|
|
|
|
| |
| |
Commentary: The Expectations Gap
The achievement gap separating American
students from their international peers in math continues
to plague us, particularly at the high school level.
This was the message from two major international
studies released last month — the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program
for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Although there is some good news from
these studies — 8th graders' scores have improved
slightly over time — the data clearly show that American
high school students are outperformed by students
in most other countries, placing them at a severe
competitive disadvantage.
Multiple factors contribute to this
achievement gap, but Achieve's state-by-state review
of high school graduation requirements
highlights one that deserves particular attention:
High school students in every state can graduate
without taking a rigorous set of math courses.
Through our American Diploma Project research, we
found that students need to take four years of
math, including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra
II, as well as data analysis and statistics, to
be prepared for college or high-skills jobs. In
fact, the number of advanced math courses a high
school student successfully completes is one of
the best predictors of future accomplishment. Our
new study shows that only five states require students
to take four years of math to graduate, and only
three states — Arkansas, Indiana and Texas — specify
that students must take math through Algebra II.
The achievement gap does not begin
in high school — earlier TIMSS studies suggest
that the U.S. math curriculum in middle school
is a year or more behind the curriculum in other
countries — and it will not be solved by addressing
high school standards alone. But high school graduation
requirements are a powerful lever for encouraging
schools and students to aim higher, and most states
have yet to take full advantage of them.
In the final analysis, our high
school achievement gap may largely be a result
of an expectations gap, and that is something
that is fully within our control to change.
|
|
|
|
News Clips
Click on the links below to view
articles of interest from the past month. Some
publications require free registration to read
articles.
- Statewide standards
in Iowa? Graduation requirements at most
Iowa high schools don't meet
the minimum admissions standards at the state's
universities, and as a result, too many students
arrive at college unprepared, according to The
Des Moines Register.
Iowa is the only state
that has not set statewide academic standards — now
could be the time for the state to take on
a more aggressive role.
-
Aiming higher. Michigan and
Washington are focusing on better
preparing high school students to succeed in college
and the workplace in an effort to enhance both
states' economic edge. The Michigan
Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth,
spearheaded by Governor Jennifer Granholm, recently
released a set of significant policy recommendations
that would increase the number of students earning
postsecondary degrees. Included in the recommendations
is replacing
the current state high school graduation assessment with
one that can be used for college admissions — a
recommendation that also is part of our American
Diploma Project action agenda. (Download a PDF
of the report.)
The Washington Higher
Education Coordinating Board recommended raising
requirements so that all students must take
four years of math, two years of lab-intensive
science and three college-prep courses to be considered
for admission to state four-year colleges.
- Tracking student
progress. To create a uniform system
to get reliable graduation and dropout data
from the states, a federal task force recommends
a new data-collection
system that includes tracking
individual students through high school. Many
states have discussed it, but to date fewer than
12 have tackled the challenge and actually implemented
this type of system.
|
|
|
|
Related Resources
For more about Achieve's report on high school graduation
requirements, download a PDF file of the report from
Achieve's Web site. Or go to:
For more information about TIMSS and PISA, go to:
|
|
|
Did You Know? |
|
State Course-Taking Requirements in Mathematics Vary Widely
|
| Source: Achieve survey/research,
2004.
To ensure that students graduate with the
knowledge and skills they need to succeed in
college or the workplace, most states need to
increase the number of courses they require and
also specify the particular courses students
must take.
See specific state-by-state requirements in math and English.
|
|
|
|
New Report
Viewing school finance
through a standards-based lens. This
year's Quality Counts report, No
Small Change, Targeting Money Toward Student
Performance, focuses on the cost of providing
an adequate education. As standards and accountability
have taken hold across the country, there
are a growing number of efforts to link funding
to student performance. The report looks at
the variety of ways this issue is beginning
to be addressed by states. To learn more
about this and other finance issues, or to
see how your state ranks on standards and
accountability, click
here.
|
|
|
|
Perspective is sent to you monthly by Achieve, a bipartisan,
non-profit organization founded by the nation's governors and CEOs to help
states raise standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to
prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work and citizenship.
Please feel free to circulate this e-newsletter to your colleagues.
If you received this e–mail from a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.
If you would like to unsubscribe, click here.
If you would like to comment, click here.
Copyright © 2005
Achieve, Inc.
|
|
|
Achieve, Inc. • 1775 Eye Street, NW • Suite 410 • Washington, DC 20006 • www.achieve.org
|
|
|
