Regents approve plan to offer cut-rate remedial classes

ELKO - The Board of Regents approved a plan Thursday to offer reduced-rate remedial and freshman-level classes on high school campuses for college-bound students.

Regent Mark Alden questioned whether that meant developmental education should be offered by state universities.

"Universities have to act like universities and that's not the place for developmental education," he said.

Regents have been working for several years to reduce the number of remedial classes they have to offer to incoming freshmen.

Vice Chancellor Jane Nichols told the board the program is designed to offer those types of classes at high schools, but through the community colleges. She also said the program isn't designed to include classes for advanced high schoolers who she said can already take mainstream classes at UNR and UNLV.

"This is an entire 20-student class being offered at a high school particularly targeted at those who need that course," she said.

She said it will make remedial classes available to students who might otherwise not have the opportunity.

"For the purpose of our reaching out to high school students, particularly those who could not get to our campuses, and who need the opportunity to get into higher education, this is just for them," she said.

Nichols added that giving the campus president the option of reducing the fee might be the key which enables a student to take the class.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.