<p>Most of these preparatory courses are called developmental not remedial courses. The focus is on developing the skills necessary to succeed in the higher level courses. This is a different approach than simply remediating a math deficit. The two overlap, but often the objectives are different. Look at the success rate of students who took the developmental courses in the higher level courses. The math department or institutional research department will have the data. I think one will find that those with a B or better do quite well in later math classes. Taking a developmental course is not such a terrible thing.</p>