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]

I like it. I think that students who really want to go to a 4-year of their choice would still be interested in this. Say they want to go to a prestigious school because they value their intelligence / think highly of the school, it would still be a good choice. They could go to a two-year and get all the core classes out of the way then after those two years (and when they would normally be graduating), they [assuming good grades] transfer to the school of their choice. This would allow for the normal student to be done with their Masters by ~21. Those who don't want to graduate early and want to 'soak in' the whole school experience can just go about the path as they normally would have.

[Mikeplyts]

Dude, this is what I got in the mail. :DD


Definitely a "yay", and I pretty much agree with what Steven said.

[CandyPop]

I received one of those letters in the mail too. I am definately going to take advantage of that. So... it deserves a "yay" from me!

[Tomates]

I remember watching a true-life or some type of documentary where this 16 year old kid could attend college. So he applied and his first choice of college denied him because of his age.

However you're talking about a community college. Though cant high schoolers take college classes if they want? At my school if you're a senior you can take college classes automatically if you want. If you're a junior and possibly senior then i think you have to have a certain grade point. But overall a lot of seniors at my school are taking or have taken college classes.
I did...but it was just a gym credit so i doubt that really counts.

[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.

[Mikeplyts]

Hm, I'm not really sure if it's a community college. I received another letter from a college who is one of the nation's so-called leading research universities. It states that students who go there like to ask tough questions than simply "go with the flow." It just seems like too big of a deal to be a community college. Plus, they even said they would help pay tuitions and if I was interested in them or talking with them, I could take a series of quizzes and tests to see what I'd probably be more likely to major in and whatnot. I could then get five proven campus visit tips that would be like a guide to help me prepare for upcoming visits to them or any other top schools that are interested in me, if I go at all. Doesn't necessarily sound like a community college to me.

[iRapediCarly]

Good shit. College made me realize I didn't learn shit in high school. Except calculus.

[iDecay]

I'm iffy on this. It gives many kids an opportunity to get ahead, but CC's would be full of 16 year olds who are not mentally prepared for college. Do not like.

[CandyPop]

Well there is a first for everything, right?
The students who do get accepted into early college will have no choice but to get mentally prepared because no one is going to be there spoon-feeding them everything like in highschool.

[none345678]

The students who do get accepted into early college will have no choice but to get mentally prepared because no one is going to be there spoon-feeding them everything like in highschool.

They have the choice to fail and break down due to lack of social experiences, and inability to handle a collage setting.

[Mikeplyts]

They have the choice to fail and break down due to lack of social experiences, and inability to handle a collage setting.

So negative, so harsh. Good job.

[*Janette*]

I'm iffy on this. It gives many kids an opportunity to get ahead, but CC's would be full of 16 year olds who are not mentally prepared for college. Do not like.

[LittleMissSunshi...]

Isn't this kind of like dual enrollment? Where you take college classes your sophomore year and can graduate early. I think this is a good plan for early college and some people would take advantage of it. I also believe that somehow it is a waste because there it is kind of the same thing like dual enrollment. I think it would kind of waste the government's money when it should be more focused on other things. Unless the government take out the dual enrollment and does this plan, it would be a waste to have both dual enrollment and early plan plus a regular education, wouldn't it?

[Tung]

My professor has a friend who started college at 13 years old. Got his master's at 18, and a PHD at the age of 25.

[Blyat]

Idk imagine being like the only 16 year old at a college....the social life could be different
I know that's not the thing that matters but still, you should still be able to enjoy college and have friends there right?

[Blyat]

oh wow really?
hrm maybe its really not that bad then

[CandyPop]

I think it would kind of waste the government's money when it should be more focused on other things. Unless the government take out the dual enrollment and does this plan, it would be a waste to have both dual enrollment and early plan plus a regular education, wouldn't it?

Education should be the top priority of the government.

[brooklyneast05]

Education should be the top priority of the government.

nah it should be the top priority of the people

[fameONE]

My little sister would be PERFECT for a program like this. She is well beyond her peers when it comes to her skills of comprehension and retention. At 14, she was doing trig problems with relative ease. She was helping me with Algebra 2 when I was a senior and she was 12. I'd definitely push this for the intellectual growth of the intellectually gifted.