Guest Viewpoint: Prepare all students for college and work

By Cynthia B. Schmeiser

01/04/05 -- America is facing a college readiness crisis. Far too few members of the high school graduating class of 2004 who took the ACT test are ready for a typical first-year college course in English, mathematics, or science. They also are not ready for the workplace, where college-level skills are now being expected of those who do not attend college.

As ACT outlines in a new report, Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work, three-fourths of this year’s ACT-tested high school graduates did not meet ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark demonstrating their readiness for their first credit-bearing college course in biology.

Almost two-thirds are unready for their first course in college algebra, and one-third are not ready for college coursework in English composition.

The figures for minority students are even more alarming. Native Americans and Hispanic Americans are only about half as likely as the total population to be ready for college biology, and African Americans are about five times less likely to be ready.

For college algebra, the numbers were only slightly higher. In English composition, these three groups were each about one and a-half times less likely to be ready than the total population.

Scores on the ACT Assessment continue to confirm the benefits of a rigorous core preparation curriculum for all students, whether they plan to go to college or work after high school.

Students who report taking a minimum core curriculum -- four years of English and three years each of math, science, and social studies -- score consistently higher on the ACT Assessment than those who report taking less than core.

The results for the class of 2004 bear this out not just for the total population but for both genders and for each racial and ethnic group.

Taking the core curriculum also improves students’ likelihood of getting into, doing well in, and graduating from college, and minimizes the chances that they will need to take remedial courses in college.

But not enough students take a core curriculum. The overall percentage of ACT-tested students taking a core curriculum has remained relatively stable for a decade -- increasing from only 54 percent in 1994 to 56 percent in 2004.

What’s more, our research has led us to rethink whether the core curriculum is sufficient to prepare students for success after high school.

While taking a core curriculum certainly helps students raise their level of academic preparation and meet high school graduation requirements, it does not necessarily guarantee that a student is ready for college-level work.

Yes, ACT Assessment results show the benefits of taking the core curriculum over taking less than the core. But they also show the even greater benefits accrued by students who take more than the core curriculum: Students who took one or more courses beyond core met or exceeded the College Readiness Benchmarks in significantly greater percentages than students taking only core or less.

Furthermore, our research shows that certain courses -- such as biology, chemistry, physics, and upper-level mathematics beyond algebra II -- have a startling effect on student performance and college readiness. ACT calls them the “courses for success.”

Do all students benefit from taking additional rigorous coursework beyond the minimum recommended curriculum? They do. Our research shows all students can benefit from these courses, not just the high achievers. And this is significant because the ACT score scale is only 36 points.

What does this mean? Students who take a minimum core curriculum are more likely to be ready for college-level work than students who do not take the core. Students who take rigorous courses beyond the recommended minimum number of core courses are even more likely to be ready.

But students whose beyond-core coursework includes the “courses for success” are the most likely of all to be ready. And this is true of students at all levels of achievement, not just the high achievers.

Improving college readiness is crucial to the development of a diverse and talented labor force that is able to maintain and increase U.S. economic competitiveness throughout the world. Students who are college ready are more likely to succeed in college and the workplace and to improve their future earning potential.

When more students are college ready they also increase their chances of graduating on time and require colleges to spend less on remediation.

How can we help ensure that more of our students are ready to make the most of the college experience?

ACT recommends that every high school student who is heading to college or the workplace be prepared and encouraged to take the “courses for success.”

We are not saying that a concerted effort to improve the rigor of the core courses wouldn’t help. It most certainly would. However, our data is based on the realities of the quality and content of the core courses as they currently exist. Without any improvement in the rigor of the core courses, additional higher-level courses are necessary for students to be prepared.

Easier said than done, perhaps. Are there ways of encouraging more students to take and do well in these critical courses? There are, and in Crisis at the Core we offer several suggestions:

• Educators can evaluate and improve the rigor of their course offerings and raise expectations that all students can meet college and workplace readiness standards.

ACT has a number of initiatives underway that support educators in evaluating and improving course rigor.

• Policymakers need to raise awareness of the importance of all students taking not only the right number of courses but the right kinds of rigorous courses.

• Business leaders can take a leadership role in establishing collaborative efforts that are focused on clear articulation of the knowledge and skills that are important for college and work force training readiness. The high school curriculum, for example, can be refocused to address the ACT Standards for Transition.

• Parents can talk with their children about the importance of taking the right number and kind of courses, ensuring that their children begin career and education planning activities before high school.

Clearly, change will neither happen overnight nor should it be the responsibility of one group.

To ensure that all students have the opportunity to be ready for college and work will take our combined efforts. All of us have crucial roles to play in helping our students prepare for their futures. Together, we can make it happen.