A late school start aimed at tourism revenue undermines the efforts of college-bound students and parents.

After a friend of mine personally witnessed the horrific traffic in the Washington, D.C. area, he said, "the people here must have a really high tolerance for this craziness."

Recent articles in area papers reminded me of three major barriers to college readiness and admission. Late school openings, university admission policies for out-of-state and foreign students, and the misuse of honors courses represent barriers that sabotage years of work and effort on the parts of college-bound students and their parents. My friend was correct. These people must have a high tolerance.

Barrier #1: Late School Starts

Like many other areas of the country whose population consists of a high percentage of college graduates, the D.C. area, with several of the wealthiest large counties in the nation, demands that its schools and school systems prepare students for admission to the most competitive colleges and universities, particularly those in-state schools with lower tuition rates. In fact, test prep programs begin in elementary school preparing students for admission to the regions elite public magnet high school for the gifted, Thomas Jefferson. It is widely believed that admission to Jefferson guarantees admission to the State's most competitive and highly regarded university, The University of Virginia (UVA).

The reality is that attendance at Jefferson may actually reduce the chances of being admitted to Virginia, because the school's admission policies and desire for a diverse student body will not permit admission of a large number of students from the same high school. Actually, students who take a rigorous course of studies, which includes Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, at any of the area's surrounding high schools and who achieve at high levels probably have a statistically better chance of admission to UVA than do the "elite" Jefferson students.

Parents operate under the assumption that taking a heavy dose of Advanced Placement or IB courses and obtaining a passing score on the exams translates into earning college credits, which not only increases the chances of college admission but also ensures a significant cost savings, because the students will graduate sooner.

The problem is that Virginia's late school opening date makes it much more difficult to earn better scores on AP and IB exams. Virginia students are placed at a distinct disadvantage by a State law, called the "Kings Dominion law", which was passed in 1986 to protect the tourism industry. The law prohibits schools from starting before Labor Day. Because both AP and IB exams are administered beginning in the first full week of May, Virginia students have two weeks less instruction and preparation than many of their counterparts around the country, most of whom begin school in the third week of August. Virginia students start behind and the teachers spend the entire school year trying to catch them up.

Officials in Loudon County (VA), the nations' wealthiest large county, get it.  According to a Washington Post article, "Loudon (County) officials argued that starting in August would give students more time to learn what they need to know for Advanced Placement and state Standards of Learning exams, which are generally administered in May or June. “The more we can do to prepare our kids in advance of those tests, the better off they’ll be,” said School Board Chairman John Stevens (Potomac)."

On one hand Virginia has made a sizeable investment in a system of high stakes testing and accountability that is one of the most rigorous in the nation. On the other hand, Virginia law places its own students at a disadvantage on national and international assessments. According to the report, Virginia's position was succinctly expressed by "Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax). He said sending students back to school early would cut into Labor Day weekend’s substantial sales tax revenue, and he hasn’t heard a compelling argument for giving up those dollars."

Other Peoples' Kids

Virginia's late school start date undermines years of parental encouragement and involvement and puts students at a two-week disadvantage when it comes to AP and IB exams. Would any of us set up a system that places our own child two weeks behind before the school year even begins? I think not.

Next: Barrier #2: Admission policies at state universities

Posted by Mel Riddile at 02:26 PM | Permalink

Is the title of this Washington Post article a rhetorical question? Of course students will blackmail teachers and schools. I know they will because they already are holding teachers and schools hostage all over the country and the so-called experts don't have a clue.

Why? Because, while many states are perfectly willing to close schools, fire teachers, and fire principals, they are not willing to hold students accountable for the results of their state assessments. They are not willing to take the political risk of making state assessments barriers to graduation. They lack the moral courage to stick with their stated values about the need for a quality education for all, because they don't truly believe in their own students. They fear that many students are not capable of achieving at higher levels. Legislators are running from the inevitable political fallout that will result from what they fear will be dramatically declining graduation rates.

Fear not all ye faint of heart! One state, Virginia, stuck to its promise and required all students to pass six of eleven end-of-course exams, which were used to calculate adequate yearly progress. Despite the most rigorous standards and assessment system in the country, graduation rates and proficiency rates continue to improve.

It is common knowledge to anyone who has worked in a high school in the last decade that students routinely "flag" or "Christmas-Tree" tests. Teachers and principals in many states have based their careers and the fate of their schools on the hoped for, good will of their students. Unfortunately, even if 90% of the students put forth 100% effort, which is unlikely, the remaining 10% will undermine even the best efforts of teachers and school leaders to raise test scores.

One principal in another state lamented to me that, despite having one of the best college admission rates in his entire state, his school is now on the "needs improvement" list because his seniors thought it would be funny to draw Mickey Mouse on the answer sheets on last year's assessments. The joke was on the school.

From another perspective, many of these students have been repeatedly tested since the third grade and they have reached the breaking point. They are sick and tired of spending long hours taking tests from which they never receive feedback. By high school, they have figured out that these tests have no direct effect on them. Colleges will never see the results and their grades will never suffer. Consequently, if they don't "feel" like taking the test seriously on a given day, they don't. So what? Well, the principal gets fired and the teachers are transferred that's "so what." Meanwhile, those seniors are away at college having a good laugh at the expense of their alma mater back home.

The Bottom Line

Unless everyone in a system including state officials from the governor on down, district offices, schools, principals, teachers, and students are held accountable and hold themselves personally accountable, there is no system of accountability. What we have in many states is not a system of accountability but rather an excuse to scapegoat convenient targets of opportunity--principals, teachers, and "failing schools."

Posted by Mel Riddile at 10:04 AM | Permalink

The following was excerpted from a Fairfax County Times article:

"In response to an opinion from Virginia Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli, the Fairfax County School Board (177,000 students) voted Thursday night to refund Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam fees to students.

The School Board had approved the test fees during its budget discussions last year as a way to cut costs. The estimated cost to refund the fees, school officials said, is $2 million."

State Constitution Guarantees a Free Education

"On Jan. 8, the Attorney General wrote that the school system's practice of charging AP and IB students a testing fee violated a provision in the state constitution that mandates access to a free education. Students were charged $75 for testing to help balance the school system's budget.

To comply with the Attorney General's opinion, the school system had the choice to either make the test optional for students taking AP and IB classes or to resume covering the testing costs and refund the previously collected fees, said Superintendent Jack D. Dale."

Principal Points

1. Schools in many areas charge fees and most states have provisions in their constitutions referencing a "free education." Does this mean that any and all fees violate the state constitutions?

 2. AP and IB courses are electives. Students voluntarily enroll in the courses. It makes sense that no fees could be charged for required courses, but what about electives?

3. Placing fees on tests is a particularly regressive way to balance a school budget. These fees discriminate against under-resourced students and the schools who serve them. Fees have little or no impact of resourced students. For middle class families, test fees are an inconvenience. For under-resourced students, the testing fee prevents them from taking the course. The last time these fees were assessed, our IB participation dropped by 20% even though the students were guaranteed that we, the school and the PTSA, would cover all fees for any student in need. The impact of test fees on course participation parallels participation in the federally subsidized lunch programs in high schools, many students are simply embarrassed and do not enroll. By the way, in the case of our school, as soon as the fees were eliminated, our participation levels returned immediately.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer!

Posted by Mel Riddile at 02:06 PM | Permalink

by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

High schools in the United States must effectively deal with two simultaneous challenges.  In addition to preparing a portion of their population to have the tools required to succeed immediately in the work force after graduation they must also equip the remainder of the student body to thrive on a college campus. The latter responsibility is critical if this country is to be competitive in the global economy. Currently only 30% of Americans possess a college degree - a number that must improve. Strategies need to be designed to ensure that more students succeed in progressing through the kindergarten to college continuum.  But there are some troubling reports emerging concerning the quality of the education at many universities.   

A very low bar

According to an article by Mary Beth Marklein in the USA Today, “Nearly half of the nation's undergraduates show almost no gains in learning in their first two years of college, in large part because colleges don't make academics a priority.”  The report was based on the book by New York University professor Richard Arum Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses which studied transcripts from more than 3,000 full-time traditional-age students on 29 campuses nationwide.  In addition the researchers used the results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test that gauges students' critical thinking, analytic reasoning and writing skills.  The numbers are discouraging—after two years of college, 45% of the students demonstrated no significant gains in learning.  After four years, more than one third (36%) still showed little improvement.

Many reasons - few which are good

The report attributed the lack of academic progress to a number of factors:

-  Instructors tend to be more focused on their own faculty research than teaching younger students.

- Students were more involved in their social lives than their academic success.

- Students spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago.

- Half of the students in the survey said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages; 32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.

Professor Arum, the lead author of the book, found the results of great concern. “These are really…shocking, disturbing numbers.”  One number that might be even more appalling was 3.2—the average GPA of the students in the study.  Arum then stated the obvious “Students are able to navigate through the system quite well with little effort.”

An unfortunate helping hand

One of those navigational skills employs the ability to purchase rather than learn.  I recently performed a Google search on the topic “Research Paper”.  The original intent was to find out information for someone who was seeking honors credit in a college class.  Much to my surprise four of the top five options were websites that offered “from scratch” essays ranging from term papers to dissertations.  These sites offered 100% guaranteed satisfaction, free delivery and charged on average less than $8 per page.  The turnaround time was the main cost consideration.  The student need only send in the required topic, format, citation requirements and length.  The proliferation of companies offering these services adds to Professor Arum’s arguments.

While such “services” are certainly not the main cause of the lack of learning on college campuses they do speak to the larger problem.  Too many lines are being blurred in the pursuit of a degree.  What accountability do colleges have in demonstrating that they are effectively teaching their students?  High schools are constantly under pressure to monitor the intellectual and moral development of their students.  Are universities responsible for scrutinizing undergraduates in the same manner?  Is success in college due to actual student performance or high parental tuition payments? 

Is this a concern for high school educators?

I have postulated that the decline in public education can at least partially be attributed to an attitude in our society that is more concerned about eliminating failure than it is in creating success.  These statistics give credence to the belief that this attitude has continued into higher education.

The poor academic performance of so many college students raises many questions in reference to their experiences in high school.  Is the ability to achieve good grades with little knowledge acquisition unique to the university or is it being cultivated in earlier years?  Is the lack of rigor and high expectations a carryover from the high school or is it found only at the university level?   Has grade inflation made all performances suspect?  

While the problems established in this research may apply exclusively to the students in college, they should be of concern to everyone in education.  Finding the root causes could reveal some weaknesses that need to be addressed. 

Posted by Mel Riddile at 12:24 PM | Permalink

by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

Recently I was asked for my thoughts concerning the revisions being incorporated into the AP program.  In the next few years several of these classes are going to undergo extensive changes.  According to Christopher Drew in the New York Times “…many of the (AP) courses, particularly in the sciences and history, have also been criticized for overwhelming students with facts to memorize and then rushing through important topics.”  Mr. Drew continues, “A.P. teachers have long complained that lingering for an extra 10 or 15 minutes on a topic can be a zero-sum game, squeezing out something else that needs to be covered for the exam. PowerPoint lectures are the rule. The homework wears down many students.”  The prime focus of the changes will be the tests administered at the conclusion of the classes.  The plan is to reduce the volume of material to be covered on the exams and to create a guide as to what parts of the curriculum will and will not be included. 

Currently the two subjects being given the most significant facelift are United States History and Biology.  Since I have taught neither I will leave the evaluation of these alterations to those with more expertise in the curricula.  But as someone who taught math in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program for more than a decade and oversaw a department that participated in both programs for 26 years, I would like to comment on a few points concerning this overhaul.

The highest form of flattery

In general the changes that are being made appear to be designed to require more creative thinking by the students and allow teachers increased flexibility.  While I applaud these adaptations as positive steps, I also note that many of these new strategies have been employed by the IB program for years. There is, however, an IB tenet that is not being emulated.  One of the greatest strengths of the IB program has been the commitment to providing adequate class time for certain college-level courses that contain extensive and dense subject matter.  At my former school, when the change was made to become IB, the classes in Biology, Physics, and Calculus were taught over a two-year period.  This extended time allowed the teachers to present a course that was reflective of a college curriculum.  The new AP plan addresses this issue by reducing the material to be covered but does not extend class time.   While that approach may improve test scores, it will do little to ensure adequate coverage of the curriculum.  If the goal is to offer a college-level course taught with the rigor and expectations of an actual university class, it must be understood that a typical gifted high school student may need additional time in the more academically challenging areas. 

A personal complaint

There was one other troubling aspect of this article.  One public high school AP Biology teacher expressed concern about the addition of math concepts to the course.  According to the article this educator was worried that the new math requirements will discourage students from enrolling in the class.  I find this attitude very disturbing.  If the goal of an advanced program is to create academically well-rounded students, should the inclusion of basic statistical math be a reason for such concerns?  Is it unreasonable to expect a "college-level" science student to be able to use and understand such principles?  It is troubling to say the least that educators at this level may be incorporating their students’ potential aversion to math as part of the enrollment strategy. 

Posted by Mel Riddile at 09:42 AM | Permalink

According to a report issued today by America's Promise Alliance, over the last decade, the nation's high schools have made significant progress in reducing dropouts and improving graduation rates. The report is part of "Grad Nation," which is part of a comprehensive, "10-year campaign to mobilize the nation as never before to reverse the dropout crisis and enable our children to be prepared for success in college, work and life."

Here are some of the highlights from Building A Grad Nation:

• The national graduation rate improved from 72% to 75%.
• 29 states demonstrated significant gains.
• Vermont and Wisconsin were the first states to reach a 90% graduation rate.
• Graduation rates for minority students--African American, Hispanic, Native American--improved the most.
• There are 261 fewer dropout factories (high schools with promoting power of 60% or less).
• 400,000 fewer students attend dropout factories.
• 25 of the 100 largest school districts had a 10% or greater increase in graduation rate.
• 12 states raised the compulsory school age.
• 47 states now have longitudinal data systems that will monitor students over time.
• 3 states have early warning systems.

Bottom Line

School leaders and teachers are to be congratulated for our efforts in turning the corner on the dropout crisis. However, we need to be aware that expectations are rising and the bar has been raised. The federal government now requires states to use the standard four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate that reflects the number of students who receive a diploma four years after they begin high school. I will have more to come on graduation rates and accountability as well as "early warning indicators."

Posted by Mel Riddile at 10:52 AM | Permalink

While some may question "how much math we really need," the numbers don't lie. According to a Wall Street Journal article, the "starting pay of certain liberal arts majors generally clocks in well below that of graduates in engineering fields."

"Graduates with engineering degrees earned average starting pay of $56,000 in their first full-time jobs out of college, topping other majors. Communications and English majors only earned $34,000 in their first jobs."

Conversation Starter

We may be debating the wrong issue. Instead of asking if our students need math skills, we should be asking what math skills do our students really need?

Posted by Mel Riddile at 03:12 PM | Permalink

• 20% of eighth graders are on target to graduate from high school
• 20% of students earn passing scores on AP exams
• 20% of students are prepared to enter the military
• 20% of students have the writing skills needed for college
• 20% of current ninth graders will graduate from college in 10 years

"America has a moral obligation to prepare young people to become self-supporting members of society -- and national security also hinges on having enough youths fit for military duty."--Colin Powell

"Dismally, 70 percent of young Americans in the 17-to-24 age bracket are unfit to join the U.S. military, former Secretary of State and Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell warns." While 30% of students are fit to join the armed forces, fully one-third of them lack the reading and math skills needed by our high-tech military.

Conversation Starter: The 20% solution has nothing to do with student ability, and everything to do with readiness. Our students can achieve to high levels, but they need us to prepare them.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 10:32 AM | Permalink

If a business increased its production by 44% with no drop in quality and no increase in equipment costs and with no additional resources, researchers would be beating a path to the company’s door and Jim Collins would be writing a “Good to Great” book about the company. Why? In the real world, simultaneous quantitative and qualitative improvements are rare.

However, when the number of SAT test-takers increases by 44% with an increase in math scores and no drop in reading or writing “there isn’t any huge news here.” Despite fewer teachers, more students, and big budget cuts, more and more students are taking both the SAT and ACT. When it comes to public schools, simultaneous quantitative and qualitative increases are apparently the new expectation.

I know that it is fashionable to bash schools, but the refusal to give any credit where credit is due undermines the credibility of the reporters and so-called experts.

Only someone who had actually worked in a school would understand that the additional 44% of SAT test takers probably does not include members of the National Honor Society. They have already been taking the tests for years. That 44% represents less capable students who, in decades past, would not have even considered taking the SAT.

The experts won’t say it but I will. We still have a lot to do, but great work teachers and principals!

Posted by Mel Riddile at 11:00 AM | Permalink

by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

As the 2010 political season heats up, the nation’s unemployment rate has become a key issue.    The discussion typically revolves around how the future of elected officials will be ultimately determined by the public’s assessment of the jobs situation in the country.  Arguments abound as to the causes.  Some say that the crisis is the result of the downturn in the economy, while others blame poorly implemented government interventions.  Outsourcing and greed are also worked into the conversation.  I would like to offer a contrarian view.  The United States does not have an unemployment problem.  The United States has an education problem.

Some stunning numbers

Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data illuminate some of the root causes of the current dilemma.  The overall jobless rate of 9.5% does not reveal the true story – at least not in its entirety.  Individuals without a high school diploma are more than three times as likely (13.8%) to be unemployed as people who have a college degree (4.5%). And having a high school diploma provides scant assistance (10.1%).   The economy is not merely shedding jobs; it is sending a clear message as to the economic future of our least educated. 

Far worse than it looks

While those numbers may not be surprising for some people, there are other facts that are legitimate reason for alarm.  By virtually every measure the United States is quickly becoming a world leader in high school dropouts.  A  news report on CBS related that our country which once boasted the highest graduation rate in the world now ranks 18th among industrialized nations.  If the downward trajectory continues the results would be calamitous.  This country may soon be facing an economic decline, which has little to do with derivatives and everything to do with diplomas.

Connecting the dots

The most terrifying aspect of all of these numbers is the fact that few people are really talking about them.  You cannot walk ten feet in this country without a discussion breaking out about the Mosque at ground zero, the oil spill in the Gulf or the future of Bret Favre.  And although there is also conversation about job loss, it fails to address the root cause.  If the unemployment numbers drop from 9.5% to say 8.5% the pundits will declare victory and move on to the next problem.   Even though the numbers that really matter are a high school dropout rate of more than 30% and rising, and a world rank of 18th and falling.

The world of 2010 has become a much less forgiving place for those individuals who have not completed high school.  If history is any guide, the general economy will eventually recover and the country will move on to yet another political crisis.  But the truth is until we, as a nation, find a way to ensure a good education for every citizen, the tragedy of unemployable individuals will never disappear. 

Posted by Mel Riddile at 05:36 AM | Permalink

The Public Policy Institute of California has published a report evaluating the success of a comprehensive literacy initiative implemented in the San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in the state, between 2000-2005. While the school district employed different strategies at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, professional development for teachers was consistent at all levels. The results outlined in the report carry important implications for secondary leaders who seek to improve student performance by improving literacy skills.

Time – Increased time devoted to reading resulted in significant improvement at the elementary and middle school levels, but not at high school. An extended school year at the elementary level and extended-length English classes at the middle level resulted in significant student gains. The study did find that high school students who participated in triple-length English classes were more likely to be promoted to the next grade but were not prepared to participate in college-level courses. The extra time spent on reading did not diminish performance in other courses nor were students discouraged as evidenced by lower graduation rates.

Professional Development – The study found that the investment in professional development for teachers was a key factor in improving student achievement.

Fidelity of Implementation – The study pointed out “a key aspect of San Diego’s reform program was that it was comprehensive and coherent. Interventions often were applied in two or more of the elementary, middle, and high school grade spans. Further, professional development was delivered uniformly, with a single focused goal, to teachers throughout the district.”

Change takes time! – The report emphasizes the need for policy makers and districts to be patient. Many of the reforms took years to bear fruit. For example, peer coaching did not result in improvement in the early stages of the program, but did in the remaining years. Apparently, this is a message that has been missed by most school reformers.

Implications for school leaders

When it comes to improving literacy skills, the longer we wait to intervene, the more difficult it is. Elementary and middle school students can catch up if given more time and better-trained teachers. However, high school students are often so far behind that extended English classes are not sufficient.

We learned from practice that students who do not come from language-enriched homes needed direct, explicit literacy instruction each year or their skills did not improve. Our school had a large number of under-resourced students who had not had reading instruction since the 3rd grade. As a result, we had many students who were reading at the 4th, 5th and 6th grade levels.

In that most high school texts are written at the 11th grade level, we had to help students make five or six years of progress just to be able to do high school work. When our students entered the 9th grade lacking literacy skills, our goal became graduation not college-readiness.

High school students who lack literacy skills are critically ill education patients who need intensive interventions taught by trained specialists in addition to a comprehensive school wide approach that supports the work they do in the intervention classes. Even in the best of circumstances, it takes years to bring students up to level.

High school principals and teachers are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Only 20% of students arrive in the 9th grade on-target for postsecondary education. Yet, high schools are held accountable for preparing all students to be college-, career-, and workplace-ready, and, according to the current reform models, they have one to two years in which to do so.

Responsible change takes hard work, patience and time!

Posted by Mel Riddile at 02:53 PM | Permalink

Sarah Garland wonders out loud why a disproportionate number of high schools are involved in the turnaround grant program. She is asking the right questions, but the answers she received don’t tell the whole story. These grants may, in fact, be a case of too little too late. I thought that it might help to offer a high school principal’s perspective.

Every Grade

High schools should not be singled out for any special treatment and neither should middle or elementary schools. Every grade in school is just as important as any other. What year would you advise your own child to take off? Most likely you would want every year of schooling to be a quality experience. Everyone must come to accept the fact that every minute counts with every student. I used to believe that low-performing ninth graders had three more years to catch up. However, I learned through practice, now supported by research that those students would most likely drop out. The reality is that marginal middle school students fail in high school. Students do not suddenly lose their math or literacy skills when they walk through the doors of a high school, nor can they suddenly make up a three-year deficit after entering high school. If, as a high school principal, I were given a choice between receiving a federal turnaround grant or having students arrive at my school on-target for post-secondary education, I would not hesitate to choose the latter. I learned the hard way that waiting for students to fall behind and then spending large amounts of money to catch them up is a high-risk strategy doomed to fail.

The Funding Gap

While most would agree that every year in school is important, that is not how federal funding has flowed. In fact, when it comes to funding, the federal recording has been stuck on elementary schools for years. Policy makers have erroneously believed that a strong beginning in the early grades would carry students to success in later years. That may work for advantaged middle class students, but for under-resourced students this plan has been a disaster. In literacy for example, students who do not come from language enriched home environments need direct, explicit literacy instruction each and every year or they will not progress. To the shock and dismay of our elementary principals and teachers, our school had a significant number of students reading at grade level at the end of the third grade who were two to three years behind by grade nine.

Not ready for prime time

I once watched an assistant superintendent summarily promote a whole stack of unsuccessful students because they had simply been retained too many times. Many overage and under-credited students arrive at high school because they were “too tall to retain” any longer. They arrive with a history of low achievement, unable to read their textbook, and lacking basic computational skills. Despite that fact that only 20% of eighth graders are on target to be college-, career-, and workplace-ready, high schools are under extreme pressure to prepare students for postsecondary success.

Graduation and Dropouts

High schools are the only schools held to measures of accountability that include graduation rate, dropout rate, end-of-course exams and barrier tests. The fact is that students begin dropping out long before they reach high school.

Range of Learners

Diverse high schools with significant numbers of second-language learners like ours had students with skill levels that ranged from kindergarten through the second year of college. Our elementary principals were surprised to see that our library contained many of the same books as their own.

Size and Complexity

As we go higher in the grades the complexity of the course content and the curriculum increases dramatically. Today’s high school curriculum is extremely complex. Many high schools offer twenty or more AP or IB courses along with dual enrollment classes, CTE programs, and work-study programs. In addition they offer host of standard level courses including electives in the fine and performing arts. High schools tend to be larger because it is impossible to offer the variety of offerings in a smaller school.

Systemic Failure

My last superintendent didn’t particularly like it when I said “Whatever happens in the school system good or bad manifests itself at the high school level.” High schools are at the end of the assembly line. Whatever was or was not corrected along the way surfaces at the high school level. A number of experts have come to believe that weak schools are a result of dysfunctional district leadership and the failure to construct a properly aligned K-12 instructional program. Strong district leadership is a prerequisite to individual school success.

Our current national strategy is to stand at the end of the assembly line and inspect for defects. We are not yet about building quality into the entire K-12 process. We are still stuck in trying to inspect for quality, and that will not render the kind of results that we are looking for. Helping each and every student acquire the solid math and literacy skills they need in order to succeed in every content area is a K-12 issue and cannot be accomplished by remediating large numbers of students who were passed through the grades with glaring skill deficiencies and allowed to languish in failure and mediocrity.

It is true that the work of turning around elementary and middle schools is “potentially easier.” However, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to all students. We cannot afford to ignore millions of high school students simply because they are not the easiest to work with.

Finally, we do know how to turn around high schools. There is now an extensive body of evidence that support to successful turnaround efforts. However, high school turnaround is not easy and it takes time. In most cases, it takes at least three to five years to change the culture of a high school. Arne Duncan was right. When it comes to high school turnaround, there are no silver bullets.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 02:44 PM | Permalink

“To send a student off to college without having had an AP, IB, or Cambridge course and test is like insisting that a child learn to ride a bike without ever taking off the training wheels. It is dumb, and in my view a form of educational malpractice. But most American high schools still do it.” – Jay Mathews, The Washington Post

I recently spoke at a conference on the new Common Core Standards and our need to improve the literacy skills, not of just our lowest performing students, but of all students. In my talk, I indicated that less than 20% of high school students pass an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam before graduating, which corresponded closely to the percent of ninth graders who graduate from college ten years later.

Shortly after our session had ended, I received the following email:

"I was very curious about the AP statistics you cited near the end of your talk, as they didn't align to my current understanding of the passage rates. If my memory serves me correct, I believe (our) passage rate in 2009 was around 38%, which is why I was surprised when I heard we might be above the national average!

While USA Today may certainly not be the most robust source for the data, a February 2010 article stated that the 2009 national failure rate (score or 1 or 2) was 41.5%.  As such, the national passage rate was 58.5%.

The article provides, in true USA Today fashion, a colorful map of the state-by-state failure rates (ranging from 26.5% to 70.3%)."

My first reaction was that I had somehow misstated the facts. So, I immediately checked my computer for a recent article on AP pass rates. As it turns out, when I indicated that less than 20% of graduates took and passed an AP exam, that was an overstatement. The percentage of high school graduates who pass at least one AP exam is 15.9%. Keep in mind that the 15.9% represents those students who actually took the AP exam. It is no secret that many students enroll in AP courses but do not sit for the exam.

Remember, high school students enrolled in these courses have a full school year to complete the work, while their college counterparts have a single semester. Therefore, in less than ninety days these graduates will be enrolled in college courses that are moving at twice the speed of an AP or IB course. How do you think graduates who cannot pass an AP or IB exam will do in college? My guess is that they will struggle.

The bottom line is that we have a lot of work to do to get even our best students college-ready. If you don’t believe me, give your students a diagnostic reading test that reports in lexiles. The new Common Core Standards (Appendix A) indicate that a 1300 lexile reading level for seniors equates to being college-ready. We did assess all of our students and we were shocked at how few were even in range of being college-ready. We all have work to do!

Fact: Only 6% of 27,000 U.S. high schools have half of their graduates take at least one AP or IB course in both their junior and senior year.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few week’s ago, I ran across a retired teacher, who had built a nationally recognized music program. He and I had worked together, and I had the pleasure of being his administrator and one of his biggest supporters. He was a true showman and I had the distinct pleasure of attending many of his outstanding student performances. Many of his students went on to musical careers because of his outstanding teaching.

I asked him how his successor was doing. He turned to me and said, “I have the feeling that he is driving my car down the highway.” Without hesitation, I replied, “I hope he is. After all, the greatest compliment that he could pay you, his teacher and mentor, was to carry on the legacy of excellence that you built.” He looked at me and smiled. “I never thought about it that way.” I said, “How would you feel if the program that you had worked so hard to build, died a slow death?”

Jay Mathews’ tribute to retiring Wakefield High School Principal, Doris Jackson, is a fitting testimonial to the power of the teacher-student relationship and how that relationship can have a positive impact on a school for a decade. Wakefield High School’s former principal, Marie Djouadi, was a highly respected principal who led Wakefield from a school that was condemned and criticized to the ranks of the highly commended. When her assistant, Doris Jackson, took over in 2002, she had big shoes to fill. I worked in two different schools that bordered Wakefield. So, I had a number of opportunities to talk with Doris, and I can tell you, that she was all business from the get go.

Wakefield High School, located in Arlington, Virginia has the odds stacked against it. It is a high-poverty, urban school with a diverse, highly mobile student population. Approximately half of the students are low-income. The school is 85% minority--47 percent Hispanic, 27 percent black, 15 percent white and 11 percent Asian. In addition, Wakefield has a large number of second language (ELL) students who come from over 60 countries and speak more than forty languages.

Fast-forward eight years and Doris Jackson has not only sustained what Marie had started, but she paid the ultimate compliment to her teacher--she took the school to another, higher level. President Obama delivered a nationally televised speech from Wakefield last year. It is no accident that the President chose Wakefield as the site for his speech. Despite many risk factors including a decaying physical plant, Wakefield has become a beacon of hope for under-resourced schools across the country.

Referring to Doris Jackson as “one of the nation’s most imaginative and resourceful principals,” the article listed some of her many innovations and accomplishments including the following:

• The College Board Inspiration Award for outstanding work in preparing students for college and beyond.
• Top 2% of all high schools in Advanced Placement participation
• 37% pass rate, more than twice the national average, on Advanced Placement exams.
• The only public, non-magnet high school in the Washington metro area to require a senior project
• Met adequate yearly progress
• A strong focus on ninth grade

Great Schools Have Great Leaders

Leaders grow leaders! The test of a great leader is what happens when they are gone. While no change is permanent, at least in Wakefield’s case, the work of Marie Djouadi was carried on and further extended by her successor, Doris Jackson. Hopefully, Doris’ assistant principal, Chris Willmore, will carry on the work and continue the legacy of excellence at Wakefield High School.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

According to a recent report, “The intense competition among students that comes with ranking graduating seniors has school districts across the country abandoning the tradition.” Half of all high schools no longer use class rank.

• The counselors interviewed believe that dropping class rank “gets rid of the stress of unhealthy competition,” and “could help more students land a spot in an elite college.” The counselors argue that colleges might overlook a student ranked 15 or 20 when only one-hundredth of a percent may separate that student from the top-ranking one.
• “"It's going to depend on the school and the community, but many feel like their students have a better chance of being admitted to a college without class rank," said Mel Riddile, an associate director at the National Association of Secondary School principals. “
• Melissa Clinedinst, assistant director of research with the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said class rank had become less of a deciding factor when evaluating student applicants. In the early 1990s, about 40 percent of colleges deemed class rank to be considerably important in admission. Now that number is less than 20 percent, she said.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 11:31 AM | Permalink

We hear more and more about the fact that high school graduates are not being adequately prepared for college. Texas alone spends over $200 million on what they call “developmental education—reteaching basic skills in reading, writing, and math” to high school graduates.

We recently reported that one of three students takes at least one remedial course in college and that those who take a remedial course are much less likely to graduate. Clearly, this is an unacceptable situation. However, as is usually the case, there is more to the story. So, let’s take a look at this situation from the perspective of a high school principal.

Why do colleges admit students who are clearly not qualified? Colleges continually pull the rug out from under our (principals’) feet by admitting marginal students who have little or no chance of graduating from their institution.

We repeatedly warn our students that if they don’t take rigorous courses and earn a good grade-point-average, they will not be admitted to college and the colleges turn right around and admit them. Yet, colleges keep admitting them.

When colleges admit unqualified students everyone loses--students, families, colleges, and high schools. Students and their families lose financially. Colleges lose credibility and their reputation is tarnished. High schools find it more and more difficult to motivate students.

High schools have a hard time motivating students when they know that their friends were admitted with less than stellar academic records. Students are confused by the mixed message they receive. Who should they believe?

Colleges graduate less than half of the students within six years. Remember, they admit these students. So, either colleges admission people have no idea what they are doing, or they know exactly what they are doing. My money is on the latter. The bottom line is that colleges are admitting students, who they know have little or no chance of graduating. In fact, some have a better chance of winning the lottery. I have told students many times, “They (colleges) will be more than happy to accept your money and send you home deep in debt.”

I am not against colleges admit under-resourced students if they are willing to provide additional resources and supports to those students. Knowingly admitting students who are unlikely to graduate and not providing them the resources they need is malpractice.

High school principals and teachers work to raise student skill levels so that they can take higher-level courses in high school. Success on an AP or IB exam is a strong predictor of college success. We work hard to encourage students to take high-level math and science courses only to have admissions officers tell the students that they don’t need to take Calculus in high school. So, the students drop the classes. Two deans of engineering schools told me that they didn’t encourage students to take Calculus in high school because they wanted them to take it on campus. “We want students with a solid background in Algebra.” I wonder why?

The shame of it all is that our students are very capable of doing much better work and taking more rigorous courses. We adults have to set the system up so that it encourages persistence and hard work and discourages students from taking the easy way out--the path of least resistance.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 01:17 PM | Permalink

In a recent post, we pointed out that our job is to prepare our students to succeed in and graduate from college. Given the fact that only half of all students who enter college graduate in six years, our vision for our students must go beyond admission to graduation.

The Washington Post reports that Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools is “one of the few systems in the country that tracks its students all the way through college graduation.” Tracking graduates is an expensive proposition. So, hats off to Superintendent Jerry Weast and MCPS for making the commitment.

Montgomery County, located outside of Washington, D.C. is a large, diverse, suburban and inner-ring suburban school system. MCPS data offer principals and school leaders valuable insights into what it takes for a student to succeed in college.

MCPS has indentified “7 Keys to College Readiness.” These are milestones that, if met, indicate that students will not only attend college, but that they will graduate.

The 7 Keys to College Readiness are as follows:

1. Advanced Reading in Grades K-2
2. Advanced Reading on state assessments in Grades 3-8
3. Advanced Math in Grade 5
4. Algebra I by Grade 8 with  “C” or higher
5. Algebra II by Grade 11 with a “C” or higher
6. Score of 3 on an AP exam, Score of 4 on an IB exam
7. SAT score of 1650, ACT score of 24

Principal Pointers

• College admission does not mean that a student will succeed or graduate.
• Meeting state graduation requirements does not necessarily indicate college readiness.
• Reading is the best indicator of academic success.
• Reading is the best predictor of math success.
• Math success is the best predictor of college success.
• A rigorous course of study counts most to college graduation.
• Taking an AP course or an IB course only helps if the students take the exam and achieves a passing mark.
• Rigorous course work means hard work and deliberate practice. There is no easy way out. There are no quick fixes.

A Case Study

39% of Montgomery County students take Algebra I in the eighth grade, which translates into 37% graduating from college eight years later. I can’t help but be reminded of a school system that systematically excludes large numbers of students from taking Algebra I in the eighth grade. This school system, also located in the Washington, D.C. area, has half the percentage of students taking Algebra I in eighth grade as compared to Montgomery County and other neighboring school systems. When I asked them why, they indicated that they had tested and screened the students and only 20% were ready to take Algebra. In this school system students must prove to officials that they are ready to take Algebra I in the eighth grade. This might be acceptable if the math curriculum was aligned and structured to prepare students for Algebra. However, a closer inspection reveals that only students labeled as “talented and gifted” are exposed to a math sequence that prepares them for Algebra I in the eighth grade. So, unless students are in the 5% identified as gifted they are not being prepared for a more rigorous math curriculum. To me this looks a lot like tracking.

Not only are the students in this school system being victimized by low adult expectations, but they are systematically being prevented from taking a more challenging course of study in high school. Some parents refuse to allow their children to be subjected to low expectations. Those who can afford to do so remove their children from the school system and put them into private schools. The rest have no choice. Ironically, the same adults who were entrusted with their care are those who forced these capable children off-target for college readiness.

Something to think about

Our job is not to screen out students. Anyone can screen people. It takes a true professional to raise up all students. Our job is to align our curriculum so that we prepare students to take and succeed in challenging courses.

Posted by Mel Riddile at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As a high school principal, I used to think that it was my job to prepare our students for college. However, over the years I came to understand that colleges were only too happy to accept a tuition check and turn right around and send students home. Of course, the colleges kept the tuition money.

The reality is that, as principals, it is our job to ensure that our students are college-ready. By readiness I mean ready to succeed in and graduate from college.

Check out this video “Facts and Figures About College Readiness” produced by the Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools. The video points out some important facts relating to college success:

• The literacy and math skills needed to succeed in college are virtually the same as those skills needed to succeed in most occupations.
• 1 of 3 students take a remedial course in college.
• 42% of community college students take a remedial course.
• Remedial courses cost our nation $4.3 billion each year.
• Only 30% of the students who take remedial courses graduate from college.
• Less than 50% of all students graduate from college in six years.
• Black and Hispanic students are only half as likely to graduate.
• By 2014 half of all new jobs will require post-secondary education and training.
• 45% of new college students have the skills they need to succeed.
• Because of our shorter school year, U.S. students spend one year less in school (K-12) than students in other industrialized nations.
• 75% of workers don’t have the writing skills needed to succeed.

Next: The Keys to College Readiness

Posted by Mel Riddile at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)