I already wrote about how many of the students who join community colleges nationwide seem to need remedial learning to catch up with.

According to a 2006 study by the Florida Legislature’s program evaluation office, nearly two-thirds of those entering colleges lack college-level competency in at least one subject. Most often, the subject happens to be Math.

One reason for this is that students opt for Algebra II in Grade 11 and shake off Math in Grade 12. In college they end up needing remediation. This is changing with a pilot program.

According to a report, three years ago, Florida State College, Jacksonville tied up with Yulee High to begin a “Math Rigor and Readiness Project” pilot. The college gave the school its Intermediate Algebra books, graphing calculators and software. Italso sent a mentor and organised training for a teacher.

As a result, juniors in Yulee High are in Brandi Janeshak’s algebra II class, where they take a crack at college textbooks. If they pass the college placement test, they can do college algebra, a subject available to them even in the senior year. They learn in in-depth material aligned to college level.

Think what it means. These Janeshak students will move ahead of their peers. Actually they have, in the past three years. It also means a curriculum change, teaching-method change. All for the good.

Here are some stats:

Year 1: Student number: 125, 11th-grade. Algebra II at Yulee. End of the year: 69 opted for College Placement Test, 83% scored well enough to be placed into College Algebra in senior year of high school.

Second and third years: similar success rate. Yulee expanded its program with two additional teachers, whose students showed a success rates of 27 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

And last year, a First Coast High teacher began offering the program to students in the school’s Logistics Academy, with 19 percent of students who took the College Placement Test. Sandalwood High has started the program this year.

As you can guess, the program is also about helping teachers improve their teaching skills. The college invested about $15,000 in the pilot the first year, and $6,000 each subsequent year.

If things go well, Wolfson High School might start the program soon.

This is one program that needs quick replication – colleges helping schools prepare students better for college degrees. Especially in Math.