Posted on 05/30/2011 4:33:01 AM PDT by massmike
By a number of indicators, hundreds of thousands of high school students are graduating unprepared for the rigors of college. Nationally, in 2010, only 24 percent of ACT-tested high school graduates were deemed college ready in all four subjects tested — English, math, reading and science. In Illinois, only 23 percent met those benchmarks.
In 2008, an estimated 44 percent of students under 25 at a public two-year college and 27 percent of all students under 25 at public four-year schools were taking at least one remedial course, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics.
A survey by an education non-profit group showed that four out of five students taking remedial classes graduated from high school with a GPA above 3.0.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
We have that too, but a lot of the time it wasn’t updated.
....What would be a more interesting statistic is how many kids that start in remedial classes actually successfully graduate from college.......
My wife works at a State college, the percentage of students that graduate after needing remedial math and english is....3%.
The state tried the “everyone should be able to go to college” route and carefully tracked the students. They found it was a dismal failure, and are now raising entrance requirements back to a level that brings in more college qualified students.
Plus, no scholarship money for remedial students, and no on campus housing available for remedial students.
I have dealt with several teachers concerning not updating. Pure laziness in these specific cases. I emailed every two weeks for an update. Yes, I got some snotty emails back and then forwarded them to the counselor and cc’d it to the principle. Personally, I think a student who performs well needs three things: a competent teacher, nosy parents who are on top of the classes/grades and a student who is willing to do their best IMHO.
“Do you have two in college now?”
Hold on....let me check my wallet.....still empty.
Yep.
“the percentage of students that graduate after needing remedial math and english is....3%.”
Wow.
3.0 averages? Really?
Obviously....The teachers and principals are LIARS! They LIED to their students and their parents. The other teachers deliberately chose to do NOTHING! And....It is likely happening in your county's government indoctrination centers.
I'm not sure what the answer is. Frankly, I think there is a segment of students that (these that just don't do well). Stop forcing them to take classes that they won't use. Make sure they can read, write and do general math. Get them fit to survive. Who cares if the read Shakespeare or know details in history. It isn't going to help them flip burgers. They are not going to be doctors, they just need to be able to figure out their their bills Those that can handle more, give them more. They might be able to reduce the drop out rate if they would stop forcing some of these kids to take classes they won't use. jmo
This is why I say that the educational system in our country HATES kids. Rather than tell students (and their parents) the truth early on, they lie, feel sorry for, and ultimately mislead these kids when it comes to their academic progress and potential. So, the student goes through elementary school and makes the A/B Honor Roll every year. Then, in high school, the parent comes into play and the pressure for, what Johnny to learn?—no!, for teacher to give inflated grades kicks in. Soon, scholarships based on those inflated grades come rolling in and Johnny, sits in remediation classes in college (for 0 academic credit) and hits the wall of reality—he cannot “hang” with the truly studious types...you know, the ones that should be in college in the first place.
The sad thing is, Johnny could have been one of those “studious types” had he (and his parents) been told early on that Johnny is average, at best, and needs to spend extra time over the summer reading, instead of going on vacations, playing XBox, texting, etc. Mom and Dad never saw Johnny pick up a book all summer, but think that Johnny has the kind of intellectual curiosity to thrive in a place where intellectual curiosity needs to be at a premium.
Now, to whom do you lie? Someone you truly care about...or someone to whom you are indifferent?
Once again, it is the school’s fault.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No, that is far far too impersonal.
Individual teachers and principals LIED to the student and his parents. Specific teachers ( real people) are LIARS!!!
That’s absolutely right!
LOL
Wait til next year huh? Will you have three in college then or will one graduate?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2724017/posts
The numbers are higher thatn 50 percent in some Georgia public schools. Above is a thread from last week about the same topic.
Your idea of baccalaureate work (something that only 25% of white kids are capable of) doesn’t align with anything except perhaps a hard sciences degree at a very good college.
Sounds as though these two are all set to repeat the amazing story of my wife’s two nephews who are only a few years younger than my wife. They are only a year or so apart in age, both around fifty and both had plenty of native ability. One is a master welder and has earned more than thirty dollars an hour welding, the other is a carpenter among other things and has enough ability as an artist to have made a good living drawing if he cared to. They have both wasted their lives in an amazing fashion and the most recent news is that the younger one shot the older, apparently in what he believed to be self defense as his older brother approached him with a shotgun after an argument, the injury was monor but did require some surgery.
We are not sure exactly what did happen but I am glad they live hours away from us. Having met them both on a couple of occasions I don’t want them anywhere near me, I might be the one doing the shooting next time and while I have never shot a human being what I do shoot usually dies very quickly.
Trying to talk to either of them is as productive as talking to fence posts, the older could manage a semblance or being a normal person the last time I saw him but the younger one has been unable to carry on an intelligent conversation for at least ten years. Of course he himself thinks he is quite brilliant, apparently it never dawns on either that they are textbook examples of a life wasted on drug abuse.
About 25 years ago I worked with a gal that had recently graduated. Come to find out, she couldn’t read. Now, in my mind that gal should NOT have graduated and I wondered how do teachers no know that someone cannot read? You might fool one or two, but all of them, for how many years?
Yeah, I don’t see a lot of good coming out of that mess. The younger one home schools, but it is all on the computer and the mother is doing most of the work. You log in, but the computer doesn’t know who is answering the questions.
Good lesson in life: just because they are “kin” doesn’t make them good people. IMHO, it is best to stay away from people, “supposed family” or not, that are dangerous. Sad that drugs took away such talent and ability.
While it is by no means the whole explanation, top-tier undergraduate and graduate programs knowingly admit ill-prepared students in part to support the diversity of their classes (and for undergraduates, the strength of their sports programs).
My gut tells me that that student was “a nice kid.” Sadly, too many in public education think they are doing kids a favor by passing them [along]. They are not.
“They doesn’t teach grammer or speling in skool ennymore”
I teach Financial Accounting at a medium sized state university. The math skill level of incoming freshmen is very sad. Most of them can punch simple problems into a calculator and write the result on a piece of paper. If they make a mistake pressing the keys and get an absurd answer on the calculator, they write it on the paper. They have no clue.
A large percentage (20% or more) don’t seem to understand any number with more than five digits. Many cannot divide accurately with a calculator because they are punching “3 goes into 6” into the calculator and receiving a result of .5 rather than 2 because there is no “guzinta” key on the calculator. It’s a “divided by” key.
What I find most disturbing is their belief that they are entitled to a grade of B or better for showing up about 2/3 of the time. They take weeks off to go on extra vacations and think they can claim a “family emergency” any time for any reason without any repercussions. Many are quite surprised when they are evaluated on their abilities at the end of the course rather than improvement, attendance or effort.
It would be difficult to count the times I’ve had a student tell me, “I studied really hard for this but couldn’t get it.” When I ask them to show me their notes and practice problems, they have none. When I ask who was in their study group they look at me like I have two heads.
Our government schools are babysitting. Students are allowed to skate through with a B without learning the material. I blame the parents first for allowing it to happen, the teachers second for going along with a gravely flawed system and the administrators/politicians first for creating a system based on social engineering rather than basic education.
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