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More community college students completing remedial courses, data show

Students check course schedules at East Los Angeles College in June 2012. A new study reports that while more students are passing remedial math and English courses, fewer are finishing college or transferring.
(Patrick T. Fallon / Los Angeles Times)
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A greater percentage of California community college students were scheduled to pass remedial math and English courses last year but fewer were finishing school or transferring, according to statistics released this week.

Nearly 48% of students who started taking community college courses in 2007 were on track to graduate or transfer, which is slightly lower than the transfer and graduation rates of students who started school in 2006, according to scorecards released by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

College officials blamed the drop on a decrease in state funding, which led to fewer classes.

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“The fact that our completion rate slipped by only this margin is a testament to the perseverance of these students and the colleges that worked heroically to educate as many of them as possible during those grim economic times,’’ said Brice W. Harris, chancellor of the state community college system.

The percentage of students who passed remedial math, English and English as a Second Language courses all increased slightly.

The information was released as an update to the Student Success Scorecards that detail student outcomes at all 112 of California’s two-year colleges.

The scorecards also include demographic and other academic information. They were first released last year as a way to help students pick the right campus for them and to push institutions to improve.

jason.song@latimes.com
Twitter: latjasonsong

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