|
Schools
Preparing for High School Requirements
Gongwer News Service, October 26, 2005
For more articles like this
visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
In about two
weeks, the Department of Education will present to the State
Board of Education recommendations on the courses high school
students should take and the skills they should learn before
graduating. And the schools around the state are ready to
implement those recommendations.
In a follow-up conversation Thursday to Superintendent of Public
Instruction Mike Flanagan's presentation to the House Education
Committee this week, Education spokesperson Martin Ackley said
the exact form of the recommendations was still under
discussion, but it could likely include requirements that
students take specific courses. But he said schools could be
offered waivers to provide the same information through
alternative classes.
Linda Wacyk with the Michigan Association of School
Administrators said recommendations, and legislation, that
prescribe only what students should know and leave the course
structure to local districts is "much more in line with what
superintendents would want to see. ... We are concerned at what
it looks like at the local level. We do want to maintain a voice
in the how this gets done."
Jim Sandy with the Michigan Business Leaders for Education
Excellence said he would like to see even more specificity in
course requirements than what was recommended by the Michigan
Education Alliance. The latter group, which includes various
business and education organizations, had recommended a plan
that would require schools to ensure students had access to a
prescribed list of skills.
But Mr. Sandy said MBLEE, which signed on to the Education
Alliance agreement, would prefer to see schools required to
offer a set list of courses, including math through Algebra II
and set amounts of English, science and foreign language.
"There are some schools out there that need more specificity
than just here's a set of topics, you decide where to teach
them," he said.
Jim Ballard, executive director of the Michigan Association of
Secondary School Principals agreed that, particularly for some
courses, there should be requirements as to where those courses
are offered. "We need kids to be sitting in math classes those
junior and senior years so they're ready when they get to the
next step," he said.
But he said whether the board and the Legislature require
specific courses or a list of skills, the high schools around
the state were ready to implement the requirements. "We're
already offering these courses," Mr. Ballard said. "We're not
expecting any new programs."
Mr. Ballard said the problem has not been a lack of availability
of more rigorous courses in most districts; it has been a lack
of interest in taking them.
"For years the students have taken the path of least resistance
knowing they could get into college anyway," he said. "Then the
colleges blame us because they're not prepared."
He said the recommendation of the board, and the likelihood that
the recommendation will be embodied in legislation, will be a
welcome encouragement to students and parents looking for the
easiest way through. "We're at that stage now in our programs
where we need that higher push," he said.
Mr. Ballard said any legislation should also place some controls
on which courses count toward a student's grade point average.
"We really feared the GPA battle," he said, noting that many
students stuck with the easier courses to keep a higher GPA and
be more attractive to universities.
He said the board's recommendation should include that the GPA
would only include those courses that are required.
Mr. Sandy said such a requirement would also make it easier for
universities to examine student records because they would know
what had been offered in Algebra I where now that, or any other
particular course, is different from district to district.
Ms. Wacyk said superintendents were also concerned that the
requirements not be so extensive that they exclude career
preparation or arts courses.
Mr. Sandy said the curriculum supported by MBLEE would still
allow time during a high school career for arts and other
elective courses.
And Mr. Flanagan had noted to the House committee that some of
the information could be offered through career and technical
education courses as an alternative to traditional academic
studies.
Mr. Sandy said providing the information in an alternative
setting would have to be done with some care. "We certainly
agree with Mr. Flanagan that geometry can be taught in the
building trades, but you've got to find some skilled teachers to
present it," he said.
back to the top ~
back to Breaking News
~ back to
What's New
|
