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Graduates unprepared for college academics
THE GAZETTE ^ | May 21, 2007 | BRIAN NEWSOME

Posted on 05/23/2007 2:59:55 PM PDT by george76

Remedial classes await.

Thousands of Colorado high schoolers are graduating this month with plans to go to college in the fall.

Hundreds of them will be academically unprepared when they get there.

Those students will take — and pay for — remedial classes that don’t count toward a degree.

Educators say the need for remedial work is fueled largely by a lack of communication between high schools and colleges about what’s important to know. They also say high school students need to pay closer attention to class selection and grades, especially in the senior year when many coast toward graduation day. And, some say, high school should be more rigorous.

About 30 percent of recent high school graduates who went to Colorado’s public colleges last year were assigned to remedial courses in at least one subject, the report said. The number rose to about 56 percent at two-year colleges.

Nearly 61 percent of students were assigned to remedial classes at Pikes Peak Community College.

Even in the Pikes Peak region’s top-performing high schools, as many as 20 to 30 percent of graduates needed remedial help in college.

(Excerpt) Read more at gazette.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: classes; college; highschool; highschoolers; illiteracy; letarekidswalk; publicschools; publikskoolz; remedial; remedialclasses; school; schools
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To: xsmommy

10k is a good deal, compared to what most other colleges cost now, although I’m done paying for school since I don’t have kids and never will.


181 posted on 05/27/2007 7:02:31 PM PDT by darkangel82 (Socialism is NOT an American value.)
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To: RavenATB
Standardized testing shows that homeschooling children is more academically successful than is public schooling.

I suppose you have some actual studies to prove that?

I know that some homeschooled students do exceptionally well, but so do some students from private and public schools.

TIMSS and PIRLS testing shows that are [our?] public school kids compare rather poorly to students from a great number of other nations.

Perhaps you're aware that the sampling methodology and analytical procedures of those studies have been called into question?

182 posted on 05/27/2007 7:16:09 PM PDT by Amelia
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To: xsmommy
Absolutely - Virginia is a strong state for post high school schools with UVA, VaTech, William and Mary, Mary Wash, VCU, heck even George Mason is coming out of the shadows, but a huge complaint amongst Virginians has to to do with the high number of out-of-staters that take some of the limited spots. With as much as we pay in taxes to support these schools, how fair is it that qualified Virginia applicants are passed over in favor of the out of state money? There have been years in our county where not one top 10 student in either of the high schools were accepted to UVA or Tech - the V’s were both wait-listed for UVA. Kids at the top of their class with great boards, extra-c’s, voluntarism, great candidates, but turned down. Something wrong with that picture.
183 posted on 05/27/2007 7:38:40 PM PDT by SoftballMominVA (Never argue with an idiot. He will bring you down to his level and beat you with experience)
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To: SoftballMominVA

well there are private schools from NoVA that are filling those slots, also. quite a few of my daughter’s classmates from Visitation, as well as seniors from Gonzaga, are going to UVA. and i have friends whose kids go to Bishop OConnell who got in as well. out of state students aren’t the only competition. Face it, this area, northern VA, is loaded with extremely well qualified applicants. That also factors into National Merit scholarship considerations. Kids from southwestern VA can get national merit scholarships with lower scores because their averages are lower than those from up here. i imagine that students from those parts of VA get in with lower scores for the same reasons.


184 posted on 05/27/2007 7:49:37 PM PDT by xsmommy
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To: xsmommy

You have a point there. A very good friend of mine moved her child to live with her dad and have her attend Rappahanock high school, instead of Robinson with the idea that she would stand out more at a smaller, rural school. She got into W&M, so I guess the gamble paid off; there’s no way to know if she would have gotten in from a larger pool.


185 posted on 05/27/2007 8:11:39 PM PDT by SoftballMominVA (Never argue with an idiot. He will bring you down to his level and beat you with experience)
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To: SoftballMominVA; xsmommy

The MIT recruiter was interviewed on TV, and he said that they would only accept two kids from TJ Tech. Otherwise, that is all they would take - TJ kids.


186 posted on 05/28/2007 3:56:50 AM PDT by patton (19yrs ... only 4,981yrs to go ;))
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To: SoftballMominVA

that sounds like a great idea, i’m glad that worked out for her.


187 posted on 05/28/2007 4:20:07 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: MarkT

Providing the opportunity to earn International Baccalaureates and celebrating the achievement of those who do is a starting point.


188 posted on 05/28/2007 4:26:12 AM PDT by x_plus_one (As long as we pretend to not be fighting Iran in Iraq, we can't pretend to win the war.)
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To: doodad

The downside is that you enter college with credit hours. Scholarships and other programs are based on credit hours which may make the student ineligible. If you have a freshman year scholarship and enter as a sophomore you could lose some funding.


189 posted on 05/28/2007 4:29:42 AM PDT by x_plus_one (As long as we pretend to not be fighting Iran in Iraq, we can't pretend to win the war.)
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To: george76
This is what happens with a government-run school monopoly: no one is accountable for results. So students graduate unprepared for college level work since the Colorado high schools already met the pro forma requirements. Its irrelevant if they made sure students were prepared for college level work.

Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

190 posted on 05/28/2007 4:34:38 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: george76

Many should not go to college or university.


191 posted on 05/28/2007 4:38:21 AM PDT by steveyp (Homeschool Teacher - Science and Math)
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To: wintertime; jude24

Why don’t you just stop posting to Jude24. He has asked you a couple of times now. That would be the polite thing to do. You don’t need the moderator to give you lessons in manners, do you?


192 posted on 05/28/2007 4:47:16 AM PDT by carton253 (I've cried tears and stayed the same.)
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To: patton

Only two from TJ? That’s astounding considering probably 90% of each graduating class should be going to MIT or another high-profile school.My younger made the first cut, but declined to go further when we realized she would have to be in 50 miles of rush hour traffic each way, 5 days a week. The price we pay for open spaces I guess.


193 posted on 05/28/2007 5:49:17 AM PDT by SoftballMominVA (Never argue with an idiot. He will bring you down to his level and beat you with experience)
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To: SoftballMominVA

His point was that if they went on merit alone, ALL of TJ would be accepted to MIT, and that would leave little room for anyone else. So they only take two kids.

Meaning, as was the case with your friend, if you want to send your kids to MIT, don’t send them to TJ.

Ironic, isn’t it?

BTW, I interviewed at MIT a couple of years ago, but I just couldn’t handle Boston.

;)


194 posted on 05/28/2007 5:53:59 AM PDT by patton (19yrs ... only 4,981yrs to go ;))
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To: xsmommy
That also factors into National Merit scholarship considerations. Kids from southwestern VA can get national merit scholarships with lower scores because their averages are lower than those from up here.

To get a National Merit scholarship, you first have to have the SAT scores, and the College Board doesn't look at your location, just the numbers.

There are high schools that have never had a National Merit finalist, because none of their students have ever scored high enough on the SATs.

195 posted on 05/28/2007 5:55:44 AM PDT by Amelia
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To: carton253; jude24
Why don’t you just stop posting to Jude24. He has asked you a couple of times now. That would be the polite thing to do. You don’t need the moderator to give you lessons in manners, do you?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why?

This is a public forum. Provided that there are no personal insults, profanity, stalking, and that comments are directed at the debating points in the post,,,,then a poster has no reason to expect not to be posted to, or attempt to control the language used.

When someone demands not to be posted to, two things happen:

Those making the demands get a free and open forum to spread their propaganda. The muzzled person has no means to counter the propaganda.

Those making the demands may or may not know it but it is highly effective debating tactic to shut down the opposition. It is a great advantage to them.

No one is forced to read anything I post. If they find me offensive they can simply ignore me.

196 posted on 05/28/2007 6:03:06 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: Amelia
national merit scholarships are tied to the PSAT scores and they do take into account, at least to some degree, location:

To ensure that academically able young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, Semifinalists are designated on a state representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state. NMSC provides scholarship application materials to Semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must advance to Finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and all other requirements explained in the materials provided to each Semifinalist. Click here to learn about requirements for becoming a Finalist in the 2007 National Merit® Scholarship Program.

They can't go on raw scores or some STATES would have all of the national merit scholarships, and others, none.

197 posted on 05/28/2007 6:06:47 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Without the cash register to tell them what change to give, they have no clue. Ever see the look on a young cashier’s face when you pay with extra coins to get even dollars/quarters in change due? many times I’ve seen the light bulb go off after the machine has told them what to give back. Sad.
These kids barely learn anything in school. One of the most damaging losses is the ability to think.


198 posted on 05/28/2007 6:06:49 AM PDT by visualops (artlife.us)
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To: visualops

One of the most damaging losses is the ability to think.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, as the United Negro College Fund posters used to say.


199 posted on 05/28/2007 6:11:56 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: wintertime; jude24
Why?

Because he asked you too. That should be sufficient. For most adults it would be.

The fact you don't know what common courtesy is and have to ask other Freepers to explain it to you is rather a sad commentary on how your mother raised you.

As for the rest of your post... no is shutting you down. There are many other Freepers on this thread alone that you can post to. So, spare me that type of self-justification claptrap.

200 posted on 05/28/2007 6:22:45 AM PDT by carton253 (I've cried tears and stayed the same.)
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