Closing Math and Reading Skill Gaps

Colleges and universities are confronting a deepening student readiness crisis. First-year students across achievement levels are arriving on campus with gaps in foundational math and reading skills, and upstream indicators suggest these challenges will persist. While corequisite remediation has enabled more students to enter and complete gateway courses, more students are also failing gateway courses, and many students who do pass the gateway are not persisting to graduation. Changes to course structure alone are not enough to help all students persist and graduate.

To close readiness gaps, institutions must pair effective developmental education structures with teaching practices grounded in the science of cognitive and emotional development. By helping students build conceptual understanding, practical skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging, colleges and universities can improve gateway course outcomes and better prepare students for long-term academic success.