College Preparation--Good or Poor?
High School Teachers Have a Different View Than Professors
If you ask high school teachers how well-prepared their students are for college, they will say they are ready. A new ACT study points to a gap.
High School Expectations
High schools are requiring far more for graduation than a generation ago. Students must be computer literate, take AP classes, are put on a career track, take college credit classes while in high school, do volunteer work, participate in many extra-curricular events and much more. So, a reasonable person would assume that high school students are more than ready for college after graduation.
ACT Study
In April of 2007, the ACT released the latest National Curriculum Survey showing a gap in how high school teachers viewed college preparation and how college professors do. Surveys are not new to the ACT. They have been conducting them for over 30 years. The data from the ACT surveys has helped establish the most widely recognized definition of college readiness in the United States.
In General
- Colleges want incoming students to have in-depth understanding of a selected number of fundamental skills and knowledge.
- High schools tend to provide less in-depth instruction of a broader range of skills and topics.
So, the consensus is that colleges would rather have students know more about fewer topics and high schools would rather see students know less about many topics.
Cynthia R. Schmeiser, ACT's education division president and chief operating officer says, "State learning standards are trying to cover too much ground--more ground than colleges deem necessary--in the limited time they have with students. As a result, key academic skills needed for success in college get short shrift. The problem lies more with the state education standards than with the teachers themselves."
State Standards Rating by Professors
Nearly two-thirds of college professors say their state standards prepare students "poorly" or "very poorly" for college-level work. 65% are considered prepared poorly!
State Standards Rating by High School Teachers
Most high school teachers believe state standards prepare students "well" or "very well." This is certainly a serious problem.
Survey Question
Question: How well do you think your state's standards prepare students for college-level work in your content area? Answers are rated "well" or "very well".
- English/Writing. 76% high school teachers. 33% college professors.
- Reading. 72% high school teachers. 36% college professors.
- Math. 79% high school teachers. 42% college professors.
- Science. 67% high school teachers. 32% college professors.
Disparities
- Mathematics. High school teachers tend to give advanced content greater importance than do college instructors. College instructors value rigorous understanding of math fundamentals more.
- Science. High school teachers consistently rate knowledge of specific facts and information as more important than an understanding of science process and inquiry skills. College instructors rate these skills in the opposite way.
- English and Writing. College instructors place more importance on basic grammar and usage skills than do high school teachers. College instructors express frustration that incoming students can't write a complete sentence.
- Reading. There is a concern that the instruction of reading skills diminishes in high school.
The state standards are what teachers must follow to be in compliance. However, this is not what the colleges are demanding. Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan have taken steps to improve the alignment so students are being taught in high school what they actually need in college.
Source: ACT Policy Alert
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Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
