California State University campuses will no longer require incoming freshmen to take placement tests in English and math or enroll in noncredit remedial courses, reports the Los Angeles Times. The change, to take effect fall 2018, is part of a trend away from noncredit remedial courses, which critics say frustrate students and lead many to drop out. This is one case in which California isn’t leading the nation. Tennessee, among other states, have already taken steps to get rid of traditional remedial courses while creating other ways to support students who aren’t ready for college-level work. In 2010, as part of Tennessee’s Complete College Tennessee Act, remedial and developmental education was to be provided only by community colleges and not universities as of July 2012. Then, in 2015, community colleges eliminated traditional remediation in favor of “co-requisite remediation,” which allows students to enroll in introductory math and English classes while receiving support services, including counseling, computer lab help and special supplementary classes. By allowing students to start acquiring college credit right away, schools hope to keep them in school and boost graduation rates. Traditional remedial classes offered in the past cost the same as others but didn’t allow students to start working toward…
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