Despite heightened LSU enrollment requirements, placement tests show incoming freshmen do not have strong enough foundations in math to enroll in college algebra.
During the past decade, the University has increased admissions requirements and stopped offering remedial courses.
According to Academic Affairs Assistant Vice Chancellor Karen Denby, grade point average requirements have gone up from 2.3 in 1995 to 2.8 in 2002. By 2005, Denby predicts that the GPA requirement will be up again to 3.0.
ACT score requirements also are on the rise from a minimum score of 20 in 2000 to a 22 in 2005.
University College Vice Chancellor Paul Ivey said that, though the University stopped offering remedial courses at the same time enrollment requirements increased, students still seemed to need a stronger foundation in math.
According to Ivey, 287 students currently are enrolled in remedial math.
Remedial courses are not offered through the University, but students can take a non-credit remedial math course on campus. The course is taught by Baton Rouge Community College professors.
Ivey said LSU worked out a deal with BRCC to allow BRCC’s professors to teach remedial math, Math 0092, on LSU’s campus.
In 1999-2000, 74.7 percent of all first- and second-year undergraduate students reported taking a remedial math college course, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition, only four in 10 high school seniors in the 2002-03 class who took the ACT received a score that indicated they were ready for college-level algebra, the college admissions test company reported this year.
The number of students requiring remedial courses is declining, but Ivey said with the admissions requirements as high as they are, remedial courses should not be necessary.
“LSU started increasing admissions requirements, so we should not be seeing any of those students who need remediating,” Ivey said.
BRCC Academic Affairs Vice Chancellor Leana Revell said BRCC offers students the transition they need between high school and college in the form of remedial help.
Revell said 60 percent of the students enrolled at BRCC plan on transferring to a 4-year institution. Students attend BRCC to complete general education requirements and for remedial work.
According to Revell, math is the biggest problem area for most students.
“Mathematics is a problem for students,” Revell said. “Students lose math skills. A lot of students haven’t taken it since sophomore year of high school.”
Revell said students put mathematics off because of anxiety.