Beyond The Rhetoric

This article 'Beyond the Rhetoric', college freshmen are being discussed about and it is often argued that thousands of them are not academically prepared for actual college coursework despite their high school test scores. Here I responded to this article for my fourth brainstorming journal...

In the article “Beyond the Rhetoric” the main issue being discussed is high school graduates not being ready for college coursework. It was found as a statistic that nearly 60 percent of college freshmen, who were accepted to college, find that they are not academically fit for college. Before the blame fell upon the postsecondary schools, but it has recently been found to have been a shared fault on all factors involved. It can also be noted as high schools and the state education laws being the literacy sponsors for these college freshmen. The main reason for the new students lack of readiness is the focus of mathematics, English, or both. Also statistics show that nonselective institutions are 60 percent within the readiness gap, less selective institutions have about 50 percent, while highly selective institutions have about 90 percent ready. However in this study, critics argue that the states need to employ specific standards as they only use minimal standards just to gain a diploma and barely get by. Also the “No Child Left Behind” rule and finances become obstacles in raising national college readiness standards. Another argument is that the high schools, being the initial sponsor, they cannot fully teach and do not enforce critical thinking, which is required for success in postsecondary studies. Along these lines, there is much emphasis in forcing a higher education influence within high school courses to ensure college readiness, because it was found that many of the current high school standards are up to the 10^th grade level. Even national administered college prepatory exams such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT do not guarantee college readiness. However in response, many solutions have been found to fix this system: one may include for high schools and colleges to acknowledge and incentivize students who enroll in college courses and stressing the importance of those who are college ready. Also colleges can set their standards agenda, to allow high school teachers to better test and prepare their students for postsecondary studies. There are many more solutions such as end-of-course exams and etc., that may help close this gap and help inhibit a high percentage of literacy.