Expert: School focusing on college prep

The nation’s highest-performing school districts are using college prep classes as the default curriculum for high schools, according to an education expert.
It’s a change that Trinity Area School District Superintendent Paul Kasunich wants to make. However, some Trinity parents question whether eliminating the general track is best for students.
“It’s in line with what leading districts across the country are doing,” said Daria Hall, director of K-12 policy with the Education Trust, a Washington D.C.-based organization that works to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement for students.
Studying the ending of the general track is part of Trinity’s 2010-11 operational plan, though Kasunich says that it may take more than one year.
He said that doesn’t mean that all students will go to college. But it does mean that all students can be challenged more, he said. He said the change will help students be better prepared for their work or education choices after high school.
Hall said last week that there is clear evidence that high schools are not doing a good enough job preparing graduates for college or careers. Employers and college professors say students aren’t ready, she said. Students say if they had known what it was going to be like, they would have worked harder in high school, she said.
She said the work world has changed. There was a time when students could graduate from high school and find a job to support a family, but those jobs don’t exist any more, Hall said.
She said employers say that their workers need more skills. For example, someone installing HVAC systems needs a firm grasp of communication and reading because the manuals are so complex, while workers who install phone lines need geometry, she said.
Whether students are planning for a career right out of school or a college education, they need the same skills in reading, math and science, she said.
She said making college prep the default curriculum means those are the courses students will be scheduled for unless parents, teachers and the student collectively choose otherwise.
Some Trinity parents questioned at a recent public meeting whether students who want to go to college will be held back or whether students who don’t want to go will be frustrated if they are in the same class.
Hall said it’s a tough job for teachers to have students at different levels. She said they will have to “differentiate instruction,” which means teaching the same skill in different ways based on the needs of the child.
“That doesn’t mean dumbing it down,” she said. “It means making sure that all kids get pushed ahead.”
Some kids will need a lot of support to make that progress. For example, if a student is struggling in algebra, that child may need algebra support class for extra time on task, Hall said.
She said it’s essential for students to get the supports they need if college prep is the default curriculum; otherwise, some students will be set up for frustration.
Kasunich said Trinity will take the next year to assess the viability of making college prep the default curriculum and determine the supports necessary for teachers and students.
Hall said San Jose Unified School District in California was a pioneer in college prep default curriculum. She said California had a set of courses students must take to be considered for state universities. A shockingly low number of students were taking those courses, she said.
The district made college prep the default curriculum and saw increases in college readiness, higher Advanced Placement scores and the graduation rate stayed the same, she said.
Karen Fuqua, public information officer for San Jose Unified School District, said last week that the district made the change in 2002 because parents and the community said the district’s expectations were not high enough. There was some concern about whether the dropout rate would increase because of more rigor, but that has not been the case, she said.
“With higher rigor, there hasn’t been a profound impact on the dropout rate,” she said.
Kasunich said he’s not surprised by the results of San Jose’s students. He expects the same at Trinity.
“If you challenge them, they will be more engaged,” he said.
San Jose teachers questioned whether this was the best path until they saw the results, Fuqua said.
“They became believers, too,” she said.