For some college freshmen, revisiting what they were supposed to have learned in high school is the only way to make the grade.

For Rep. Bradley Daw, R-Orem, it's a waste of taxpayer money. In too many cases, he said, rigorous curriculum isn't being offered to high school students "in a complete package."

His two-page bill, which was passed by a House committee Tuesday, would require school districts to provide students optional curriculum courses with tough, college-prep material.

But representatives and school officials alike don't see how Daw's proposal is any different from what they're already doing.

"We don't believe that there needs to be another layer on rigorous courses," said Steven Peterson, executive director of the Utah School Superintendents Association. "The program is already in place."

According to Peterson, nearly 15,000 Utah students took 24,528 advanced placement tests, for which they can receive college credit at many institutions. That number is higher than the national average.

In addition, more than 23,000 students earned 153,727 college credit hours with concurrent enrollment courses, he said.

Two representatives on the House committee, Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff, D-Ogden, and Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, have a combined teaching experience of more than 60 years and oppose Daw's bill.

"It denigrates what counselors are doing," Moss said. "You cannot force parents to make this happen."

But Daw says any attempt to create a more rigorous high school course is worthwhile.

Numbers from the Utah System of Higher Education indicate the state spent nearly $3.1 million in tax funds for remedial courses on its nine institutions in fiscal year 2002-03.

Utah Valley State College ranked second in direct costs behind Salt Lake Community College, eating up nearly $1 million in taxes and using more than $800,000 in tuition. Almost 13 percent of its freshmen had at least one remedial class during the Fall 2005 Semester.

UVSC spokesman Derek Hall said the college's open enrollment policy means students who might have been out of the classroom for years are given a chance to get up to speed, often through remedial courses. "To come back and jump into college algebra is nearly impossible for many people. You find a lot of people brushing up on their skills using those courses."

The ranking is evidence of the college's function in the community, he said. "At the University of Utah, up front they accept the students who are prepared for college. We haven't done that. Salt Lake Community College definitely doesn't do that. It's just a role that we play."

HB 230: High School Curriculum.

This bill would add an optional, more rigorous curriculum to high schools.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A8.