Decatur teachers brainstorm to improve college readiness

DECATUR — Superintendent Larry Ben is making college readiness and academic achievement a priority in Decatur Schools and he is encouraging teachers to take a leading role in deciding which changes need to be made to improve the district's college remediation rate.

According to the 2009 School Report Card from the Arkansas Department of Education, 78 percent of students who graduate from Decatur High School and plan to go on to college will need to take remedial courses. Although college remediation is a serious issue across the state, Decatur's rate is considerably higher than neighboring districts.

“It's a problem and it's something we're working on,” Ben said.

ACT test scores are used to measure college remediation rates. A score of 19 is the magic number according toBen. Students scoring higher than 19 are considered ready for college and students scoring below 19 need remedial classes before they can begin college-level course work. According to the ADE’s School Report Card, Decatur students who opted to take the test scored an overall average of 18.8 on the ACT last year.

Ben and special programs coordinator Dawn Stewart decided to go to teachersto find ways to bring up the school's college remediation rate. The district hired substitutes for the day, and all of the high school teachers met for a brainstorming session on Friday. Half of the teachers met in the morning and the other half met in the afternoon, to cut down on substitute costs, Ben explained.

The teachers first analyzed test data from Explorer tests, which are taken in the eighth grade, and then from Plan tests taken in 10th grade. Both tests are used to predict whether or not a student is on track to do well on the ACT.

Ben asked teachers to decide what needs to be done to improve instruction and what changes need to be made to keep the scores on track, and then he left the group alone to come up with ideas.

Some of the suggestions of the group included:

◊Increasing the rigor and relevance of all high school courses, which will begin immediately, Stewart said.

◊Holding more parent nights to educate parents about scholarships, financial aid and information about college, such as entrance requirements.

◊Implementing before- and after-school programs for students in grades kindergarten through grade 12. An afterschool program is already in place, but scheduling transportation can be a challengefor parents. Adding a beforeschool program would give parents more options.

◊A summer school program, still in the planning stages, was considered for grades kindergarten through 12. The extra schooling would provide a chance to make up credits, or take an ACT prep course for older students, and a chance to catch up or get ahead for younger students.

At a Jan. 6 parents’ meeting, parents took a computerized survey and were overwhelmingly in favor of summer school, Stewart said. Summer school could become a reality this year. The district is already looking at dates in late July and early August, she said.

◊ Job fairs and college fairs were suggested for parents and students to help them understand what education and skills are required for a range of career fields. There are more than seven colleges and vocational schools within a 75-mile radius of Decatur, Stewart said. Teachers would like to take students in grades nine through 12 on campus tours to ignite their desire to attend college. Stewart hopes to begin planning job fairs and college tours for this spring.

As of this year, the Decatur School District will be participating in the state's voluntary testing program. All juniors will be able to take the ACT test for free, thanks to state funding. Taking the test during their junior year will allow students to learn what kind of questions to expect if they decide to retake it during their senior year, Stewart said.

While looking at data from the Explorer and Plan tests, teachers found some common threads. In eighth grade, 64 percent of Decatur students wanted to go to college, and the largest percent of them wanted to study in the fields of science and technology, with the field of medical sciences coming in second. In 10th grade the majority of students still wanted to attend college and study science and technology.

Stewart hopes that bringing businesses to the high school and visiting college campuses will help students understand why difficult courses such as Algebra II are relevant to real life.

“You want to do absolutely everything you can to make their dreams come true,” she said.