Remedial math is a dream killer for many students, says Robyn Toman, a math professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. More than 70 percent of students start—and often end—in noncredit developmental classes, she says. "Remedial math has become the largest single barrier to student advancement." Some community colleges are redesigning remedial classes, often adding math labs that let students work at their own pace with help from tutors. Others are rethinking the traditional math sequence, designed to take students from algebra to calculus.
