Many students not college ready [Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.]

Aug. 29--L e s s t h a n o n e -- t h i rd o f California students in the Class of 2010 were prepared for entrylevel college courses, the newest ACT college entrance exam data shows.

Some 31 percent of California students taking the ACT met all four college-readiness benchmarks of math, science, English and reading. That's higher than the national average of 24 percent, but still a dismal figure to parents and school officials statewide.

"A lot of them are coming out of high school substantially under-prepared for college-level work," said Mark J. Zacovic, vice president of instruction and student services at Victor Valley College.

California students have also made zero growth on the exam over the past three years, logging a stagnant ACT composite average score of 22.2 on the 36-point exam.

The college preparedness problem is an ongoing challenge and costly expense at state colleges. Roughly 60 percent of first-time freshmen enrolling in the California State University system must attend remedial classes because they don't have entry-level proficiency, the CSU chancellor's office reports.

"I'll bet our numbers are higher," Zacovic said, who didn't have immediate access to those VVC figures Friday afternoon. "They're kind of in shock that they're getting students admitted to the UC and CSUs that really aren't ready for college work."

High schools throughout the High Desert tout various programs and approaches to develop "college-going cultures," prevent dropout rates and improve the number of students pursuing education beyond high school.

At least a few of them have proven successful for some students:

--Several local junior high and high schools offer Advancement Via Individual Determination c l a s s e s , a n at i o n a l program specifically designed to promote college readiness through peer and teacher support. Nationwide some 92 percent of AVID students planned to attend college in 2009, including 60 percent who were headed to a four-year co l l e ge, t h e AV I D headquarters reports.

--The K-16 Bridge Program, which launched out of Serrano High School a few years ago, partners with community colleges and K-12 schools to streamline the college preparation process. Serrano has since logged multiple senior classes in which nearly 100 percent of graduating seniors have committed to going on to post-secondary institutions.

But data shows such programs either aren't available or aren't proving successful for a large portion of students.

Silverado High School teacher Michael Krause suggests all schools need an even stronger focus on college preparation and to maintain rigorous standards across the board.

"Teachers need to challenge students to try harder in all classes, not just Advanced Placement classes," Krause said. "High schools could implement mini-workshops throughout the school year educating students on the rigors of taking college classes. Even honors and Advanced Placement students seem to struggle their first year in college because they are not prepared well enough."

K ra u s e a l s o s u ggests that all high school seniors be required to audit a college class to get a feel for what it's like.

Part of the problem could be a disconnect between what tests such as the ACT deem "college ready" compared to what California state standards require, said Tracy Marsh, assistant superintendent of student learning for the Victor Valley Union High School District. Some students may perform more poorly on the college entrance exam because they're unfamiliar with those testing formats and don't take practice tests.

"The interesting thing is how our students statewide are showing growth in the core subjects but n o t s h ow i n g g row t h within the ACTs and to some degree SAT tests," Marsh said. "In the past, schools were able to offer ACT/SAT prep classes; but with the current budget problems we have had over the past couple of years these classes are often not being offered due to cost."

Marsh said the district is working on a few efforts to help students gain confidence and motivation for college and careers, including the expansion of careertechnical academies and Silverado High School's new "Early College High School" program, which is allowing students to earn community college credit while in high school.

In addition to increasing rigor at the high school level, Zacovic said, parents play a major role in driving college readiness. Parents should show their children they value education, ensure their children get to school and frequently check on their progress. They should also meet with high school or college counselors or consult websites to better understand the skills their child needs to succeed college.

"Parents have to get really serious about this," Zacovic said. "They can't just send kids to school and think that's enough."

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