(Manno, 2001) High schools can help reduce the number of students needing remedial education by aligning high school requirements with college expectations. High schools should offer support programs or exams that will help students place at a college level. According to a student opinion poll by Strong American Schools, only fourteen percent of students reported that their high school prepared them enough. Over eighty percent of students reported they would have tried harder if their high school required them too. Many students are placed in remedial education because they failed to study for the assessment test. The lack of information and counseling also plays a major role in remedial education. In high school, teachers do not emphasize the importance of placement test. Counselors do not advise students the consequences of remedial education. If students have a better understanding of how basic skills affect their education, students will work harder to place in college-ready courses. With students not being required to take so many remedial education courses it allows them to focus on their major. Students will then be able to take courses that count as college-credit which counts towards their degrees.
Remedial education also plays a major role in the number of students who drop out in community colleges. The California Community College Chancellors office website (CCCCO) states that California has the largest community college system in the nation. The California community college system holds over 2.3 million students attending 112 colleges. Students attend community colleges to transfer to a university or earn an Associates degree, certificate, or to receive vocational training. When students are placed in remedial education, they feel discouraged since they thought a high school diploma classified them as college-ready. Many students are required to take up to five basic skills courses before they can enroll in college-level courses.