The UW System will be examining
remedial education to identify the
best practices implemented at UW
“Remedial education is the term
the UW System applies to the course
used to remediate skills necessary
for college level learning,” said Greg
Summers, provost and vice chancellor
for academic affairs.
Students can be placed in
remedial classes, such as English or
mathematics, if their placement test
doesn’t achieve the minimum level of
proficiency needed to be successful in
that specific college course.
The Stevens Point curriculum
only offers one remedial education
course for their students.
“We are different than most UW
schools. We don’t have a remedial
education course for English. Our
English department believes it is a
better approach to put those students
directly into English 101,” Summers
Since the University of Wisconsin-
Stevens Point does not have an
English remedial course, there is only
one course the school does offer for
students who aren’t equipped for
college level coursework. That course
is Mathematics 90.
Ann Kiefer, a faculty member in
the mathematics department and a
lecturer of Mathematics 90 for the last
five years, says the course reinforces
skills used in upper level classes.
“I believe remedial education is
necessary because students are able
to develop skills that they are lacking
in proficiency,” Kiefer said. “Math
is something that builds off of itself.
Students need to understand the
basics to move forward.”Many of the individuals enrolled
in Mathematics 90 are those who
need to either relearn or refresh
their algebra skills to solidify their
understanding for future use.
“Students need to understand
basic algebra skills so they can solve
equations and apply their knowledge
in other classes and in life situations,”
In the UW System, about 24.5
percent of UW freshmen in Fall 2012
required some form of remedial
education. Breaking it down further,
20.7 percent of those students required
math remediation, 9.9 percent
required English remediation, and 6.1
percent required both.
“On average, UWSP finds that
about 9 percent of incoming first-
year students require remediation in
Mathematics,” Summers said.
Not all students participating
in remedial classes are freshmen.
Non-traditional students also take
advantage of the class to help them
relearn the skills they may have
Mathematics 90 is not considered
college level learning; therefore the
three credits offered for taking the
course do not count towards the
completion of a student’s 120 college
credits needed to graduate.
The class gives students
the opportunity to bring their
understanding of math up to entry
level expectations to help students
start their path towards a successful
“Remedial classes bridge students
into higher education, and help them
achieve the skills needed for college
level coursework,” Summers said.
“The classes are simply designed to
get students up to speed. If they
aren’t equipped to succeed, we give
them a class so they can.”