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Vol. 18 No. 7
March 2004
New National Reports
The American Diploma
AS A YOUNGSTER, Tommy Simpson
was kicked out of school three times. But he pulled himself together
in high school and actually graduated in three years. Yet, when
he attended St. Petersburg College in Florida, he had to take
a remedial algebra class. With that, he felt there was a stigma.
"There's a negative light on remedial classes,"
he said. "You're going to class for nothing.'' He got through
it though, earned a GPA just under a 3.0 and was active in student
government. He now attends the University of South Florida, studying
engineering.
Simpson is one of the success stories of students making the
high school to college transition. Unfortunately, too many students
are not faring as well. That's why this month, CB highlights
the findings of an important new study "Ready or Not: Creating
a High School Diploma that Counts."
THE NEW STATS
More than half of the students heading to college
this year will need some form of remedial class work, 28 percent
of them right away. And studies have found that those taking
remedial classes are less likely to graduate from college.
This is the disturbing news from the American Diploma Project,
a two-year-old initiative sponsored by independent, bipartisan,
non-profit organizations. The American Diploma Project (ADP)
recently released its new study on the high school diploma charging
that high school graduates lack the math and English skills needed
after 12th grade. But ADP also came up with some recommendations.
Calling a high school diploma a "broken promise,'' the
study leaders say graduation standards don't reflect real-world
demands, even for youngsters who go straight into the work-force.
"Requirements for graduates are not pegged to the real-life
expectations,'' said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve Inc.,
a partner of ADP. "We're not putting them on a pathway that
leads them somewhere.''
The problems are then compounded at the postsecondary level.
There is a noticeable link between the ADP report's findings
and the issue of remediation in college, which was a hot topic
recently at an Education Writers Association seminar in St. Petersburg,
Florida. Educators, researchers and journalists, including a
representative for CB, discussed the American high school diploma
and issues surrounding remediation across the country. Here is
some of what was said.
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THE ADP PROJECT
The ADP calls the high school diploma "little
more than a certificate of attendance." It came to this
conclusion after studying high schools in five states: Indiana,
Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada and Texas. The study was funded
by a $2.4 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
and supported by Achieve Inc., the Education Trust and the Thomas
B. Fordham Foundation to help states focus on restoring the diploma's
value by anchoring high school graduation requirements and assessments
to the standards of the real world.
The groups commissioned an Educational Testing Service study
of educational backgrounds across the workforce and met with
faculty members from two- and four-year colleges.
The goal of the study was to "determine the English and
mathematics skills that high school graduates need in order to
be successful in college and the workplace and to help states
incorporate those skills into their standards, assessments and
high school graduate requirements,'' the report said.
While many states are trying to boost their graduation expectations
by raising course requirements and giving exit exams, the real
culprit is the gap between what the states expect of graduates
and what colleges demand in their admissions exams, according
to the ADP study. "It's as if they were made in two different
worlds,'' Cohen told the EWA journalists.
Consider this:
- 70 percent of high school graduates enter two- and four-year
colleges.
- 28 percent of those students immediately take remedial English
or math.
- 53 percent take remedial classes some time in their college
careers.
These percentages are much higher for poor and minority students.
But, just 45 percent of those students who take even one remedial
class get a degree. Only 34 percent of college students who require
remedial reading, for example, end up graduating from college.
Only 45 percent of college students who require remedial math
graduate. Only 18 percent of those required to take three or
more remedial classes (including reading) get a degree.
Fifty years ago, 25 percent of high school graduates went
on to higher education. But today's workforce demands that 80
percent of students attend some form of college. Yet, more than
60 percent of employers rate graduates' skills in grammar, spelling,
writing and basic math as fair or poor.
The study places the blame for this situation on the fact
that too few students take challenging classes in high school,
such as geometry and Algebra I and II. In addition, while nearly
half the states require students pass exit exams to graduate,
these exams generally assess eighth or ninth grade content rather
than the knowledge needed for college or high-performance jobs.
ADP RECOMMENDATIONS
The report recommends state policymakers "anchor
high school graduation requirements and assessments to the standards
of the real world," meaning the knowledge and skills that
colleges and employers actually expect.
In return, colleges and employers need to start honoring and
rewarding student achievement on state standards-based assessments
by using these performance data in their admissions, placement
and hiring decisions.
The study calls on states to define specific course-taking
requirements in English and math for high school grads (such
as Algebra I, geometry, and so on) rather than simply "three
years" of math or "four years" of English, and
specify the core content for those courses.
Further, the report recommends that all students be held to
the same English and math standards, using the same measures,
regardless of whether students are in traditional schools, charter
schools or alternative programs.
Finally, schools need help defining how other subjects such as
science and history can help students prepare for life after
high school.
The ADP study says postsecondary institutions should use high
school assessments for college admissions, placement and the
rewarding of merit scholarships. And they should provide information
to high schools on the academic performance of their grads once
in college so that the high schools can improve their programs.
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THE PROBLEM WITH REMEDIATION
The lack of skills is tied to issues of remediation
at the postsecondary level. Remediation takes place anytime a
student who graduates from high school fails to meet standards
on a college admission's or entrance exam, and is then required
to take and pass remedial classes to catch up. Remedial classes
generally do not count as credit.
According to Ronald Williams, president of Prince George's
Community College in Maryland, remedial classes can delay and
impede the progress of students. It simply takes them more time
to get their degrees. "There is a ripple effect," he
said.
One problem is that students get discouraged because remedial
courses don't give them credit. "They don't want to take
remediation because it's, quote, beneath them," said Jim
Jacobs, director of the Center for Workforce Development and
Policy at Macomb Community College and associate director at
the Community College Research Center at Columbia University.
Eric Bettinger, assistant professor of economics, Case Western
University, has studied remediation and calls it a "Scarlet
Letter Affect." Still, Bettinger suggests remediation is
a cost-effective way to re-sort students. Even if it drives some
students to other institutions, perhaps that is better than a
student struggling through three years at a four-year institution
before realizing that he or she shouldn't be there. "They
don't get a signal for a long time that it's not a good match,"
he said.
OPPOSING REMEDIATION
However, the ADP report's recommendations also seem
to support the opinions of those who oppose remediation, including
Lois Cronholm, senior vice president and chief operating officer,
City College of New York, which phased out most remedial education
in the late 1990s. "It is not the students who need remediation,
it is the school systems that need remediation," she said.
Cronholm said a high school diploma should come with the common
understanding that a student is ready for postsecondary education,
rather than leaving the possibility the student has to play catch-up.
"We must make sure what happens in the high school prepares
students," she said. The ADP report says that is not happening.
While the ADP study suggests that the root cause of the need
for remediation is that high schools are not preparing students
properly, Robert McCabe, former president at Miami-Dade Community
College, said not all blame for students shortcomings should
be passed to K-12. "It's just too easy to hang all the blame
there," he noted.
ONE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER'S
VIEW
Barbara Verity, a teacher at Oak Ridge High School
in Orlando, Florida, for example, said many of her students have
a hard time with critical thinking and writing skills. But also,
many start thinking of what they need for college too late in
the game. By the time they find out they need four years of math
to attend their first college choice, it's too late. "A
lot of times the kids are going to high school without even thinking
about college," she told EWA journalists.
Verity said that her high school has students from low-income
families and the school has a high level of diversity. She said
there is a lot of pressure to get them to pass the Florida state
tests. She also tries to help students with their college applications,
but many get started too late. She said there is one guidance
counselor for every 200 students at her 2,500-student school.
In addition, she noted that a lot of her kids come from families
where no one went to college, so they have no experience to pass
on. Their only guidance must come from the school.
CALLING FOR HIGHER STANDARDS
Study leaders said the report comes at a critical
moment, as states are focusing on revitalizing high schools and
pushing to increase the number of students deemed proficient
to satisfy the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
But the ADP study further describes ways to tie admissions,
placement and hiring decisions to higher high school exit standards.
While employers' and colleges' academic demands have converged,
the ADP study found states' current exit expectations still fall
short.
The ADP report says that the high standards wanted by employers
and postsecondary educators in math and English are those commonly
associated with advanced and honors courses in high school.
ADP suggests an agenda for states to remedy the problems and
improve student performance. They are, in part:
- Requiring all students take a college and workplace readiness
curriculum.
- Giving high school exit exams and assessing readiness in
ways that go beyond statewide paper-and-pencil tests.
- Using high school assessments for admissions and placement,
providing high schools information on how their graduates are
performing in high school and holding colleges and universities
accountable for the academic success of the students they admit.
- Using the Higher Education Act to offer students incentives
to graduate college-ready and support state efforts to raise
high school exit expectations.
- Mobilizing employers to insist that states align high school
standards, assessments and graduation requirements with the demands
of postsecondary education and work.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGES BRACING
Unfortunately, Williams expects the number of students
needing remedial courses will continue to grow and he fears community
colleges will become the depositories for remedial education.
He said 11 percent of his budget goes to remedial education.
Williams suggests addressing the problem by integrating community
colleges more with the high schools. He also said four-year colleges
are boasting about their excellence more than ever. "And
that usually is the proxy for exclusion," he said.
He said all the complicated issues of higher education, including
remediation, are being squished further down, placing the highest-risk
students at the place where there is the least funding. With
the largest graduating class in history expected in 2008, community
colleges are bracing for an expected surge of students needing
remedial classes. Community colleges provide three-fourths of
the remedial courses in the nation. But recent budget cuts are
making it hard for community colleges to match the demand.
"We're asked to stretch more around less,'' Williams
told the EWA seminar.
Community colleges are shouldering the brunt of remediation
because four-year institutions don't see it as their mission,
added Jacobs. "It's very costly in an era of cutbacks."
That means community colleges, which receive less than half
the aid per student compared to four-year universities, may find
themselves in an unfamiliar situation where they have to decide
who they are going to serve. "Those are questions we're
not used to," Jacobs said.
Hunter R. Boylan, director, National Center for Developmental
Education and a professor of Higher Education at Appalachian
State University, suggests there are also ways to remedy remediation.
"It's possible to do a lousy job at remediation," said
Boylan, "and lots of people are attaining that possibility."
But, he added, successful remediation programs do the following:
- Invest in training of faculty. Less than half the programs
provide training, and some programs pull in adjuncts one day
and have them teaching the next.
- Develop a coordinated and centralized program, which only
40 percent of the programs use.
- Have systematic and ongoing evaluations and use them to improve
the program. Only 25 percent of the programs do this.
- Make the program more than just a re-hash of high school
by diversifying teaching techniques.
Here are some web sites to visit for more information on the
ADP report and related topics: www.achieve.org,
www.edtrust.org, www.edexcellence.net.
On remediation, community colleges and related topics: www.ncde.appstate.edu,
www.nga.org.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
What Other New Reports Said
About Students and Counselors
Editor's Note: There were so many reports out recently, CB decided
to see what was behind the headlines for counselors, students
and parents.
THE STATE OF COLLEGE
ADMISSIONS
The National Association for College Admission Counseling
has just released it second annual report, "The State of
College Admission." Among its findings: In 2003, 76 percent
of colleges and universities received more applications than
in 2002. (CB's own survey found 74 percent received more applications.)
NACAC's survey of counseling trends found most college-bound
high school students submitted four or more college applications.
The average rate of selectivity, or percent of students admitted,
was almost 70 percent. The average "yield" rate was
43 percent.
About 20 percent of colleges and universities now offer Early
Decision (ED) programs and 43 percent of these schools received
more ED applications. The most important factors in ED admission
are grades in college prep courses followed by standardized test
scores. Some 21 percent of the colleges and universities surveyed
offered "Early Action" programs and 68 percent of these
schools received more EA applications.
But also of interest: Using U.S. Department of Education statistics,
the report revealed that for public secondary schools the ratio
of students to counselors was 407:1 in 2003. And NACAC found
that among counselors responding to its survey, 46 percent of
their work week was engaged in college counseling. NACAC's analysis
of the trends revealed that covering costs for professional development
for counselors and a low student-to-counselor ratio were linked
to a higher percentage of students participating in postsecondary
education.
WHAT UCLA'S SURVEY SAYS
ABOUT STUDENTS
Who are the high school students heading to college?
If last year's freshmen are any indication, they are more interested
in politics and service, drinking less than their predecessors
and believe they were doing better in high school.
What made national headlines was the finding that freshmen
show a rise in political interest. This comes after a long period
of decline, according to the results of UCLA's annual survey
of 276,449 students in 413 colleges and universities.
The fall 2003 survey conducted by the Higher Education Research
Institute at UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information
Studies finds that one-third (34 percent) of students feel that
keeping up to date with political affairs is a very important
life goal. Prior to 2000, the study revealed a three-decade trend
of plummeting political interest among freshmen, with a record
low of 28 percent in 2000.
In a related finding, students are volunteering in record
numbers. Today's college freshmen are continuing a decade-long
trend of record-setting volunteerism with 83 percent of students
reporting participation in volunteer work during their last year
in high school, compared to 82 percent in 2002 and a low of 66
percent in 1989. Paralleling this trend is the fact that a growing
number of high schools make community service a requirement for
graduation. Nearly one in three students (31 percent) attend
these high schools, marking a substantial increase since this
item was introduced on the 1998 survey when less than one-quarter
(23 percent) of students performed service on a compulsory basis.
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It appears that this growing trend at the high school level
is matched by increases at the college level. The percentage
of students who say there is a very good chance that they will
participate in volunteer or community work in college also reached
a record high of 25 percent, compared with a low of 17 percent
when this item was introduced on the 1990 survey. An additional
41 percent of today's students indicate that there is some chance
of participating in service while in college. The UCLA researchers
state that this growing commitment to service is encouraging
news because participating in service yields clear benefits for
student learning both inside and outside the classroom.
Students achieving A averages reached a record high; nearly
47 percent, compared to about 46 percent last year and a low
of 18 percent in 1968. The percentage of students earning average
grades of C-plus or below fell to a record low of 5.1 percent,
compared to 5.3 percent last year and a high of 23 percent in
1968. Academic confidence also hit a record high, with students
believing their academic ability is above average or in the highest
10 percent among people their age.
Yet, as their grades continue to escalate, the time students
spend studying remains low. In 2003, only 34 percent of entering
freshmen report studying or doing homework six or more hours
per week in their senior year of high school, the second-lowest
figure since that item was added to the survey in 1987 (when
it reached 47 percent).
Drinking, smoking and partying continue to decline. Freshmen
entering college in fall 2003 reported the lowest rates of drinking
and smoking in the history of the survey, with fewer than half
of freshmen reporting frequent or occasional beer drinking (45
percent), compared to 47 percent last year and a high of 74 percent
in 1982. And following the record-high number of freshmen who
reported they frequently smoked cigarettes in 1998 (13 percent),
smoking rates have fallen over the past five years. Currently,
a record-low 6 percent of entering college students report frequent
cigarette smoking during their last year in high school.
To obtain the entire 116-page State of Admission report
from NACAC, go to www.nacac.com/research.html(.)
Or call 800-822-6285; $5 for members, $10 for others.
The 38th annual report, The American Freshman: National
Norms for Fall 2003, is available for $25, plus $5 (and $1
for each additional book) for shipping. Send payment to the Higher
Education Research Institute, UCLA Graduate School of Education
& Information Studies, 3005 Moore Hall, Box 951521, Los Angeles,
CA 90095-1521.
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Top Factors in
the
College Admission Decision
(and the percent of all colleges
attributing considerable importance)
| Factor |
Important |
| Grades in college prep courses |
78 |
| Standardized admission tests |
61 |
| Grades in all courses |
54 |
| Class rank |
33 |
| Essay or writing sample |
23 |
| Teacher recommendation |
18 |
| Counselor recommendation |
17 |
| Interview |
9 |
| Student's Demonstrated Interest |
7 |
| Subject Tests (SATII, AP, IB) |
7 |
| State Graduation Exam Scores |
7 |
| Race/Ethnicity |
3 |
| Ability to Pay |
2 |
| State or County of Residence |
2 |
| Source:
NACAC "State of College Admission" |
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ADMISSIONS WATCH
Harvard EA. For the first time, Harvard admitted
more women than men Early Action this year, 50.9 percent of applicants.
"We have come a long way from the 4-to-1 male-female ratios
of the 1960s," dean of admissions and financial aid William
R. Fitzsimmons told the Harvard University Gazette.
This year, Harvard, like Stanford and Yale, requested that
its EA applicants apply to no other schools. As result, Harvard's
non-binding EA numbers fell considerably, to 3,889 applicants
for 2004, compared to 7,614 last year. "We believe the change
in policy has led to a much more thoughtful, less frenetic and
ultimately more beneficial process," Fitzsimmons said.
Harvard admitted 906 EA applicants to the Class of 2007, compared
to 1,059 last year. The number of international students increased
to 6.8 percent this year from 4.8 percent for 2003. Another 2,737
EA applicants were deferred, while 165 were rejected.
Concern at Michigan. What
impact has the recent Supreme Court Affirmative Action ruling
and all the controversy surrounding it had on the U. of Michigan,
at the center of the controversy?
According to a February 10 Chicago Tribune report,
preliminary figures indicate applications by minority students
are off an amazing 23 percent, compared to the same time last
year. Overall, applications to U. of M. were running 18 percent
behind last year.
While the Court struck down Michigan's more inflexible undergraduate
system of assigning points to various minority applicants, it
upheld the system used by Michigan's Law School, and affirmed
the general principle permitting race to be used as a factor
in admission decisions.
Michigan and several other universities around the nation
then redesigned their application process to conform to the ruling.
Michigan, for example, added several short personal essays so
applicants could discuss their ideas about diversity or describe
the barriers they overcame to reach college.
As of Michigan's February 1 application deadline, about 6.5
percent of the newly admitted class comes from minority groups,
versus 9 percent last year. This year's freshman class includes
over 13 percent minority students. But, preliminary figures may
be misleading since Michigan still had several thousand applications
to consider at press time.
Ohio State Suffers. The Ohio
State University was another school that altered its application
as a result of the Court's ruling, and the Tribune reported
that minority applications there are down 9 percent, and down
12 percent overall.
Meanwhile, other Big Ten Universities have not been adversely
affected. At Northwestern U., applications are up 10 percent
for all students, and have increased by 28 percent among African-Americans
and 22 percent among Hispanic students. The U. of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign has seen a 20 percent increase in applications
from minority students.
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Texas Resumes Affirmative Action.
Another result of the Supreme Court's decision is the return
of Affirmative Action to the U. of Texas-Austin for the first
time since 1996. Beginning in the fall of 2005, race will count
among the 12 factors used in evaluating freshman applications.
Last year, UT-Austin received 24,500 applications, admitted
11,000, and 6,544 enrolled. While 12 percent of all Texans are
black, African American enrollment at UT-Austin this year finally
reach 4 percent, the same level as before the Affirmative Action
ban. About one third of Texans are Hispanic. This year, Hispanic
enrollment reached 16 percent.
The change in policy reinstating Affirmative Action came after
an internal study found that 90 percent of classes with one to
24 students had one or no African Americans enrolled, and 43
percent had one or no Hispanic students. The new policy seeks
to remedy this imbalance.
More CB Survey Results. COLLEGE
BOUND's final tally of admissions statistics for Who Got In?
in 2003 includes the following info:
Princeton received 15,726 applications in 2003, more
than in 2002 and accepted 1,601 for a class of 1,176.and compared
to a decade ago, competition for admission is "much more
competitive" according to Spencer J. Reynolds, associate
dean of admissions.
Brown created a smaller first-year class in 2003, from
15,157 applications and 2,442 acceptances. It wait-listed 450
students in 2003 and admitted 154 students from its wait list.
Thirty-five percent of its first-year class was accepted Early
Decision. Average test scores: 1390 Combined SAT and 29 ACT.
Michigan State's first-year class included 6,849 students
created from 24,973 applications and 17,690 acceptances. It put
1,524 students on its wait list and admitted 228 of these students.
Compared to a decade ago, admissions to MSU is "much more
competitive," said Glen Brough, senior admissions counselor.
What special talents or skills does MSU seek in 2004 applications?
"Academic preparedness, ability to express ideas clearly,
adaptability," said Brough.
Old Dominion is seeking applicants in 2004 with "leadership."
Its regular deadline for applicants is March 15.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributors: Marc Davis; Chris Tisch;
Circulation: Irma Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration: Louis
Coronel; Board of Advisors: Rosita Fernandez-Rojo,
Choate-Rosemary Hall; Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford (N.Y.)
Central School District; Howard Greene, author, The
Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning Series; Frank
C. Leana, Ph.D., educational counselor; Virginia Vogel,
Educational Guidance Services; M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington
University in St. Louis, Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy
(Daphne, Ala.).
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