Reversing the growing trend of high school graduates taking remedial college courses
Joe Nathan Column – It’s pretty simple. Minnesota parents, families and students can save themselves thousands of dollars by paying attention to Getting Prepared, a recently-released report by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Almost 13,000, 40 percent, of Minnesota public high school graduates who entered a Minnesota public college or university between 2005 and 2009 took at least one remedial course in reading, math or writing. That’s an all-time high percentage. The problem is greatest in math.
Fifty-four percent of Minnesota public high school graduates entered a Minnesota public college or University between 2005 and 2009.
The growing percentage of students entering our public higher education system has risen steadily since 1999, when the Minnesota Legislature began requiring reports on this. The percentage of students taking remedial courses also has risen. A link to the report is at www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/current/article.php5?id=192
Getting Prepared says that the growing percentages of graduates entering and taking remedial courses could be because
a. Students who previously did not plan to attend college are doing so after not being able to find a job
b. Colleges and universities are becoming more rigorous about testing students’ skills before they enter.
Both explanations make sense. But the increased number of students entering Minnesota public colleges and universities also could be in part because that some students who had considered going out of state have stayed in Minnesota to save money. Minnesota students also can graduate without passing a statewide math test, something that the legislature should fix this year.
Regardless of the reasons, Minnesota youngsters and their families are paying hundreds, even thousands of dollars for college courses that don’t count toward graduation. These courses cover reading, writing and math skills that they could/should master in high school.
Several years ago our Center studied some of the fifty Minnesota high schools producing the highest percentage of graduates entering Minnesota public colleges and universities, and lowest percentages of graduates taking remedial courses.
Most were small high schools in greater Minnesota. They had high community and school expectations for virtually every student. Many did not have a “college prep” track for a few, and an easier classes for other students. They strongly encouraged students to take college level classes, whether via Post Secondary Enrollment Options, College in the Schools, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate. Examples are:
· Chokio-Alberta, where 67% of the graduates entered Minnesota public higher education system, and only 16% of those entering public higher education took remedial courses
· Healey High School In Pierz, where 60% entered public colleges/universities; 21% of those students took remedial courses
· Clinton-Graceville, with 51% entering Minnesota public higher education and just 19% of graduates in Minnesota public higher education took remedial courses.
· Little Falls High School, with 62% of its graduates entering Minnesota’s public higher education system, and only 26% of those students taking remedial courses
· Swanville: with 66% of graduates entering Minnesota’s public colleges and universities, but only 25% of those students taking remedial courses
· St. Cloud Technical, where 70% of graduates entered Minnesota’s public higher education system, but only 27% of those students took remedial courses.
Reducing the number of high school graduates taking remedial courses will save families and taxpayers millions of dollars. In the most successful, not necessarily the wealthiest places, families, educators and the broader community provide constant encouragement, challenging classes and high expectations. They get great results.
Joe Nathan, former public school teacher, administrator, PTA president, parent of 3 public school graduates now directs the Center for School Change at Macalester College. Reactions welcome, jnathan@macalester.edu
These are excellent suggestions to prevent the need for remedial education in college. Such remedial training is expensive not only for the student but also the taxpayer. At the same time, high schools must improve their curricula so that these will truly engage students and help them learn better, faster and with more joy.
The first step is to migrate away from the factory model design of our high schools, a view shared by Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education and former governors Jeb Bush and Bob Wise. They seem to advocate a blended online/classroom approach that builds on the strengths and interests of students while exposing them online to lessons from experts who are good at creatively solving problems by connecting knowledge from different disciplines.
Redesigning how we teach English and math skills to high school students is one way to begin the assault on the factory model that has bored the last 2-3 generations of students. Some principles on how to redesign and integrate these courses follow:
• Teach literacy and numeracy (English and math) together, not as separate disconnected subjects.
• Use courseware, online testing and small group instruction to facilitate teaching students of different ability levels at the same time.
• In lieu of traditional lecture-discussion, use experiential, team-oriented and project-based learning methods that integrate soft skills like teamwork, customer service, time management and conflict resolution into the teaching of academic skills, applying content as much as possible to performing in the workplace.
• Incorporate computer applications (e.g. Word, Excel, etc.), employability and career planning skills into the teaching of English and math; this will build relationships and relevance, the preconditions for academic rigor, particularly among struggling students.
• Acknowledge that for many students bringing up basic skills to college readiness standards may require immersion for several (4-8) hours a day for at least 4-5 days a week and for several (8-12) weeks. Concentrated time together helps create peer-to-peer support, teamwork and a sense of urgency, and it provides sufficient time on task to produce good learning habits and prevent forgetting.
• Require co-teaching, i.e. instructors with different specialties would collaborate and take responsibility for the same group of students for the entire 4-8 hour instructional period. Once high schools incorporate the team concept into teaching basic math and reading, they could do it for other subject areas as well. Virtually every workplace in America except schools requires such teamwork. It is time that they do so in order to engage all students all of the time.
• Reward students who meet Achievement, Attendance and Attitudinal requirements (the “3 A’s”) with assistance in obtaining an outcome they value, such as a career entry job, college admission, or accelerated academic credit leading to the next grade-level promotion or enrollment in advanced academic or technical training.
One program called Fast Break has found great success in applying these principles. It treats math and reading as “fundamentals of the workplace.” Using techniques that coaches of sports teams use to teach fundamentals and improve performance, this team taught, intensive (5-8 hours a day), courseware-assisted, cross-disciplinary program usually gets 2-3 grade-level improvements in math and reading in only 8-12 weeks.
For more information about Fast Break, write me at bsels@aol.com or contact the Haberman Educational Foundation (www.habermanfoundation.org) .