A report detailing the number of incoming freshman from various Wisconsin high schools who needed to take remedial courses at UW System schools was released to the public this week.
The report names 175 high schools that have at least six students who needed to take remedial math or English classes at UW colleges and universities and was sent by UW System President Ray Cross to state School Superintendent Tony Evers Sept. 20.
The UW System now must submit this report yearly, after a bill passed last year by the state Legislature. The bill, authored by state Rep. John Jagler, R-Watertown, was in response to reports that roughly 20 percent of UW students required remedial courses, but the UW System did not have detailed information on which high schools these students attended.
In a note accompanying the report, Cross said, “This type of feedback to the Wisconsin education partners helps to foster communications, align the curriculum, and reduce the need for remedial education."
Of the 175 high schools named in the report, two had over six students needing only remedial English courses; the majority had students only requiring math. Students taking these classes at UW System schools do not receive college
The debate over this issue stretches back to 2014. At the time, Regent Margaret Farrow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that K-12 schools must pull their weight in ensuring kids are prepared for college.
"We're not, quite frankly, creating this situation we're trying to solve,” Farrow said at the time.
