<P> Particularly at community colleges--which are open enrollment to any student with a high school degree or GED--multiple semesters of remedial coursework may be available to and required of students that enter with low placement test scores . </P> <P> Whether placement tests are the most effective method of placing students is an open debate across the US . Some colleges and states are experimenting with using high school GPA and placement test scores to determine student course referral . A study of placement tests by the Community College Research Center in 2012 found: Placement test scores are not especially good predictors of course grades in developmental education classes . More importantly, the tests do not have much explanatory power across a range of measures of performance including college GPA, credit accumulation, and success in gatekeeper English and math classes . Using GPA with standardized test scores may also improve the accuracy of remedial placement and limit the likelihood of placing students into additional remedial courses they may not need . North Carolina recently implemented a statewide policy that allows two - year colleges to use both placement test scores and high school GPA to place students . </P> <P> Estimates on the portion of students in higher education taking remedial courses vary . At two - year colleges the percentage reported of students taking at least 1 remedial course varies from 41% to as high as 60%, . Students from low - income households, African American students and Hispanic students are more likely to enroll in remedial courses . National estimates show that among two - year college students, students age 17 - 19 are most likely to enroll in remedial courses followed by students age 20 - 24 and then students age 25 + . </P> <P> The likelihood of remedial placement varies among states because of high school preparation, student demographics and state policies for assessing and placing students in remedial courses . Previous proportions of recent high school graduates enrolling in remedial courses at two - year colleges range from over 70% in Tennessee to 31% in North Carolina . The proportion of students enrolling in remedial courses on public, four - year college campuses is generally lower ranging from 35% in South Dakota to 5% in Washington state . </P>

Who is most likely to be referred for remedial reading instruction