Students in Oklahoma Face More Rigorous Curriculum

Mar 27, 11:50 AM

Current Headlines: By David Page

A more rigorous class schedule is required for students enrolled in a scholarship program created to provide Oklahoma high school students from families with an annual income of $50,000 or less an opportunity to earn free college tuition.

To qualify for the scholarships, students in Oklahoma's Promise must register for the program in the eighth, ninth or 10th grades and complete a 17-unit curriculum with at least a 2.5 grade point average.

In an effort to better prepare high school students for college, requirements for Oklahoma's Promise will become the default curriculum for high school students with the class of 2010. The new curriculum requirements were part of Achieving Classroom Excellence, known as ACE, approved by the Legislature in 2005.

"Here it is, in black and white: For our students to be prepared for college, they need to take an academically rigorous core curriculum during high school," said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. "And we're moving toward that goal, especially as ACE goes into effect."

New reports verify that Oklahoma students need to take the core curriculum during high school and that the new law will help put more students on the right track, state education officials said.

According to the 2005-2006 Annual Student Remediation Report, 47.6 percent of the first-time freshmen who did not take the core curriculum of college preparatory classes during high school enrolled in remedial courses while 24 percent of the freshmen who took the core curriculum during high school required remedial courses.

Oklahoma's core curriculum is a track of 17 high school classes designed to provide skills and knowledge needed for college and the work force.

The curriculum includes four units of English, three units of mathematics, three units of science and three units of history and citizenship skills. It also includes two cumulative units of foreign language or computer science, one unit of fine arts or speech, and an additional unit in any of the core subjects.

Public colleges and universities in Oklahoma require students who score below 19 on an ACT subject test to either enroll in a remedial course or undergo additional testing in the subject.

A second report found students who took the core curriculum scored higher on the ACT test, with an average of 21.6 in 2006. Students who did not take the preparatory classes had an average score of 19, according to the 2005-2006 High School Indicators Project report.

The High School Indicators Project was the result of a 1989 state law requiring the state Department of Education to provide reports about the "effectiveness" of schools. The project tracks remediation, ACT scores, college-going rates and the first-year performance of college students.

Math is the leading subject requiring remediation courses for Oklahoma students - 33.6 percent of students required math remediation compared with 17.9 percent in English, 4.3 percent in reading and 1.8 percent in science.

The regents offer free academies during the summer to help students be better prepared in math and science. The 34 free academies are open to upcoming eighth- through 12th-grade students.

Students study with professors, mentors and industry professionals at the academies, which are scheduled from three days to two weeks. Students can live on campus in the dormitories for some of the academies while others sessions allow students to travel to and from campus each day.

The academies focus on math and science. Students have the opportunity to learn about professions such as architecture, forensic science and computer graphics.

Information about applications for the academies is available at www.okhighered.org.

"Summer Academies provide an excellent opportunity for students to experience a college campus while discovering new and exciting career choices in math and science," Johnson said.

(c) 2007 Journal Record - Oklahoma City. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.