High school students across the country are struggling with core skills like literacy and math — a challenge that began even before the pandemic. However, COVID-related disruptions have only worsened the issue.
According to research by NWEA, the average student is now 4.5 months behind and requires significant academic recovery.
Falling behind in literacy and math can affect:
- A student’s ability to graduate high school: Students need a specific number of credits and a certain GPA to earn their diploma. If they’re behind in key subjects like English and Math, they may not meet the necessary requirements.
- How well a student does academically and professionally after high school: Even if a student manages to graduate, unaddressed gaps in math and reading can create obstacles in the next phase of their life, whether that’s college, trade school, or entering the workforce.
- A student’s confidence: Falling behind can be mentally and socially debilitating. Students may feel isolated, develop school-related anxiety, and disengage from their studies if they don’t receive the support they need in literacy and math.
To help alleviate these issues, students can take remedial classes in high school.
In this article, we’ll explore when it makes sense for high school students to attend remedial classes and discuss the options available at our school, Fusion Academy.
When Should a High School Student Take a Remedial Course?
Remedial courses are beneficial for high schoolers who need to catch up in order to graduate. They’re most helpful when students:
- Are in the 35th percentile or lower in a core discipline like math or reading: A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that students in the 35th percentile or lower are at risk and can benefit from remedial education in math.
- Experienced learning loss in the wake of the pandemic: Even academically gifted students felt the impact of the pandemic, leading to gaps in their education that remedial courses can help address.
- Need to brush up on basic skills for future coursework: For example, a high schooler who strengthens their basic algebra skills will be better prepared for geometry the following year
- Are experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression related to their level of math or literacy: Struggling in key subjects can take a toll on a student’s mental health, and remedial support can help ease these feelings.
When Shouldn’t Students Take a Remedial Class?
Ideally, students should take any necessary remedial classes or extra tutoring before reaching college. Evidence suggests that high-school level remedial classes in college aren’t always effective. Depending on how far behind a student is, colleges may require up to three remedial courses before granting college credit. This not only delays graduation but also significantly raises the cost of their degree.
A Department of Education study found that:
- Half of students fail to complete their remedial classes in college.
- Only 27% of students in remedial math classes graduate; the rest drop out.
- The graduation rate for students taking remedial literacy classes is even lower, at 17%.
Given these statistics, college-level students may benefit from alternatives to remedial courses. For example, one study found promising results when students were placed in a non-remedial statistics course instead of remedial algebra — as long as the student’s degree plan doesn’t require college algebra.
If a college student is struggling with a class or subject, they should first explore other options, like extra tutoring or switching courses, before opting for a remedial class. These alternatives may be a better fit for their academic needs.
How Fusion Academy’s Remedial Classes Can Help High School Students Catch Up
Our middle and high school, Fusion Academy, offers specially-designed remedial classes in both reading and math, as well as private tutoring to help students catch up in hundreds of subjects.
What’s unique about Fusion’s approach to education is that our classes are 1-to-1. This means our classrooms consist of one student and one teacher, like having a private instructor. This is ideal for remedial education, because lessons can be personalized to each student’s skill level and emotional needs.
Fusion has 80+ campuses across the country, including locations in California, New York, Texas, Tennessee and Florida.
Fusion also offers online remedial classes through its online school, Fusion Global Academy.
Remedial Reading Classes to Improve Literacy Skills
Fusion offers two remedial reading classes for high school students, determined by their reading ability percentile, as measured by placement tests taken during enrollment:
- Reading Skills and Strategies: For students in the 15th to 40th percentiles.
- Structured Literacy: For students at or below the 15th percentile.
Note: As of this writing, Structured Literacy is in pilot and may not be available in your area. Contact your local campus to inquire about availability.
Reading Skills and Strategies
Fusion’s flagship remedial reading class, Reading Skills and Strategies, combines independent learning on an online platform with 1-to-1 instruction from a teacher.
This hybrid model sets it apart from most remedial reading initiatives, which typically rely entirely on software. Our research shows that while software-based learning can be beneficial, a combination of self-study and academic support from a teacher is more effective in promoting student success. A teacher provides guidance, accountability, and helps students navigate difficult material.
Classes are tailored to shift between self-study and instruction from the teacher, according to the student’s needs. A typical 50-minute class is divided roughly in half, with slightly more self-study than direct instruction.
Students attend two classes per week and must complete 30 hours of instruction to finish the program.
The course utilizes PowerUp, a platform created by Lexia, an education company with over 40 years of experience in literacy. PowerUp targets essential literacy areas: word study, comprehension, and grammar. Through machine learning, the platform adapts to each student’s progress, providing tailored support for their reading level.
PowerUp is designed to be interactive and engaging, incorporating colorful games, streaks, and level completions to add a gamified element. These features motivate students to study both independently and with their teacher. We recommend at least one hour of self-study each week, but this is optional.
Structured Literacy
Fusion’s Structured Literacy class is based on the Orton-Gillingham methodology, which has been proven to yield positive results for students with severe dyslexia.
Unlike Reading Skills and Strategies, which combines software and traditional teaching techniques (like spelling words on a whiteboard), Structured Literacy uses a multisensory approach, which incorporates:
- Visual methods: such as color-coding and flashcards
- Auditory methods: like knocking on a desk
- Kinesthetic methods: such as learning sounds while dancing or writing on gel boards
Multisensory methods have been shown to be more effective for dyslexic students than a traditional classroom environment, which can leave them feeling confused or overlooked.
Though originally designed for dyslexic students, Structured Literacy has also proven helpful for English language learners who face challenges with reading.
Remedial Math Classes with Cutting-Edge Machine Learning
Most remedial math classes are either online solutions or in-person tutoring after school. In developing our math program, we discovered that students who rely solely on software often miss the accountability and support they need, while those who only receive direct instruction may struggle with lessons that aren’t tailored to their individual skill level or learning style.
To address this, Fusion created a program that combines the best of both approaches — our Math Skills & Strategies program.
The online tool we use for our remedial math course is called ALEKS. ALEKS is an adaptive platform that uses machine learning to craft a personalized learning path for each student, adjusting as they progress. This ensures that students are neither bored with material that’s too easy nor frustrated by content that’s too difficult. That being said, students do need to have reached at least a 4th grade level of math in order to use the software.
Typically, students attend 50-minute classes twice a week. To complete the class, students usually need to spend around 30 hours in class and are encouraged to spend an additional 2 hours per week studying on their own. There are no tests or grades, and the course isn’t aligned with Common Core standards — students simply pass or fail based on the time and effort they put in.
In class, students solve practice problems with a teacher on a whiteboard and work independently in ALEKS. If a student needs help, their teacher is available. ALEKS also allows students to check their work independently, offering detailed explanations for each problem.
Tutoring in Areas Where You Need Support
The most impactful areas for remediation are literacy and math, as these impact every other subject in high school and in adult life. That being said, there’s no reason why a student shouldn’t be able to obtain remedial support in other subjects too.
Fusion offers private tutoring in a wide range of subjects, from core courses to electives. Families can choose whether to focus on their child’s existing curriculum or work on building individual skills.
Some of the subjects we most frequently tutor in include:
- Spanish
- Geography
- Chemistry
- History
- Study Skills
- Physics
Private tutoring is especially popular during the summer, as it helps students catch up on the previous semester’s work and prepare for the upcoming academic year.
Remediation That Builds the Soft Skills Needed for Life
Along with closing academic knowledge gaps, all of Fusion’s remedial courses focus on developing our students’ soft skills. These skills are essential for all types of learning, both in school and throughout life. Our goal is to provide each student with foundational abilities that will benefit them into adulthood, regardless of where they start at Fusion.
Some of the key soft skills we focus on are:
- Recognizing students’ strengths to boost their confidence
- Setting personalized goals based on each student’s skill level and tracking progress toward those goals
- Helping students manage their time effectively outside of Fusion
- Building self-awareness of each student’s individual learning style
Find the Right Remedial Class for Your Child
With our 1-to-1 format, focus on soft skills, and ability to cover most core and elective subjects, Fusion’s remedial classes offer excellent support when your child needs to catch up with their peers to graduate high school.
Wondering if remedial classes are right for your student? Request information and one of our experts will reach out to you.
