matching the intent of the requirements, so they're getting stricter (more oversight, additional legislation, fewer options, shorter timeframes).

A classic example is a mandate to implement corequisite remediation for 100% of students. Without question, coreqs work, or more accurately, they CAN work. They can also fail miserably. The difference? About 100 choices have to be made to implement them.

"Corequisite remediation" is a concept; it's not a formula. I'm working with nearly 20 colleges right now. All are building or using corequisites in some form or fashion as part of their math redesigns. No two implementations are identical.

Here is one of many situations: how we serve students heading to college algebra but not having the needed preparation is entirely different than students needing statistics. I can't just add one hour to college algebra with no other changes and expect improved outcomes. It might be two or three hours, with or without the same instructor, as a cohort or not of students, with review woven throughout or done just in time, with additional wraparound services or not, ... the list goes on. Coreqs can be used well for both, but they look, act, and operate differently. Those details make the difference.

If you're in this situation and looking for a nuanced coreq solution that faculty will get behind, let me know. We do this every day with colleges throughout the U.S. - create math solutions at scale that faculty support.