Bridging the high school-college chasm

High schools and colleges continue to experience an unacceptable gap between high school standards and college expectations, says a new report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

As a result, large numbers of community college and four-year college freshmen arrive in need of remedial education, and half of two-year and a quarter of four-year college students drop out by the end of their second year.

The best predictor of college success, according to the report, is the intensity of high school courses students take to prepare for further education. Yet, that message isn’t getting through. The center’s recommendation: systemic change to make the move to higher education more successful, with parties held accountable for student transition from high school to college.

The center surveyed four states—Florida, Georgia, New York and Oregon—and concluded that no number of summer orientation or semester-long bridge programs can address the yawning chasm between high school and college. Instead, the report suggests, success lies in policy and infrastructure reform, accomplished with necessary resources, accountability and recognized authority.

Four “key policy levers” emerge as the most promising solutions:

Aligning courses and assessments: “States need to make sure that what students are asked to know and do in high school is connected to postsecondary expectations—both in coursework and assessments.”

Linking finances: Intertwining financial resources across K-12 and postsecondary systems and having legislators and staff oversee them would drive change in both systems.

Enhancing data systems: To identify good practices, data must be collected on the success and failure of segments of the existing system and any new initiatives.

Linking accountability: The system must be designed for an interface between K-12 and higher education.

Leo Welch, legislative chair of the Illinois Federation of Teachers Community College Council, agrees that there must be a formal structure for communication between the two sectors, but he is wary of assessments reminiscent of the flawed No Child Left Behind requirements. (The center, he notes, already runs pilot programs for testing at the college level.)

If funding were contingent on performance, Welch says, the federal government, which funds some 30 percent of higher education, would have undue influence on content, particularly at those institutions most dependent on federal funds. And assessments should vary according to the type of institution. “One size does not fit all,” says Welch. “If you’re using a test at a selective admission requirement university and compare it to an open-admission institution, it’s apples and oranges.”

Curt Smeby, president of the Northern Montana College Federation of Teachers, agrees that the high school-college gap must be addressed. But, he notes, once students arrive on college campuses, “you have to reach them where they are.”