High Schools Need To Raise Bar For Students Entering College

     A new study by the Massachusetts Department of Education suggests that state high schools need to do more to prepare their students to enter college.
     The inaugural “School-to-College Report” for the Class of 2005 examined graduation data from all Massachusetts public high schools and enrollment data for those students who went on to some form of postsecondary education (a community or state college, or a state university).
     However, the report does not track students who went on to a postsecondary educational institution in another state, so the DOE does not have a full picture of how many students attended college after graduation. The report also does not account for students who joined the military or enrolled in a private institution.
     “This is data we’ve never had before, and will be vitally important as we move into this next phase of education reform,” Jeffrey Nellhaus, the acting commissioner of education, said in a press release. He added that the data showed that Massachusetts high schools are not meeting the needs of their students, who often need to take remedial courses in college.
     “Our graduates should enter college well prepared, not in need of remedial help,” Mr. Nellhaus said. “These local reports will give our schools the information they need to make sure this trend does not continue.”
     Out of more than 19,000 students who received a diploma or a certificate of attainment—given to students who do not pass the MCAS but meet all local graduation requirements—33 percent went on to a Massachusetts college or university or community college.
     A review of MCAS scores showed that students who earned an “advanced”-level score on the grade 10 English and math tests were more likely to attend a state university, those who scored in the “needs improvement” range were more likely to go to community colleges.
     The “persistence rate” between the first and second year of college was high; 80 percent of students returned for a second year of college.
     Only one Upper Cape high school significantly surpassed the state average: Bourne High School saw 63 students out of its 131-member Class of 2005 (48 percent) go on to some form of postsecondary education. Of those, 42 students went to a state college or university, and 21 went to a community college.
     Mashpee High School barely surpassed the state average at 34 percent (38 out of 113 students). Half of these students went to community college, the other half to a state college or university.
     Sandwich High School came in just below the state average; 80 of its 253 graduates in 2005 (32 percent) went on to college, with 37 students going to community college, 43 going to a state college or university.
     At Falmouth High School, 30 percent of the Class of 2005 (97 out of 324 students) enrolled in college after graduation, with 42 students attending community college, 55 attending a state college or university.
     The report also details how many students needed to attend a developmental (remedial) course during their first semester of college. Overall, 37 percent of students needed help, with 65 percent of the students enrolled in community college enrolling in at least one developmental course. At state colleges 22 percent of students needed to take a remedial course, and at state universities the rate was eight percent.
     Mashpee students had the highest rate of developmental course enrollment of any Upper Cape high school at 42 percent (of its students who enrolled in a state college, university, or community college), followed by Bourne at 35 percent, and Falmouth and Sandwich each at 31 percent.
     Mashpee students also had the highest persistence rate at 86 percent, followed by Bourne at 83 percent, and Falmouth and Sandwich at 81 percent each.
     Bourne and Sandwich students recorded the highest grade point averages during their first year in college: 2.9. Mashpee students earned an average 2.8 GPA, and Falmouth students earned an average GPA of 2.7.
     In all four districts, more students enrolled in Cape Cod Community College than in any other postsecondary educational institution. The Dartmouth and Amherst campuses of the University of Massachusetts were typically the most popular choices for a non-community college.
     The full reports by state and by individual district are available on the Massachusetts Department of Education website at www.doe.mass.edu.