_ The
Gap between High School and College
“Remedial courses cost about $5.6 billion an academic year.” as this number begins to grow, the chance of more students dropping out increases(Wolfgang). Students every year leap into the college academia world believing they are prepared. Sadly, many find out quickly they are far from prepared for the college level. On average three out of four high school students are unprepared for the level at which college classes begin. If students are moving onto college, why must 75% of them either learn or in some cases relearn concepts that should have been taught in high school(Wolfgang). Questions are passed around why, what and how? Why are students not prepared, what does this mean for those unprepared students as well as others, and how can we fix this problem? The real problem does not solely lie with the students; it begins with the high schools and colleges not properly communicating in order to make a smooth and successful transition.
The first and most common question most educators look at is why are students so unprepared for the college level? The video 2 Million Minutes tells, “Most principals believe their students are adequately prepared.” I believe this is where a substantial problem begins. With principals unaware of the problem, it makes it difficult to get colleges and K-12 schools on the same page. I feel many high schools are consumed with test scores and graduation rates, which are both extremely important. However, high schools should go the extra mile and focus on getting their students into college and being well prepared for any challenges that come their way. Deborah Perkins-Gough wrote, “Most students taking remedial courses said they had taken the most challenging classes offered...most of the students had earned A’s and B’s, nearly four of five students listed a GPA of 3.0 or higher.”(Perkins-Gough) These two statements show that students are meeting the mark being set by high schools, but, unfortunately, this mark is not high enough for students hoping to meet college standards. We cannot expect students to be prepared for college level classes when the high schools are unaware of this significant gap.
As a recent high school student, I, first hand was able to experience the gap between high school and college. I thought I was properly equipped with the knowledge I needed to be a successful college student. I, along with many more of my high school classmates, found this as a wake-up call during our first semester in college. Most of the classes I took in high school did not put enough emphasis on writing or writing well for that matter. Many of the teachers’ main concern was having students pass their class. Thankfully, I was one who did not have to take remedial classes, but many others from my school did. Being unprepared led those students to further devastation such as dropping out.
As a result of unprepared students, not only are they having to cash out for another class but tax payers are having to pay twice for students taking the same class both in high school and college. Now in my experience not many people enjoy paying for something twice, especially when most remedial level classes are zero level courses, which do not count toward college graduation. This also puts strain on graduation time. Taking these courses leads to set backs that are not always easily made up. With the combination of paying for a zero level class and having to attend it, a class that is worth no credit unfortunately is not found appealing to many people. More times than not, this results in students dropping out of college. I believe remedial classes are very important in order to have all college students beginning on the same level. However, in reality with these classes costing more and increasing the chance of dropouts, there has to be a better fix.
The big question everyone has is how do we fix this ongoing problem. I feel with both colleges and high schools not communicating properly this problem will never be resolved. Students not being adequately prepared for higher education rests on the K-12 education process. In order for students to be ready, I believe high school should line up back to back with average college standards. If a large gap continues to stand between the 12th grade and the first year of college, there will only be larger amounts of money spent on remedial classes and higher college dropout rates. Elementary school, middle school, and high school all work together in order to have their students ready for the next level of education. It has already proven this system works. The last step is connecting high school and college level in order to help our students be the best that they can be. High school educators should want to give their students every tool they need to be successful in college and in life. On the other hand, college professors are there to make a smooth transition from high school to higher education.
The blame of being unprepared should not rest only on the students’ shoulders; the poor communication between colleges and high schools is leading students to ultimately struggle in college. This uncontrolled spiral downward at a time when students should be excelling leads too much worse that being unqualified. Lack of knowledge as well as extra costly courses hurts students more than people lead to believe. In order for our country's future to be bright and our students to be well equipped, the education system must place them with all the tools and all the best tools possible. High schools and colleges need to work together making a better transition for students in hope of successful college career.
Works Cited
2 Million Minutes. Dir. Chad Heeter. Perf. Neil Ahrendt, Brittany Brechbuhl, Rohit Srihharan, Apoorva Uppala, Jin Ruizhang, and Hu Xiaoyuan. 2009. DVD.
Perkins-Gough, Deborah. “Unprepared for College.” Educational Leadership. Nov 2008: 88-89. Print.
Wolfgang, Ben. “Scores Show Students aren’t ready for College.” Washington Times. 17 Aug. 2011:
“Remedial courses cost about $5.6 billion an academic year.” as this number begins to grow, the chance of more students dropping out increases(Wolfgang). Students every year leap into the college academia world believing they are prepared. Sadly, many find out quickly they are far from prepared for the college level. On average three out of four high school students are unprepared for the level at which college classes begin. If students are moving onto college, why must 75% of them either learn or in some cases relearn concepts that should have been taught in high school(Wolfgang). Questions are passed around why, what and how? Why are students not prepared, what does this mean for those unprepared students as well as others, and how can we fix this problem? The real problem does not solely lie with the students; it begins with the high schools and colleges not properly communicating in order to make a smooth and successful transition.
The first and most common question most educators look at is why are students so unprepared for the college level? The video 2 Million Minutes tells, “Most principals believe their students are adequately prepared.” I believe this is where a substantial problem begins. With principals unaware of the problem, it makes it difficult to get colleges and K-12 schools on the same page. I feel many high schools are consumed with test scores and graduation rates, which are both extremely important. However, high schools should go the extra mile and focus on getting their students into college and being well prepared for any challenges that come their way. Deborah Perkins-Gough wrote, “Most students taking remedial courses said they had taken the most challenging classes offered...most of the students had earned A’s and B’s, nearly four of five students listed a GPA of 3.0 or higher.”(Perkins-Gough) These two statements show that students are meeting the mark being set by high schools, but, unfortunately, this mark is not high enough for students hoping to meet college standards. We cannot expect students to be prepared for college level classes when the high schools are unaware of this significant gap.
As a recent high school student, I, first hand was able to experience the gap between high school and college. I thought I was properly equipped with the knowledge I needed to be a successful college student. I, along with many more of my high school classmates, found this as a wake-up call during our first semester in college. Most of the classes I took in high school did not put enough emphasis on writing or writing well for that matter. Many of the teachers’ main concern was having students pass their class. Thankfully, I was one who did not have to take remedial classes, but many others from my school did. Being unprepared led those students to further devastation such as dropping out.
As a result of unprepared students, not only are they having to cash out for another class but tax payers are having to pay twice for students taking the same class both in high school and college. Now in my experience not many people enjoy paying for something twice, especially when most remedial level classes are zero level courses, which do not count toward college graduation. This also puts strain on graduation time. Taking these courses leads to set backs that are not always easily made up. With the combination of paying for a zero level class and having to attend it, a class that is worth no credit unfortunately is not found appealing to many people. More times than not, this results in students dropping out of college. I believe remedial classes are very important in order to have all college students beginning on the same level. However, in reality with these classes costing more and increasing the chance of dropouts, there has to be a better fix.
The big question everyone has is how do we fix this ongoing problem. I feel with both colleges and high schools not communicating properly this problem will never be resolved. Students not being adequately prepared for higher education rests on the K-12 education process. In order for students to be ready, I believe high school should line up back to back with average college standards. If a large gap continues to stand between the 12th grade and the first year of college, there will only be larger amounts of money spent on remedial classes and higher college dropout rates. Elementary school, middle school, and high school all work together in order to have their students ready for the next level of education. It has already proven this system works. The last step is connecting high school and college level in order to help our students be the best that they can be. High school educators should want to give their students every tool they need to be successful in college and in life. On the other hand, college professors are there to make a smooth transition from high school to higher education.
The blame of being unprepared should not rest only on the students’ shoulders; the poor communication between colleges and high schools is leading students to ultimately struggle in college. This uncontrolled spiral downward at a time when students should be excelling leads too much worse that being unqualified. Lack of knowledge as well as extra costly courses hurts students more than people lead to believe. In order for our country's future to be bright and our students to be well equipped, the education system must place them with all the tools and all the best tools possible. High schools and colleges need to work together making a better transition for students in hope of successful college career.
Works Cited
2 Million Minutes. Dir. Chad Heeter. Perf. Neil Ahrendt, Brittany Brechbuhl, Rohit Srihharan, Apoorva Uppala, Jin Ruizhang, and Hu Xiaoyuan. 2009. DVD.
Perkins-Gough, Deborah. “Unprepared for College.” Educational Leadership. Nov 2008: 88-89. Print.
Wolfgang, Ben. “Scores Show Students aren’t ready for College.” Washington Times. 17 Aug. 2011: