The New Hampshire House of Representatives is considering House Bill 180 which would require the state’s postsecondary institutions to submit annual reports on remedial courses to the state legislature beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year.

If passed, this bill would require the state’s colleges and universities to compile information on the number and subject areas of remedial courses; enrollment in such courses, including the percentages of first-year students who are required to take remedial courses as well as the percentages of students exempt from remedial courses; the cost of offering remedial courses; and information on whether such cost was defrayed by the student.

The bill proposes the collection of the following information about students enrolled in remedial courses: the number of students whose enrollment in remedial courses exceeds a year of study; the graduation rates of students who completed remedial courses; the location and name of all primary and secondary schools attended by remedial students whether public, private or home school; information on transfer, course withdrawal, awarded degrees or certificates for each remedial student. The identities of students will not be disclosed.

The bill proposes that this information be submitted annually to the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate president, the members of the House and Senate standing committees with jurisdiction over education, and the Commissioner of the Department of Education.

The bill is sponsored by the Education subcommittee whose membership consists of two Republican Senators and three Republican members of the House of Representatives: Representative Gregory Hill, Representative Natalie Wells, Representative Howard Pearl, Senator Kevin Avard, and Senator Harold French.

Bill 180 is aligned with the national educational initiative of the Complete College America Alliance of States to promote college completion by assessing success and establishing actions plans toward that end.

According to the December 2016 policy paper, “The Status of Higher Education in New Hampshire,” prepared by the Division of Higher Education of the New Hampshire Department of Education and the Higher Education Commission, “Complete College America encourages higher education institutions to adopt steps that help students succeed in college, such as taking a full semester course load of 15 credits, and creating structured schedules and guided pathways that students can easily follow to complete their studies on time.” In addition to tracking enrollment, state colleges and universities will track remedial and “gateway courses” file:///C:/Users/Balco/Desktop/NH%20Higher%20Education%20Status%20Report.pdf This initiative was supported by Governor Maggie Hassan as well as chancellors of the Community College System of New Hampshire, the University System of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire College & University Council.

A bill similar to  House Bill 180 was proposed in 2013 but was deemed inexpedient to legislate. In 2012, a bill calling for the annual reimbursement of the New Hampshire community colleges “on a per pupil basis, for the full cost of educational personnel expenses associated with the provision of remedial level courses to graduates of New Hampshire high schools.” This bill also did not pass the House of Representatives.