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In the KnowIntense Study Breeds SuccessAnswers in the Tool Box, a monograph from the U.S. Department of Education, provides new and surprising information on pre-college factors that contribute to long-term bachelor's degree completion. The study analyzes high school and college transcript records, test scores, and surveys of a national sample of students from the time the students were in the 10th grade in 1980 until roughly age 30 in 1993. The key finding: An academically intense high school curriculum plays a more significant role than either test scores, class rank, or academic grade point average in predicting who will eventually be awarded a bachelor's degree. An intensive high school program includes: 3.75 units of English and math, with the highest level trigonometry or above; at least two units of science, two units of a foreign language, two units of history or civics, and more than one advanced placement course. The report's findings also have implications for higher education. The positive impact of a high academic intensity curriculum is far more pronounced than any other pre-college indicator for African American and Latino students. Colleges that emphasize test scores, grade point averages, and class rank are likely to end up with lower degree completion rates. Policies that seek to limit or eliminate the amount of remedial work that takes place in four-year colleges are misguided, the report suggests, because there are students whose deficiencies in preparation are minor and can be remediated quickly without significantly lowering degree completion rates. Notes the report: "There is no reason why all students cannot reach the highest levels of the curriculum scale" because curriculum is something that educators control. One difficulty: For many poor and working class students, the resources for an intensive curriculum are not available. The report's recommendation: Colleges should work with high schools that are lacking in resources in the areas of dual enrollment, direct provision of courses by college professors, and bridge programs that begin in 10th grade. Copies of Answers in the Tool Box are available from the U.S Department of Education by calling 1-877-433-7827. |
