Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Cheyenne Armstrong
Mrs. Cramer
College Composition I 6A
20 January 2017
"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." -Henry Ford
The transition between high school and college is a trying, and often confusing time in
the life of a student, and students must be properly prepared in order to be successful during this
time. With the way the American educational system is currently set up, students do not feel
prepared for college and their college academic careers suffer from this. People have opinions on
whether or not the high school system readies students for life and schooling on their own. Their
arguments mainly center around observations they make and statistics that support them. The
seeming unpreparedness in incoming college students can be attributed to major flaws in the
educational system. The increased emphasis on standardized tests in high schools is narrowing
educational focus and leaving high school students underprepared for college.
Some of the most shocking evidence for the decline of academic success in college
students deals with the evaluation of students' real ability to think critically, a skill necessary for
college level reading and math. There is a widening gap between high and low scoring students
in college level academics. This creates a divided school space and illuminates the
unpreparedness of students. Upon evaluating the scores for students considering what they truly
need to know for college, one study found (in reading) that only 46 percent of white students
Armstrong 2
were prepared, 49 percent of Asian students were prepared, 17 percent of black students, and 25
percent of Hispanic students (Camera). These numbers are shocking and in the math department
are even lower. Overall, 25 percent of students are proficient in math and 37 percent in college
level reading (Camera). Considering what higher level academics student must master before
college and how low the number of students who are proficient in them is, the dismal display of
What would cause the deficiency in skills? Who is to blame for this weakness? The logic
of this answer comes from real life observations of teachers and students alike. With the
introduction of the No Child Left Behind program, high schools are focusing on standardized
tests more than ever. Many feel that instead of teaching critical material needed for the
development of a successful student, curriculum is heavily based on the guidelines of tests that
students will ultimately take (Strauss). Not only is student evaluation formed from these tests,
but teacher competence as well. It all does not seem fair. Memorization for the test is more
prized than actual learning and this contributes to the lack of preparedness for college where
critical thinking is imperative. Much of the tests students take are comprised of multiple choice,
which are easy to memorize and seldom require higher level thinking. When free responses are
given, students are advised to simply answer the points of the prompt according to the rubric,
without proper format and grammar. Students are, in essence, taught to create responses that are
constructively, not well done only to satisfy the test while sacrificing writing skills needed for
college (Strauss). Even in higher level classes, such as Advanced Placement courses, heavily
focus their curriculum on the cumulative test at the end of the year, leading to a goal that is more
Students who do well on their exit exams and graduate often run into trouble in their first
few years of college. These students are then forced to take lengthy, expensive remedial courses
in order to make up for the skills they fall short of going into college (Ostashevsky).This
frustrating process often causes students to drop out of college. Often, exit exams are also taken
in years other than one's senior, causing students to forget topics they no longer need until
college (Ostashevsky). Schools are giving diplomas to students who do not have the skills to go
on to college based on a couple of memory-intensive tests and this is a huge problem for students
Teachers and professors have weighed in on this problem, but few students have voiced
their experiences and feelings about college readiness. As a student, I have experienced this
wasteful curriculum firsthand. I have taken two A.P. courses and am currently taking one. Other
classes I have taken such as Algebra, Biology, and Literature focused heavily on the
Pennsylvania Keystone Exams, the PA equivalent of an exit exam for high school students.
Through my experience and the observation of peer experiences, students feel as though they do
not get enough out of these classes that is worthwhile. They are pressured to do well on an exam
and often do, without truly learning and becoming passionate about the subject they are tested
on. Teachers also have extreme pressure on them for their students to do well on exams and often
lack passion in their teachings because of this, leading to an unsatisfying learning experience all
around. This lack of passion and experience in true learning beforehand can be attributed to the
lack of passion and experience in college, thus the decline of college student scores from those of
their high school years. Seldom do I as a student feel engaged and excited about a lesson and that
is extremely sad, especially knowing how much of a joy learning can be.
Armstrong 4
All in all, college preparedness is based heavily on how well a student can truly learn and
think deeply. Over the years, college professors have noticed a deficiency of these skills in
upcoming freshman. This unpreparedness can be attributed to the multitudes of tests that are the
sole focus of high school learning. The increased focus on standardized tests are narrowing the
learning experience of high school students and causing an ignorance of skills such as critical
thinking, creativity, and passion about certain subjects. In order for the educational system to
change into one that values passionate learning instead of cold tests, students and teachers should
work together in order to voice their dissatisfactions without blame between the two parties.
Armstrong 5
Works Cited
Camera, Lauren. "Only 37% of students are prepared for college level math and reading,
Ostashevsky, Luba. "Many who pass state high school graduation tests show up to college
Strauss, Valerie. "A warning to college profs from a high school teacher" The Washington Post
(2013) Web.