Colleges prepare for incoming freshmen with high school learning loss

Beyond the usual efforts to get new students off to a good start, college and university campuses in California and across the nation this fall face special challenges in welcoming freshmen who have not been in a real classroom for a year and a half.

Campuses say they are concerned that many freshmen have suffered some or even significant learning loss as a result of all the remote high school instruction during the pandemic. Colleges and faculty plan to provide extra tutoring, more academic counseling, some changes in courses and, if necessary, a slower teaching pace at first to help students rebuild their academic and social strengths.