This Boston Globe story could have appeared almost anywhere in the U.S. — high percentages of students entering college are ill-prepared and need to take remedial courses.

That’s pretty old news. I suggest a follow-up piece looking into the results of those remedial courses. My own experience with students back in the ’80s was that even after taking remedial English, most of them were still ill-prepared for college work. I just don’t think it’s possible to make up for years of educational neglect, in math and especially reading and the use of the language, in just one semester. These remedial classes are regarded as miracle pills, but they aren’t.

Do any colleges require students who have taken a remedial course to re-test before beginning the regular curriculum?