Friday, September 16, 2011

Majority of grads not ready for college

From the PG:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11258/1174811-298.stm

12 comments:

Mark Rauterkus said...

Here we go again. ...

This is why PPS should embrace the model of 13th grade as an option.

The concept is one of my pet solutions that IMHO would go a long way to help some kids in life.

Questioner said...

The A+ report lists 2010 average SAT scores for the district as reading 451 and math 462; for some reason they do not report writing. Assuming writing is in the same range, though, the majority of PPS grads are not ready for college. Is the Pgh Promise putting the cart before the horse, or will it inspire students to work to be ready for college? Time will tell...

Anonymous said...

Well, there are lots of colleges that will accept those kids, not necessarily "top" schools, but plenty. The national average is 500/500/(500) and this year's scores were right there (though slightly lower).

This page will let you search by state for colleges by average SAT score:

http://colleges.collegetoolkit.com/colleges/browse/sat/pennsylvania/42.aspx

Anonymous said...

I generally think averages are unreliable in analyzing the quality of anything. I'd much rather see the highest and lowest scores reported. Could my own kids have been better prepared for college? You bet. Do we allow misconceptions to fester and continue? Also true. For many years it was thought that PPS grads could not get into schools like Pitt and Penn State or elite liberal arts schools. Just not true. Do our grads have to work extra hard to do well and fill in gaps in areas where they are weak? Often, also true.

Questioner said...

The top 50% w/ scores right at 500 shouldn't have a problem.

As for the other 50%- colleges may accept them but isn't the point of the article that most students below the SAT levels described are not prepared and don't do very well?

Anonymous said...

We do not need a 13th grade. We need the education system to raise its standards and expectation as well as its capacity to teach successfully. All children can and will rise to any level expected in environments that communicate high expectations with relevant curricula, embedded thinking skills and visions of successful futures.

Questioner said...

PPS grads have always gotten into Pitt, Penn State and elite liberal arts schools! Just not too many with low SAT scores.

anon925 said...

vivediasI agree Questioner, they have gotten in. My own kids had SAT scores exceeding the 500/500/500 and are where they want to be now. The issue is people think they know facts and they are just repeating untruths such as the idea that PPS kids can't get in.

Mark Rauterkus said...

The Naval Academy needs 13th grade. In many elite prep schools around the country there are prep grades / 13th grade.

We all don't need 13th grade, but some of our kids could use it to mature, gather the money for college, strengthen skills.

A good friend is headed to a top out of state school this fall -- and did not attend school last year because of travel and work in Eurpoe. He starts a year behind other mates from HS graduation but is miles ahead in other areas.

Now he is better prepared for college.

Some kids could benefit from 13th grade as an option. In athletics, some PPS have been know to go to / be sent to prep schools in southern states. Then they get the athletic scholarship and admission.

Questioner said...

Realistically it will be some time before we have "relevant curricula, embedded thinking skills and visions of successful futures" for every child, so in the meantime why not give those who need it a 13th year? With declining enrollment there should be enough empty seats for them.

Mark Rauterkus said...

Why not? Objection #1, money.

Well, we have the money within the Pittsburgh Promise. The costs of the 13th year can be covered by the Pgh Promise.

It is cheaper to pay for a 13th year within PPS in some capacity rather than to pay for college tuition elsewhere.

Furthermore, the costs, as mentioned with the excess capacity, are not so great if done well and managed.

Joe the Barber said...

This administration's (let's face it, Roosevelt and Lane are the same administration) lust to have a huge public relations windfall and put EVERYONE on the path to the promise to drink from the college money fountain cost the district its academic integrity, that's all. Let's face it, grades are wildly inflated at the bottom of the pool of students. Kids with 2.0 averages probably reaped the most benefits of the insane grading policy which was enacted to show progress and with hopes that media forgets about it quickly--which of course it has.
Adding a year of high school would not be the answer for these kinds of students. They put in minimal effort by design and want to do just enough to get by.
Thanks to the insanity of 50%, that effort is even less than when they were in middle school.