Many Lacking in College Readiness

By Jessamy Brown and Jeff Claassen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

May 14–Second in a five-part series

Some parents might be surprised to learn that their high school seniors can’t register for English 101 at college this fall.

They first have to pass a basic grammar and vocabulary review.

Half the students who enroll in Texas public colleges and universities are not prepared for college coursework and must sign up for at least one remedial class, according to the most recent statistics available from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Even at some of Tarrant County’s highest-performing high schools, 20 percent or more of 2003-04 graduates bound for state schools needed remedial help in math, reading or writing. That number climbed to over 60 percent at several Fort Worth high schools. The statistics do not include graduates who go out of state or to private universities and colleges.

“Some schools really prepare the students. And some [students] have trouble grasping what they need to know. It surprises us that they can pass some of the tests that they can to get out of high school,” said Betty Black, president of the Texas Association for Developmental Education. She is the developmental reading and supplemental coordinator for University College at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

The problem concerns Texas educators, business leaders and lawmakers, who say the large number of academically underprepared graduates wastes taxpayer money and puts the students at risk for dropping out of college early.

Last month, Gov. Rick Perry created a commission to make recommendations on how to improve college readiness programs for Texas high school students.

Many incoming students at Texas public colleges must take a test to see whether they need help in math, reading or writing. Some are exempt, including those who perform well on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills or the SAT.

Incoming freshmen who don’t have the skills for college-level work must take remedial classes, also known as developmental education. The courses don’t count toward a student’s degree.

In some cases, those students have not mastered academic material in high school or in previous grades. Sometimes, students who are returning to school simply need to brush up on basic skills they learned years ago, educators said.

To be ready for higher education, students should start preparing in the earlier grades and take challenging course loads in high school, not just the most basic schedule, area schools administrators say.

“Students who are taking the more rigorous courses are the most prepared,” said Bob Morrison, assistant superintendent of secondary education for the Mansfield school district. “Obviously, schools are concerned about getting students ready. It is ultimately the parents’ and students’ responsibility to buy into it.”

At Mansfield High School, which has a rating of academically acceptable, 30 percent of students graduating and heading to state colleges and universities needed remedial work in at least one subject in 2003-04, the latest year for which statistics are available from the coordinating board. The state only tracks graduates who attended Texas public schools.

Mansfield is launching the college-preparatory Advancement Via Individual Determination program in the fall, identifying fifth- through eighth-graders who have college potential but need to develop skills.

Several Arlington school district campuses are already using the program, known as AVID. Students take an AVID elective class to learn to study, prioritize and take notes. Students are encouraged to take at least one advanced or honors course, with tutoring provided.

Morrison said he expects that a new state requirement that students take math classes every year of high school will help improve student readiness for college so they don’t forget math concepts before arriving at college.

At Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, which is rated exemplary, nearly all of the district’s students are college-bound. The district offers honors, pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses that put them on track to succeed in college.

“I think every parent wants their child to have the opportunity to go to college, but I think our parents know you don’t just start when the child is an eighth-grader,” said Jan Morgan, Carroll’s assistant superintendent for instructional services. “They are getting the ticket onto the postsecondary bus through preparation.”

Yet about 14 percent of Carroll students who went to Texas public colleges needed remedial help after graduating from high school in 2004. That number was about 20 percent in 2003.

Morgan said those students have a variety of reasons for needing remedial classes. Some are newcomers to Southlake and might have missed some subjects, and some students could struggle with a particular subject.

Among Fort Worth school district’s 13 high schools, 33 percent of Paschal High students needed some remedial work. But at some campuses, performance was worse. About 63 percent of Carter-Riverside’s college-bound students and 69 percent of Diamond Hill-Jarvis students needed remedial education.

Officials with the Fort Worth school district did not return calls for comment.

Some educators say part of the problem is that curricula for college-bound high school students are not the same as college standards. So some students can perform well enough to graduate from high school but are not able to do freshman-level work.

“Our expectations of these kids need to be aligned,” said Jim Windham, president of the Texas Institute for Education Reform.

Business leaders are calling for students to be better-equipped to handle college-level work and are challenging local school districts to produce graduates with the skills they need for employment, college or vocational training.

For Windham, basic-skills preparation is important for the state’s future.

“There is a competitive threat; our standard of living is going to decline,” he said. “It is beyond just earning a wage; it is being a productive and responsible citizen.”

The organization of statewide business and community leaders aims to raise awareness about public education in Texas and works for higher standards and accountability for teachers and students.

The 21-member Commission for College Ready Texas was created this month to make recommendations to the State Board of Education on how to improve college-readiness programs by aligning high school curriculum with college standards.

The group includes educators and business representatives and will consider public testimony from meetings held through the fall.

Online: www.texaseducationreform.org; www.tade.org; www.thecb.state.tx.us

COMING UP

Tuesday: Schools struggle to challenge top students while focusing on helping others meet minimum standards.

Wednesday: The acceptable rating given to most local public schools masks significant differences in student achievement.

Sunday: In two area school districts, the most experienced teachers are concentrated in the most affluent schools.

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Jessamy Brown, 817-685-3876 Jeff Claassen, 817-390-7710 jessamybrown@star-telegram.com

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Copyright (c) 2007, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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