DAVIE Fla. – Professor Derron Bowen teaches high school math to college students, patiently chalking equations on the board on basic arithmetic topics such as the speed of a driver on a 20-hour trip.

Bowen's class at Broward College in South Florida is for students who did not score high enough on an entrance test to get into college-level math. In all, about two-thirds of students entering the community college need to take at least one remedial course in math, English or reading.

Nationwide, about a third of first-year students in 2007-08 had taken at least one remedial course, according to the U.S. Department of Education. At public two-year colleges, that number rises to about 42 percent.

Education observers worry that the vast numbers of students coming to college unprepared will pose a major roadblock to President Barack Obama's goal for the United States to once again lead the world in college degrees.

“We don't get there from here,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia.

In October, the Education Department reported that many states declare students to have grade-level mastery of reading and math when they do not. In a 2007 ACT National Curriculum Survey of college professors, 65 percent said their states poorly prepare students for college-level coursework.

The survey found that professors want students with stronger skills in specific areas, while high schools typically impart a less comprehensive understanding of a broad range of topics.

In his remedial math class in Florida, Bowen sees students who have not been in school for a decade or more, and some have not even had time to hang up their high school diplomas.

“How were they allowed to go through?” Bowen said. “I'm thinking, 'If I could have been teaching you back when you were 6, 7, you would be a powerhouse today.’”

The Obama administration is pushing states to adopt tougher standards, and governors and education leaders across the country are working together to propose a uniform set of common standards. A first draft was released in March, and a final proposal could come this summer.