This story was corrected on May 14

The number of Frederick County high school graduates who must take remedial math upon enrolling at Frederick Community College has been increasing for five years, prompting college officials to work with county public school administrators to address the problem.

In 2008, 65 percent of college freshmen who graduated from high school just three months earlier (or 527 students) had to take remedial math to prepare for college-level courses, compared to 61 percent (or 352 students) in 2004, according to statistics from the college.

And college officials have found that freshmen tend to stumble in math much more than reading or writing.

In 2008, 685 freshmen (or 73 percent) who enrolled at the college were assigned to at least one remedial, or developmental, course. Sixty-five percent of them had to work on math, compared to 35 percent on reading and only 17 percent on writing.

The trend is becoming an issue for college officials, who worry that freshmen are spending time and money learning math basics they could have mastered in high school.

Now, members of the college's board of trustees are asking Frederick County Public Schools to examine its math standards and ramp up efforts to prepare students for college math.

"We are always concerned with the number of students who have to take remedial courses," said Timothy Wesolek, chair of the college's board of trustees.

Part of the problem, college and county school officials agree, is the gap that separates high school from college math requirements.

Algebra 2 is at the heart of college-level math tests and courses, but Frederick County high school students are not required to complete that class to graduate, said Christine Helfrich, associate vice president for teaching at Frederick Community College.

"We need a systematic way of getting these students to be successful in Algebra 2," Helfrich said. "Algebra 2 is considered to be the gateway course to college readiness."

FCPS requires students to complete four credits of math to graduate. One credit equals one semester-long course. Maryland only requires students to complete three math credits to graduate, said Peter Cincotta, the county school system's secondary math curriculum specialist.

However, Frederick County students can choose courses other than Algebra 2 to earn those credits. For example, the school system recently started offering a course in contemporary math, which teaches students applied math skills, such as balancing a checkbook or calculating a mortgage.

And while educators encourage students to take Algebra 2, not all students choose to, Cincotta said.

The reasons can be different, officials said. Some students are not confident, and would rather avoid a high-level course like Algebra 2. Others don't know if they will go to college, so they don't feel it's necessary to take Algebra 2.

"Algebra 2 is certainly a necessity for students going to college," Cincotta said. "But it would be difficult for 100 percent of our students to take the course. We want to keep the flexibility for the students."

Frederick County Schools Superintendent Linda D. Burgee supports that view. She told college trustees that it would be difficult for the school system to make Algebra 2 a graduation requirement without extra funding.

The problem is that the school system would have to ensure that all students can pass the course, and preparation for that would require additional teacher specialists and more tutoring for struggling students, Burgee said.

"My goal is to get kids a diploma that means something," she said.

But there may be more to the problem. In some cases, students take Alegbra 2 in high school and still struggle with math in college, said Helfrich, the college's associate vice president for teaching.

Frederick County students can take high-school math as early as seventh-grade, meaning that students can complete all their math requirements early.

That means students can go through their senior year without taking any math, so many students spend it taking advanced courses in other subjects. But after a year of no math, even good students can fall behind when they go to college, Helfrich said.

"Math skills are just like roller skating, they have to be practiced," Helfrich said. "Math is harder. It's more abstract, but is it's also course-driven. Mathematics often stops in senior year. Reading and writing never stop."

Helfrich, however, is optimistic that Frederick County Public Schools and college staff can address concerns.

This week, Helfrich is meeting with Frederick County instructional directors to discuss what can be done. Meanwhile, the Frederick County Board of Education will also examine the problem, said member Michael E. Schaden.

But he noted that there are limits to what the school system can do. "Not every student is going to go to college, and not every student is good in math."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.