College readiness test eyed for 10th-graders

Panel examining array of potential education reforms

Erika Gonzalez, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 18, 2007 at midnight

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A panel looking at how to improve education in Colorado may suggest that 10th-graders be tested to see if they are academically ready for college.

The P-20 Council, appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to study education from preschool through post-secondary, met at the Colorado School of Mines on Monday to provide a progress report on their ideas for state school reform. The council is divided into five subcommittees, examining everything from dropout prevention to teacher preparation.

The group looking at preparing students for college and the work world, may suggest that the state pay for all 10th-graders to take PLAN, an exam that tests whether students are ready for college-level courses.

According to a 2007 report from ACT college exam administrators, just 37 percent of Colorado students scored high enough on the math portion of the test to show they're ready for college algebra and only 24 percent exhibited enough competency to handle college biology.

Every student in Colorado takes the ACT for free in the 11th grade. They also can opt to take the test, which Colorado colleges require for admission, again in their senior year for a fee.

The ACT scores indicate "that what students are taking in the 11th and 12th grades isn't adding much value," said Dolores Mize, director of policy analysis and research for the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.

Mize said giving students the PLAN exam in 10th grade will give students a chance to take the classes they need to fill knowledge gaps.

"It provides time for remediation early," said Mize.

P-20 adviser John Hefty, executive director of the Colorado Association of School Executives, said the subcommittee studying college preparation is still sorting out whether to recommend continuing the state CSAP tests for the 10th grade.

The subcommittee also is looking at how to expand dual enrollment programs between colleges and secondary schools and how districts can provide formal guidance on college and career preparation.

The subcommittee analyzing preschool through third grade, led by Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien, wants to expand full-day kindergarten for at-risk children. O'Brien said about 28 percent of Colorado public school kindergartners attend full-day programs. In 2003, the national average was 65 percent.

O'Brien's subcommittee also is looking at how to expand preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.

The council will present a set of final recommendations to the governor on Nov. 16.

Some initiatives

Changes implemented by Aurora, Denver and Pueblo public school systems:

Aurora

• To attack truancy, the district provided a 10 percent pay raise to five teachers in each middle school to work one-on-one with truants. It has restricted freshmen from leaving campus for lunch and allows upperclassmen to leave only if they maintain a certain grade point average and good attendance.

• The district will provide 23 additional days of instruction for struggling students. "We will keep every school open, so the kids can go to classes they know and be taught by people they know," said Superintendent John Barry.

• With 93 languages spoken in Aurora schools, 100 more teachers will be paid to gain certification to teach English language learners.

Denver

• Superintendent Michael Bennet meets with 15 principals every three weeks and gives them homework. "Each one, for example, was assigned to find a struggling reader in their school and then come back and talk about interventions that should be put in place to help that child."

• Bennet has asked schools to come up with three-year improvement plans that will be analyzed regularly.

Pueblo

• Has created individualized learning plans for each student.

• Has developed a program with Pueblo Community College to allow students to earn an associate's degree along with their high school diploma.

More information

For a schedule of public hearings by the P-20 Council, go to www.colorado.gov/ governor/p-20-council.html

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