Learning Gap Varies Among High Schools

The author began his career as a researcher at the medical schools of the U. of Pennsylvania and Boston University. In 1967 he joined the faculty at Cumberland County College. Over 24 years his service included being a Professor of Biology and Vice President of Development. In 1991 he was named an Assistant Commissioner of Education with responsibilities for Adult and Vocational Education. During his career he has served on numerous state and national committees dealing with workforce development policy. He currently resides in Palermo with his wife of 45 years, Loretta.
By TOM HENRY
Following the publication of the April 13 article on the present state of education, several people asked questions that required further research. The most frequently asked question dealt with how students attending private high schools or charter schools, who took the Accuplacer Test, do in comparison to the students from the county’s public high schools who took the same test. The accompanying chart gives the Accuplacer recommendations for the following schools: Cape Christian Academy’ ChARTer Art Tech, Holy Spirit High School, and Wildwood Catholic High School. (Please note that Saint Augustine Preparatory School was not included because only two students took the Accuplacer test during the three years.)
The results indicate that students from the four schools who took the test outperform their public school counterparts in the English component of the Accuplacer. Approximately two-thirds of the students are recommended for regular college English compared to only one-third of public school students. While these results are better, the fact that nearly one-third of the students are not prepared for the regular college English course is a cause for concern.
The results on the math component of the Accuplacer indicated very little difference in student readiness for college mathematics between student attending either public or private high schools. Only students from Cape Christian Academy showed a better than average readiness for college mathematics. For the other schools, having approximately three-quarters of the students who took the test not prepared to enter a regular college math course should be a major cause for concern.
For comparison purposes, the information below incorporates the data above (covering 2007 – 2010) with the data published April 13, 2011 (covering 2010). It is arranged in each case with the school furthest to the left as the one with the lowest percentage of students requiring developmental work to bring them up to make them ready for college courses.
To view Accuplacer scores for PRIVATE schools, CLICK HERE.
To view recommendations for developmental ENGLISH courses, for ALL schools, CLICK HERE.
To view recommendations for developmental MATH courses, for ALL schools, CLICK HERE.
(ED. NOTE: The following were reader comments posted in response to the original article on the present state of education, which ran in the Herald Apr. 13, 2011:
Thu, 04/14/2011 – 6:39am – Posted by: RedSpyder
Tom: You covered the topic well. I taught in the first year of HeadStart. I know you agree that there are many factors that produce a good student – one capable of learning. But since HeadStart there have been probably 50 different well-funded “approaches” to “solving the problem of children not learning.” You cite all the studies and all the rankings and all the comparative educational statistics, but there is still an elusive answer. We still use the German Volkschule grade system and we still have a school calendar that hearkens back to the agrarian traditions of the late 19th Century. And yet we continue to build schools that could be used year round, which we don’t use. You cite possible alternatives to the traditional approach to education. The catharsis needed for positive change is not there. We in America are enamored with the latest HD TV, the latest iPhone, etc. that do all the “apps” but do not do the homework or the cognitive learning each student needs. We can’t blame teachers and administrators with out blaming us all. We revere the electronics. We revere the athlete. We revere entertainment freaks. We do not revere learning and studious employment of same. You have shared and I see where you will have additional commentary. As I am getting older it seems I ask if anyone really cares? Sure there will be drastic consequences. History does repeat itself. Rome with all its decadence lasted much longer that the 235 years of our country. But it fell to those who were more hungry than Rome for what it had. If we don’t live for it, it will go away from us. We listen to rhetoric of the politician and the huckster because it makes us feel good. Feeling good does not cut the mustard in these times. Keep writing, at least I’ll read, but with extreme frustration.
Thu, 04/14/2011 – 8:55am – Posted by: nothingbutthetruth
The schools in this county are a joke. There are a select few I’d send my kids to, if I had any. Has anyone ever looked up the elementary school test scores? I’m always astonished at how LOW some area schools score, while others seem to be really on or above par. And it boggles my mind even more when I see what the cost per student is, and the schools with the higher cost per student still are not doing that well.
Thu, 04/14/2011 – 1:21pm – Posted by: livelovelaugh
This is very discouraging. Looking at the graph alone saddens me. Tom, what can I do as a parent to help my children and my district? How can I be more involved? Where can I start? My children attend school in the Middle Township school district and looking at the results from the graph, it shows that 70 percent of the students had to start off with developmental classes. I am outraged! What the heck is going on?
Fri, 04/15/2011 – 10:55am – Posted by: Lucyinthesky
This article is not news, it’s an opinion piece, an essay, a legal brief, an overly-long letter to the editor. If you can’t separate news from opinion, you’re doing your reading public a great disservice.
Sun, 04/17/2011 – 8:35am – Posted by: RedSpyder
Not to dispute “Lucy” comments, but this education problem has been looming larger and larger for the last 50 years. If we, all of us, want to address the problem, a thorough background of the problem is needed. Mr. Henry seems qualified to do so. News doesn’t need to be only accidents, deaths, and lawsuits. The graph should have been “news” in itself, as it was to many people. The article was long, yes. But, the 2,600 electronic readers, so far, are getting professional information that is referenced, not just opinion.