Learn About: 21st Century | Charter Schools | Homework
Home / Edifier


The EDifier

June 6, 2013

Florida to nix remedial college courses next year

Leaders in higher education often throw around the terms “safety net” and “college prep course” when discussing remedial college courses. Coincidentally, Fla. Governor Rick Scott recently signed legislation to throw out as part of a reform effort set to affect Florida’s 28 community colleges, effective fall 2014.

While many would argue that remedial courses are cost-prohibitive and frustrating for students seeking to immediately earn credit upon college enrollment, there is a reason why they are in place at colleges and universities (both public and private) across the country: students need them.

The Orlando Sentinel article emphasizes the availability of tutoring and other support services that will be offered to students formerly (or needing to be) enrolled in non-credit remedial courses. It fails to provide commentary on the fact, however, that tutoring and student support services are currently available to all students—remedial or college-ready—at all colleges and universities. Providing a few tutoring sessions here and there is not likely to promote the same kind of intensive learning for which remedial, or “developmental,” courses were created.

Furthermore, before the affected students start celebrating their freedom from placement tests and remedial coursework, two major consequences (among others) ought to be considered:

  1. Students who aren’t college-ready (as formerly determined by placement tests) will not suddenly and miraculously begin performing at college-ready levels, simply by virtue of forgoing placement exams and remedial courses. This could mean lower course performance for the affected population, thereby decreasing students’ GPAs and their ability to attain financial aid packages.
  2. Remedial courses need not be treated as punishments or impediments for students embarking on their journey to a college education. The state of Florida is not doing itself any favors by pushing students into courses for which they are not academically prepared. Doing so is like promoting an individual within an organization prior to that person earning the promotion. Comparing a college to a workplace environment, remedial courses are akin to professional development intended to bolster skills and prepare employees (read: students) for unchartered territory and the development of new skills and competencies.

Though remedial education is in no way perfect, I am unconvinced that simply removing placement exams and developmental courses are the best solutions for remedial education reform. Floridians deserve alternative options that will help them reach college-level skills in reading, writing, analysis, and beyond. Research has shown that the more proactive approach of increasing rigor in high school is a strong indicator for post-secondary educational success. Thus, focusing more time and energy on college-readiness before students earn their diploma (e.g., by expanding opportunities for dual credit/Advanced Placement courses) would serve the state well in preparing its students for the academic challenges they will face in college.  – Christine Duchouquette

Filed under: Assessments,college,Course taking,CPE — Tags: , — Christine @ 12:24 pm




May 15, 2013

Community colleges make a difference

Getting the U.S. back to the top of the international college attainment rankings requires a focus on our community colleges. This is because the U.S. ranks second in the world in four-year degree attainment but ranks 18th when looking at two-year degree attainment rates. So there is certainly significant room for improvement when it comes to two-year degrees.

Of course, we shouldn’t focus on two-year degrees simply to move up the international rankings. We need to focus on two-year degrees because they are fast becoming an essential minimum prerequisite for a good job. Which is why the results of a U.S. Department of Labor grant program aimed at encouraging community colleges to prepare students for high wage and high skilled jobs is so encouraging.

Because of the grant, 15 community colleges across Massachusetts worked together to put a greater focus on preparing students for technical and middle-income jobs instead of simply preparing students to transfer onto a four-year institution. These community colleges did so by creating new and exciting degree and certification programs that were aligned with the preparation needed for jobs in six targeted industries such as health care, advanced manufacturing, IT, biotechnology, green energy and financial services. They even hired ‘college and career navigators’ to assist students in connecting with employers, not just when students nearly completed their degree, but throughout their time on campus. This ensures that students are receiving the training that area employers are looking for in future employees.

While such a program, in and of itself, will not catapult the U.S. back to the top of the international college attainment rankings, providing additional resources and incentives to community colleges will lead to more students completing a college degree and being better prepared to compete in the 21st century labor market. – Jim Hull

Filed under: 21st century education,college,International Comparisons,technology — Jim Hull @ 2:13 pm




May 2, 2013

Improve college attainment rates: Invest in high school guidance counselors

A recent study by Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery hasn’t gotten a lot of media attention but is a must read. In fact, I just became aware of the study myself even though it was issued as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research back in December. Policymakers, educators, parents, and the general public should be made aware of this study because it has broad implications for narrowing gaps between low and higher income students.

What did the study find that was so important? It found that low-income high achieving students were less likely to not just attend a selective college but even apply to one as similar achieving higher income students. Instead, low-income high achieving students tend to attend non-selective two- or four-year colleges that have significantly lower instructional resources and graduation rates.

Why is this so important?  Too few low-income students go on to obtain a college degree. If more low-income students applied to more selective colleges that have greater instructional resources and higher graduations rates the college degree attainment gap between low- and high-income students would narrow. In the long-term the U.S. would likely climb up the international college graduation rate rankings as well.

You might be thinking low-income students may not attend more selective colleges because they cost more. This may be true if you compared sticker prices but the study found that if you take into account the difference in financial aid packages, many selective colleges would cost low-income students less than the non-selective colleges they wound up attending.

However, this isn’t likely to be common knowledge for many low –income students as many are the first in their families to attend college. This is why adults in their high schools need to help educate these students and their families about the college going process, particularly for those qualified to attend a selective college. Yet, when the national student to guidance counselor average is 350 to 1—likely much higher in many high poverty urban districts—it is nearly impossible for guidance counselors to find the time to ensure low-income high achieving students apply to selective schools.

This study provides more evidence of the importance of high school guidance counselors. As CPE found in our High School Rigor and Good Advice report last year, those students who meet regularly with counselors about college are more likely to succeed in college. The same report also found that those students who took more rigorous courses in high school were more likely to succeed in college as well. So, guidance counselors not only help low-income high achieving students by educating them about the college going process but by ensuring students take the rigorous courses they need to succeed in college.

Yes, getting more low-income students to complete a rigorous high school curriculum will increase the chances those students will attend and succeed in college. But this study shows that academic preparation can only go so far. If schools invest more in educating low-income students on the college going process by hiring more guidance counselors that will ensure students take rigorous courses and apply to higher quality colleges. Then the U.S. will likely see the college degree gap between low- and high-income students narrow and see the U.S. rise in the international college attainment rankings. – Jim Hull

Filed under: Achievement Gaps,college,Course taking,Demographics,High school,International Comparisons — Tags: , , — Jim Hull @ 11:32 am




January 29, 2013

Some colleges putting the brakes on accelerated learning programs

There’s an interesting development occurring in the push to prepare high school graduates for college— and it doesn’t bode well, despite the very best intentions.

I read with a great deal of interest that a handful of Washington state lawmakers  are eager to expand a pilot program that automatically identifies high-achieving middle and high school students and enrolls them in advanced courses.

Federal Way Public Schools launched its Academic Acceleration Program in the fall of 2010 and has experienced overwhelmingly positive results. Since its inception, the number of juniors and seniors who have enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge Program class has increased by 72 percent, with the number of minority students taking advanced courses rising by 76 percent. What’s more, less than three percent of students who were tapped for this program opted out, while 94 percent of those who stayed in the advanced course received a C or better in their first semester.

This all sounds well and good, so, what’s the problem, you ask? Well, the potential problem lies in how colleges and universities will treat these accelerated learning credits.

A few weeks ago, Dartmouth University announced that beginning with the class of 2018, it would no longer be providing college credit for AP courses, declaring that the classes just weren’t up to the university’s high standards.

Just how rigorous advanced courses are — and how rigorous high schools are, for that matter— is a subject the Center for Public Education explored last year in its report, Is High School Tough Enough?  The study found that AP courses do seem to have a benefit for those students who take them, while the impact of IB is too small to measure reliably. Ultimately, the study determined more research is needed in this arena, particularly since accelerated learning programs have become a widely popular strategy to boost the college-going rate, as it can reduce the cost of post-secondary education, a major obstacle for many students.

Yet, it would seem all for naught, if just as many colleges began refusing to accept the Advanced Placement scores, whether out of legitimate concern that is not an adequate substitute for a real college curriculum … or, more nefariously, out of concern for their own bottomline.

Filed under: college,Course taking,CPE,High school — Tags: , , , , , , , — NDillon @ 12:55 pm




January 25, 2013

Our rising graduation rates

Earlier this week Allison— CPE’s latest and greatest intern— wrote about our rising national high school graduates rates. She made an excellent point that just because more students are receiving high school diplomas doesn’t mean more students are leaving high school more prepared for life unless the diploma represents that student is ready for the rigors of college— be it a two- or four-year college— or the highly competitive labor market.

Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure whether more of our students are graduating from high school ready for college or a career. The good news is if the Common Core standards live up to expectations than we can be relatively certain that those students who earn a high school diploma are indeed ready for college or the workforce since the Common Core standards were designed specifically to keep students on track to be college and career ready after graduation which is not the case for most state standards as currently implemented. So if the current trend in rising graduation rates continue well after the Common Core standards have been implemented there will be little doubt the more students are graduating high school not only with a piece of paper but with the knowledge and skills they need to either succeed in college or the workplace. That would definitely be something worth celebrating. – Jim Hull

Filed under: college,Graduation rates,High school,national standards — Jim Hull @ 10:00 am




Older Posts »
RSS Feed