By David Schmoll
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-935982.mp3
Murray, KY – In high school David Vargas sat in the back of his Math class, waiting for the prime opportunity to make a good joke. After school, he didn't crack open his books and enjoyed his last two years in high school without really caring about what he would do later.
Fast forward six years and Vargas is now a senior International Business major at Murray State. Unfortunately for him, his high school apathy caught up with him early in his college career. His ACT Math score was one point shy of what was expected of entering Murray State freshmen. There is no doubt in his mind why it happened.
"I think everybody struggles with math just because there's so much work. It's like they say, 'practice makes perfect' and if you don't practice you're not going to get great at it and I think that's what happened to me."
A one point difference in his ACT score forced Vargas into remedial math his first semester in college. But David isn't alone in taking remedial courses. In the 2008 Kentucky College and Career Readiness High School Feedback report, 32% of all Kentucky graduating seniors showed the need for remedial courses in one or more subjects. The most alarming statistic for Western Kentucky shows 59% of Hopkinsville High School seniors in need of remediation. President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Robert King expresses his concerns with the high school system.
"For many, many years here in Kentucky and, frankly, most other places in the country, there was a lack of alignment between the materials that were being taught to students in our public school system and the volume and content of knowledge that would be expected of students to be able to successfully take and complete a credit generating course as a freshman in college."
And for the most part, educators see this disjoint located in what should be taught in school and what is taught. Eleanor Spry, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at Murray Independent Schools echoes this claim. She speaks of the battle in schools between the KCCT and the ACT. The Kentucky Core Content Test evaluates the school's program within the state's accountability system while the ACT evaluates the student's preparation for college.
"You're asking students to perform differently. And so if you perform well sometimes on the KCCT you may not always perform well on the ACT."
Help is on the way. With the implementation of Senate Bill 1, the Kentucky educational system is looking at a shift and alignment in focus from K-12 to college. King explains a crucial part of what he calls a "critically important piece of legislation."
"And so what has been happening in following the directives in that legislation is we have had college faculty, well over 100 across the state, meeting directly with high school and elementary school teachers to make sure that alignment is in play."
And it's not going to get any easier. At Murray State, the requirements for admission without restriction have increased. The 18 ACT score across the board once acceptable, has been shown to be not enough. Math now requires a 19 subject score and reading a 20. Lana Jennings, the Director of Murray State University Community College, says the number of students needing remediation entering Murray State will be on the rise.
"From our MSU statistics we see that we are to expect about 10% of our traditional, right out of high school incoming freshmen to MSU to require remedial English. That percentage is at 26 for remedial math and 19% for remedial reading."
But what can the area high schools do to lower their numbers? Murray Independent School District recently received recognition as one of the top 12 schools in the Commonwealth in terms of students who display college and career readiness. Eleanor Spry and David Vargas say smaller class sizes assist in fostering an environment conducive to learning. While Robert King disagrees with that notion, he and Spry do agree on one point.
"I think that our focus is turning and has turned to let's get knowledge and let's use that knowledge. Let's not test for score, let's make sure students are able to enter into the global economy and are competitive.'"
King says even though college entrance expectations are rising and Senate Bill 1 pushes for students in need of remediation to be cut in half by 2015 statewide, if students are taught the correct information the correct way, their goals will be met.
"But remember at the end of the day, what we're trying to do is ensure that students are successful. Successful means, number one, that when they get to college that they can take and succeed in credit generating courses and most importantly that we can get them through to graduation and ensure them that they are employable."
Senate Bill 1 looks to improve Kentucky's standing in education nationally. Robert King believes the greater standardization of education across the board will help students like David Vargas enter college with the skills necessary for success.
For WKMS News, I'm David Schmoll.