“In Colorado,” wrote Peter Huidekoper Jr. in last Sunday’s Perspective, “high school graduation statistics tell us little about what that degree means in terms of a graduate’s knowledge and skills.” (Seth McConnell, Denver Post file)
Re: “High school graduation rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate,” July 5 Perspective article.
Peter Huidekoper Jr. implies that something unsavory is going on when graduation rates in Colorado high schools are going up while ACT scores are low and college-required remediation rates are high. The hidden question is: Are we letting students slide through to make our graduation rates look good?
First of all, graduation is determined by the studentap showing in many classes in which the teachers are continually evaluating his/her motivation, persistence and knowledge.
Second, the ACT is a national test of general knowledge rewarding students who read quickly and have been taught test-taking tricks.
Grades in high school correlate with college success more than ACT scores do.
Third, remediation requirements are set by the colleges. Recognizing that math is difficult for many people, the colleges should require a basic practical math class within their curriculum, not require remediation before entry.
Instead of wondering if a whitewash is afoot in high graduation rates, we should be proud of students who make the grades and stay the course.
Janet MacKenzie, Denver
We are often told how the awful burden of college student loan debt is hampering young college graduates from making their way to a prosperous future. So I was wondering if anyone has ever done a study to determine just how much of this student loan debt is attributed to the cost of paying for “remedial” classes just to get to a “college-ready” status.
Perhaps itap time to hold our public education system accountable for their failure in graduating students who are not college-ready. I would suggest that students who want to go to college but have to take remedial classes before they are accepted be allowed to return to their high school, at no expense to that student, to take the necessary “remedial” classes.
The problem of our public education system is much deeper than just increasing the number of students graduating high school — but what does that high school diploma really mean?
Joan Schobert, Aurora
This letter was published in the July 12 edition.
Submit a letter to the editor via this form or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
