Are College Placement Tests Poorly Used?
Monday, September 19th, 2011
From Good.is “How to Break the Cycle of Remedial College Classes”
Interesting slant on the over-reliance and perhaps, misuse of remedial classes at the community college level.
“The proof initially emerged with many students transferring from San Diego’s West Hills High School to their local community college. Like many of their fellow freshmen nationally, a whopping 95 percent of high school graduates from West Hills who received As and Bs in their senior English courses did not “pass” the placement test. Yet when allowed to enroll in college-level courses instead of remedial classes, 86 percent successfully completed college-level English, lost no time in their progress, and stayed on course toward earning a degree.”
Hmm. Something’s not right here.
“It’s time for a serious rethink of where and how we place our trust. K-12 and higher education must trust each other and work together to align what is taught and examine student performance data to address any barriers. If we don’t do this, we’re just guessing, or worse, relying on faulty indicators. That’s not right, and San Diego shows there is a better way to help students, reduce remediation, and save taxpayer funds.”
Agreed. Local Community colleges and area high schools have to figure out a way to align.
[via Richard Wanderman]
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