Remedial Assistance

Today's Journal....

Ohio adopts standards for remedial education

Ohio is looking to radically reduce the number of college freshmen taking remedial math and English classes, which are expensive to offer, do not appear to contribute to higher graduation rates and hike college costs for students because the courses don’t count toward their degrees.

The changes come as remedial classes are getting increased scrutiny as Ohio emphasizes improving graduation rates, which is seen as necessary to attract more businesses looking for an educated workforce.

Visger said high schools need to better prepare students for the rigors of higher education. To that end, the state is replacing the Ohio Graduation Test with a nationally standardized college readiness test, he said, and requiring end-of-course exams that more clearly define expectations for college and career readiness.

"HIGH SCHOOLS NEED TO BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE RIGORS OF HIGHER EDUCATION".....WAS HAPPENING 45 YEARS AGO AND IS STILL HAPPENING TODAY. IN THE 60'S, I TOOK ALL THE COLLEGE PREP COURSES OFFERED AT MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL. THE ENGLISH COURSES WERE ALIGNED WITH THE TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE, THE MATH COURSES WERE NOT. I TOOK ALGEBRA 1 AND 2, PLANE GEOMETRY, SOLID GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY AND PRELIM. TO CALCULUS TO PREPARE FOR FRESHMAN MATH AT MIAMI........ALL OF THOSE COURSES DIDN'T HELP ME AT ALL AS MS. MULLIGAN (THE MAYOR'S MOTHER), A CALCULUS TEACHER AT MUM IN 1966, STARTED WITH LIMITS, WHICH IS WHERE WE FINISHED IN HIGH SCHOOL. THE STUFF SHE WAS TEACHING WAS ALL FOREIGN TO ME AT THE TIME, AND TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, SHE RACED THROUGH IT LIKE EVERYONE HAD ALREADY BEEN INTRODUCED TO IT. GUESS SHE THOUGHT ALL THE KIDS WERE AS PROFICIENT AT MATH AS SHE WAS AND WAS NOT WILLING TO SLOW DOWN A BIT.

MUM HAS ALREADY HAD TO PREPARE A SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR INCOMING FRESHMAN BECAUSE THE STUDENTS SENT TO THEM BY THE HIGH SCHOOLS WEREN'T PREPARED FOR THE FRESHMAN REQUIREMENTS, PRIMARILY IN ENGLISH, THE SCIENCES AND MATH. SO WHY AREN'T THE HIGH SCHOOLS UP TO SPEED ON TEACHING FOR THAT SMOOTH TRANSITION TO COLLEGE AFTER ALL THIS TIME? WHY HAVEN'T THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND THE COLLEGES GOTTEN TOGETHER TO PREP THE KIDS FOR THE MOVE UPWARD?

"I took the advanced math class that went up to beginning calculus and found myself a bit behind"

THEN IT WAS HAPPENING IN 1976 AS WELL AS IN MY ERA IN 1966. NO CHANGE IN THAT DECADE. NO REASON TO ASSUME, THEN, THAT IT HAS CHANGED IN 2012?

"Middletown High School actually offers all of the courses that an incoming college freshman needs to be prepared"

THEN WHY HAVE I READ ARTICLES FROM THE COLLEGES AND OCCASIONALLY SEE STORIES ON THE NEWS THAT THE COLLEGES MUST SET UP REMEDIAL COURSES TO ALIGN THE INCOMING FRESHMAN WITH THE STARTING CURRICULUM AT VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES? OFFERING THE COURSES THAT THE HIGH SCHOOLS THINK WILL BRING THE KIDS UP TO SPEED AS THEY ENTER FRESHMAN COLLEGE AND HAVING THOSE OFFERINGS HAVE THE PROPER CONTENT ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS IMO. DOES MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL TALK TO THE COLLEGES TO ASSURE THAT WHAT THEY ARE TEACHING WILL TIE IN TO WHAT THE COLLEGES START WITH OR......DOES MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL ASSUME THEY ARE OFFERING WHAT THE KIDS NEED TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE COLLEGES?

"This was remedied years ago".

ARE WE SURE? JUDGING BY THE COLLEGES STATEMENTS THAT THE INCOMING FRESHMAN ARE NOT READY TO TACKLE COLLEGE SUBJECTS UPON ENTERING THE DOOR, I WOULD SAY THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THIS ONE.

Vet,