What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon,

it destroys our democracy.”          

John Dewey from  School and Society, 1907

BRIDGING THE GAP FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE

For all the community’s children

THE POWER OF SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY

PARTNERSHIP

Lynne Miller

University of Southern Maine

NBHE January 29, 2009

85 want to attend college

76 graduate from high school

50 are accepted to college

40 enroll in the fall

23 earn a degree

FOR EVERY 100 EIGHTH GRADERS IN MAINE

ONCE IN COLLEGE, TOO MANY ARE NOT PREPARED

51

41

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

% Students

Reading Algebra Biology

Courses

College Readiness by Subject

25-50% OF INCOMING STUDENTS NEED REMEDIAL WORK

REMEDIATION AFFECTS GRADUATION

0 1 3 or >

56

34

18

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

% Students

# Remedial Courses

6 Year Graduation Rates

Source: Kirst, M. (2004). The high school/college disconnect. Educational Leadership, 62(3), 51-55.

WHAT WE ARE HEARING…

Raise Student Aspirations

Require “College Prep” as the Default High School Curriculum

Increase College Applications

Create Seamless Transitions (K-16/20)

Among high school and college faculty…

sharing expectations

and frustrations,

collecting wisdom,

crafting responses

THE MISSING PIECE: COLLEGIAL

CONVERSATIONS

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WRITING

• Originally Involved composition instructors from community colleges and universities in examination of expectations and assignments

• Evolved into a statewide conference on “ Conversations about Writing” that engaged high school and IHE faculty

• Resulted in changes at school and college levels

COLLEGE WRITING REQUIRES

• Correct standard written English

• Creating complex theses • Distinguishing analysis

from summary is critical• Writing that goes beyond

personal experience

• “ I am not asking how you feel about this issue; I’m asking what you think about this issue.”   

•

HIGH SCHOOLS RESPOND

• Inclusion of more non-fiction reading material: essays, criticisms, book reviews, journal articles

• Decreased emphasis on narratives and increased emphasis on expository and analytic essays

• Increased emphasis on elements of syntax and style

• “ I think” instead of “ I feel”

The UNIVERSITY RESPONDS (USM)

• Adoption of national placement test • Elimination of all remedial courses in English

– Three credit course for accomplished writers

– Four credit section for those less accomplished

– Both sections satisfy the Gen Ed writing requirement

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MATH

• Originally involved Gen Ed math instructors and public school reps in examining expectations and

assignments

• Produced a brochure on College Ready Math that was widely distributed

• Resulted in changes at school and college levels

COLLEGE MATH REQUIRES

–Mathematical Reasoning–Computation–Algebra–Geometry–Data Analysis and Statistics

– www.maine.edu/collegeready

HIGH SCHOOLS RESPOND

• Movement to four years of math for all

• Increased use of technology

• Increased emphasis on automaticity/ less dependence on calculators for simple computations

• Re-examination of how math is scheduled

THE UNIVERSITY RESPONDS (USM)

• Adoption of the Accuplacer for math placement in place of campus test

• “Supplemental” model in all Gen Ed math courses/ 4 credit hours

• Elimination of two of the three remedial courses in math– Arithmetic is the only remedial course– Others grant credit toward graduation, but not

toward Gen Ed math requirement

THE UNIVERSITY RESPONDS (USM)

USM Faculty Senate Proposes …

New Recommended High School Program of Study for Admission

4 Years Math

A JOINT RESPONSE

THE MELMAC ACCUPLACER PILOT

• 13 schools/ 7 campuses participated

• 1060 high school juniors took the math Accuplacer ( 91% of those enrolled)

• School and university faculty co-constructed 12th grade math courses to remediate deficits

WHY is ACCUPLCER IMPORTANT?

Over 1,000 colleges and universities use it to determine placement in MATH (Gen Ed or remedial courses).

• All seven Maine community colleges/ five of seven Maine university campuses

It provides data that can be used to plan for REMEDIATION in HIGH SCHOOL AND NOT IN COLLEGE

• 75% WILL NEED SOME FORM OF REMEDIATION IN MATH IN COLLEGE IF THEY DON’T IMPROVE THEIR MATH SKILLS WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL

Finding #1: The Academic Gap

Results

Finding # 2: The Aspirations / Preparation Gap

Dylan wants to be a Business Manager

• Arithmetic: 23.7

• Algebra: 24.2

( Passing score= 65)

• A business major has to take college algebra, probability, statistics, microeconomics, and macroecnomics.

Joanne wants to be a psychologist

• Arithmetic= 38.3

• Algebra=26.9

(Passing score= 65)

• A psychology major requires courses in statistics, psychological statistics, anatomy and physiology, and experimental methods

Greg wants to become an environmental scientist

• Arithmetic= 69

• Algebra= 22

(Passing score= 65)

• An environmental science major requires courses in calculus, analytic chemistry, physics, chemistry 1 and 2

Natalie wants to be a nurse

• Arithmetic score= 21

• Algebra score=30

(Passing score= 65)

• A nursing major requires courses in statistics, anatomy and physiology, organic chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology

NOW WHAT ?

• Newly designed twelfth grade math courses, geared to Accuplacer data, are being offered this year in ten of the participating schools.

• Courses were developed in each school with the assistance of a university faculty liaison.

• Evaluation is in progress.

LESSONS LEARNED• THERE HAS TO BE ROOM AT THE

TABLE FOR VOICES FROM PRACTICE.

• COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL FACULTY CAN COLLABORATE.

• ASPIRATIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH.

• ACADEMIC PREPARATION IS AN IMPORTANT KEY TO SUCCESS.

“”

• My mother would say, “When you acquire knowledge, you acquire something no one could take away from you ”

• (Craig Robinson)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/01/21/us/history650.jpg