Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Many Wisconsin students unprepared for college
By Mary Lazich
Wednesday, Aug 6 2008, 12:58 PM
Wisconsin high school students have a long, proud history of exceptional performance on ACT tests, registering some of the highest scores in the country. That is the good news. The bad news is that despite performing well on ACT tests, many Wisconsin high schoolers remain unprepared for college.
The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) has found that only 29 percent of the state’s 46,430 students tested in 2007 met ACT college-readiness benchmarks in core subjects.
According to WISTAX, “More than three-fourths of the Badger State students were prepared for a college English composition course (77% vs. 69% nationally), but results were lower in social science (60% vs. 53% nationally), college algebra (53% vs. 43%), and college biology (37% vs. 28%). Combining all four subjects, only 29% of 2007 Wisconsin high school graduates were likely to succeed in all four subjects.”
Even the state’s best students fall into this category. WISTAX found, “Between one- and two-fifths of Wisconsin’s most advanced students—those taking classes well beyond the core, i. e., four or more years of classes in all areas, including calculus—were not college ready: English (18%), math (22%), social studies (35%), and science (43%).”
ACT discovered the problem in Wisconsin is the high school curriculum has an inadequate “quality and Intensity” for college preparedness.
Wisconsin students, while faring better than their national counterparts, are following a country-wide trend of high school graduates lacking the skills needed for college. Instructors at colleges and universities have noticed, and even students concede the finding is true.
According to a 2005 survey done by the non-partisan group, Achieve, “As many as 40 percent of the nation's high school graduates say they are inadequately prepared to deal with the demands of employment and postsecondary education, putting their own individual success and the nation's economic growth in peril. More than 80 percent of high school graduates say they would work harder, take tougher courses, if they could do high school over again.”
The survey found agreement that the bar is set too low in high school for students and that expectations and standards need to be higher.
Here are details on the Achieve survey. The Cato Institute also prepared a report based on the Achieve findings.
Wisconsin students still score well on ACT tests and exceed the national average. However, the WISTAX findings show our high school students can and must do better.
