Transcript Making Connections - New England Board of Higher Education

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
FOR EVERY 100 EIGHTH
GRADERS IN MAINE
85 want to attend college
76 graduate from high school
50 are accepted to college
40 enroll in the fall
23 earn a degree
ONCE IN COLLEGE, TOO MANY
ARE NOT PREPARED
College Readiness by Subject
60
50
40
51
% Students 30
41
20
26
10
0
Reading
Algebra
Biology
Courses
25-50% OF INCOMING STUDENTS NEED REMEDIAL WORK
REMEDIATION AFFECTS
GRADUATION
6 Year Graduation Rates
60
50
56
40
% Stude nts 30
34
20
18
10
0
0
1
3 or >
# Remedial Courses
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)
THE MISSING PIECE:
COLLEGIAL
CONVERSATIONS
Among high school
and college
faculty…
sharing expectations
and frustrations,
collecting wisdom,
crafting responses
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 coconstructed 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
Finding #1: The Academic
Gap
• 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
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)
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