THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080517
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
More than 40 percent of the 1993 high school graduates in some of South Hampton Roads' public school districts had to take remedial courses in math, English or reading their freshmen year at state-supported colleges, a report released Wednesday shows.
Statewide, slightly more than 26 percent of public school students in Virginia's class of '93 were not ready for college-level work in at least one of the basic three R's of education. The figure for private schools was 15.15 percent. The numbers were up slightly from the previous year in both categories.
Among last year's graduates from Portsmouth and Suffolk school districts, about two of every five first-time college freshmen who attended state colleges or universities needed remedial work.
Among those from Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake, about one in every three grads took remedial courses.
Even though more local school districts are trying to increase academic rigor in the classroom, the report's numbers indicate that more work lies ahead, local school district and university officials said.
``We want to work with the public school system to see if there's something we can do to get fewer and fewer students who require remedial work,'' said Jesse C. Lewis, vice president of academic affairs at Norfolk State University, where one-third of Virginians in its freshman class took remedial courses in math or reading.
The state Council of Higher Education began issuing the annual study four years ago to give high school principals an idea of how well their schools were preparing graduates for college.
``We thought this would be a useful tool for high schools to see how their kids were doing and to bridge the gap between high schools and colleges,'' said Mike McDowell, a spokesman for the state council.
But barely before the ink was dry, local officials were questioning the latest report's validity, saying it provided an incomplete and misleading picture.
``You have to take those numbers with a grain of salt because they do not include all students,'' Norfolk Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said.
Many of the brightest students enrolled in private or out-of-state colleges and universities and are not reflected in the figures, Nichols said. Also, some state-supported schools, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and William and Mary, don't accept students who need to catch up.
McDowell acknowledged that the report does not distinguish between students who took college preparatory courses in high school and those who took lower-level courses that are not designed to equip a student for college work.
The issue of remediation, because of its cost, is looming as a potentially hot topic in Virginia. Students who require help typically take longer to complete college, adding to the expense.
``The cost is a concern to the General Assembly,'' McDowell said. ``The issue is that you're paying to educate this person twice. Is it a good service? Yes. But if there is a way higher education and K-12 can work together cooperatively to reduce the need for remediation, it would be in everyone's interest.''
In 1992-93, the state spent about $25 million for college remedial programs. Most of it, $23 million, was awarded to community colleges.
About 40 percent of the students cited in the study attended community colleges, which have lower admission standards than most four-year institutions and historically have helped low-achieving high school students gain the skills they need to transfer to a four-year college.
It's not fair to deny students an opportunity for college and future success just because they need help in math or English skills, said Larry Whitworth, president of Tidewater Community College.
``It seems to me it's in the best interest of the state of Virginia to have as many people succeed in higher education to the highest extent possible,'' Whitworth said. ``It makes for a better-trained and better-educated work force.''
Members of Gov. George Allen's ``strike force'' on government waste and inefficiency last week issued recommendations for improving academic performance, including requiring local school districts to reimburse colleges for freshmen remedial courses their graduates need.
Chesapeake and Suffolk already provide businesses with a guarantee that they will pay to re-teach basic math and communication skills to grads who lack them. School officials were skeptical about doing the same thing on the college level.
Colleges, they said, could solve the problem by raising admission standards and excluding those who need remediation. But currently, state funding to colleges is based in part on the number of students they have - an incentive to admit less-prepared students.
``I think what we're talking about is college entrance admissions and what the mission of colleges are all about,'' Virginia Beach Superintendent Sidney Faucette said.
Faucette, however, said he might be willing to pay for students who studied college prep material in high school.
``I'll stake my career on the fact that kids who go through college prep in this city will do well at any college in the nation,'' Faucette said.
Local school districts are experimenting with various strategies to boost academic performance.
Virginia Beach, for instance, has eliminated ``watered-down'' courses like consumer math, Faucette said. Nichols said he hopes next year to eliminate its general high school diploma and require students to take either a college-prep curriculum or a ``Tech-Prep'' program, one that teaches both technical and rigorous academic skills.
In a project begun last fall, Norfolk State eliminated its remedial program in English, opting instead to ``mainstream'' students who need help with more advanced students. The hope, Lewis said, is that students with deficiencies will be motivated to perform better.
About 200 students participated in the program. They were not reported as remedial students in this year's Council of Higher Education report, McDowell said, which disguises the actual number of unprepared students at NSU and at Hampton Roads high schools that send many students there.
At Old Dominion University, officials view remediation as a ``front-end approach'' to ensure the quality of its graduates, said Dana Burnett, vice president of student services and dean of students.
At ODU, most students require remediation in only one subject. A math whiz, for instance, may need help in English.
It's too simplistic to say high schools aren't doing a good job of educating students, Burnett said. His advice to principals: ``Teach the skills, step 1, but most of all make students practice the skills.'' ILLUSTRATION: Charts
The percentage of 1993 graduates from South Hampton Roads public
high schools who took remedial courses as college freshmen.
Remedial students, by school
Local students in remedial courses
For complete information see microfilm.
KEYWORDS: COLLEGE FRESHMEN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES by CNB