Pick
up the book
The lazy days of summer are waning. The brisk nights
portend the coming of a cooler clime when dynamic productivity is
the order of the day. A dramatic sign of the change of the seasons
is the return of youngsters to school.
Parents have no greater responsibility than to provide an inspiring
environment to motivate their children to achieve in school. According
to a recent report by ACT, this is not being generally accomplished.
ACT provides assessment tests for admission to college, similar
to the SATs. An analysis of the scores of the high school graduating
class of 2005 found that about half fail to have college-level skills
in reading comprehension. Less than half have college-ready skills
in math and science.
ACT arrived at this conclusion by comparing the college performance
of past high school graduates with their scores on the ACT tests.
They were then able to establish a benchmark score at which the
student would more than likely be able to earn a “C”
or higher in any entry-level college course.
The ACT test covers English, math, reading and science. There is
also a 30-minute optional writing exam. According to ACT, the tests
are based upon the actual high school curriculum. It is not an IQ
test or an aptitude test. It supposedly reflects what has been taught
in the nation’s high school classrooms.
The highest possible score on the test is 36. However, the average
ACT composite score was 20.9 for 2005 high school graduates. The
scores for the various subjects are: English, 20.4; math, 20.7;
reading 21.3; and science, 20.9.
The college-readiness benchmark scores for all four subjects are:
English, 18; math, 22; reading, 21; and science, 24. A majority
of students failed to meet the benchmark in math and science and
49 percent failed in reading.
Asians had the highest composite score at 22.1, followed closely
by whites with a score of 21.9. At the bottom of the list by race
are African Americans with a composite score of only 17.0, down
0.1 from the prior year. ACT did not provide data on the various
subject scores by race.
There are a number of reasons for this disconnect between supposed
high school preparation and readiness for college. High schools
must establish a core curriculum in math and science that is rigorous
enough to prepare students for college-level work. And parents must
see to it that their children do the required homework.
However, for anyone born with English as a first language there
is no excuse for failing to excel at reading comprehension. Today’s
youth tend not to be voracious readers. The common practice is to
plop down in front of a television set and sit for mindless hours.
Black parents must adopt the practice of reading to their infants,
even before the babies can talk. They will then develop from infancy
a warm connection with books and the process of reading. As the
children get older, take them to the library and borrow books for
them to read. As young adolescents, establish a list of books for
them to read on their own.
It is a bad strategy to leave the education of your children completely
in the hands of others. Parents need not be college educated to
have an enormous impact on the academic success of their children.
|
Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher
Bay State Banner |
