To the Editor:
Over the summer I did a lot of evaluations of high school seniors getting ready for the college acceptance procedure. Most had report cards that showed them as “A” students from high schools considered to be good at getting candidates ready for college. Half of the candidates I tested were not on the 12th level when given tests to judge their vocabulary and math levels. Most likely when colleges give them their placement testing, many will be candidates for zero credit remedial and corrective classes.
Check for yourself. College failure among incoming freshmen throughout the nation is about forty percent. Colleges at one time trusted cumulative averages of incoming freshmen to their campuses. Too many high school teachers are giving out “A”s to keep their students and their parents happy and contented. Too many seniors are opting not to take SATs or ACTs because colleges are giving them this option in the admission process.
Colleges need to stay in business. They are accepting more and more freshmen who in the old days weren’t fit to be college freshmen. Parents today must be more honest and critical when it comes to college life for their high school seniors. They must rely in many cases on the honesty and integrity of high school guidance counselors who are already under pressure from administrators to get as many of their students accepted. School districts take great pride in announcing publicly their college acceptance levels, but there is never any mention of how many of their freshmen survive freshmen year.
SAM ALFONSI
Diamond Beach
