Plan Would Allow for Early College Options

[brooklyneast05]

i'm stealing this from nicki's tumblr but,

Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college.

Students who pass but aspire to attend a selective college may continue with college preparatory courses in their junior and senior years, organizers of the new effort said. Students who fail the 10th grade tests, known as board exams, can try again at the end of their 11th and 12th grades. The tests would cover not only English and math but other subjects like science and history.

The new system of high school coursework with the accompanying board examinations is modeled largely on systems in high-performing nations including Denmark, England, Finland, France and Singapore.

The program is being organized by the National Center on Education and the Economy, and one of its goals is to reduce the numbers of high school graduates who need remedial courses when they enroll in college. More than a million college freshmen across America must take remedial courses each year, and many drop out before getting a degree.

“This would reform that,” Mr. Holliday said. “We’ve been tied to seat time for 100 years. This would allow an approach based on subject mastery — a system based around move-on-when-ready.”

whole article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/education/18educ.html?hp


yay or nay? how good of a plan is this? would this significantly help out our education system?

[sixfive]

Nothing wrong with a community college. They are actually arguably better for core classes than some 4 years because of smaller 30 person classes as opposed to 300 person classes. The professors also tend to care a bit more in CCs. Also you can take some classes while in high school for college, but if you graduate after 10th grade... GUESS WHAT you don't have to go to high school anymore and spend 7 hours a day.