New research finds Texas high school graduates enter college far less ready for the harder course load than other students.

Data revealed by a governor-appointed panel show nearly half of the state's college freshmen take remedial classes. The number is well above the 28 percent of freshmen elsewhere in the nation.

The Commission for a College Ready Texas went on to say that state curriculum standards are too flimsy and that a passing score on the state's high school graduation test doesn't prove a student is ready for college.

Among the panel's recommendations are new, college-oriented curriculum standards for English, math, science and social studies courses in public schools.

The study notes that 18 percent of Texas students who took the ACT college entrance exam met college readiness benchmarks in those areas. The percentages were even smaller for black and Hispanic students.

The panel also found that 61 percent of students are not academically prepared to succeed in post-secondary education.

Recommendations will go to the State Board of Education and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.