The start of the semester for some incoming freshman here at Palo Alto College can be quite a shock.
Recent high school graduates file through the gym to register for classes and meet with their assigned advisors. Everything is going smoothly, until you hear the dreaded words, “You need to take a developmental class.”
Disbelief sets in. In high school, you actually mastered all levels of your Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test. You thought you did well on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test. What went wrong?
The same situation plagues incoming freshman every Fall. More and more students are finding themselves having to enroll in developmental classes instead of college-level courses.
At the high school level, students are required to pass all sections of the TAAS test, which includes math, reading and writing, in order to graduate. The test is designed to evaluate students’ performance and to make certain that they have a good academic foundation to move on to a higher level. The test is given to students during their sophomore year of high school. Much preparation is done during the year prior to the test to get the students ready. Preparation includes exercises that are at the start of each class period to weeklong workshops that teach you the tricks of taking the test.
With this preparation, students are learning how to master the TAAS, which has certain characteristics not seen on the TASP test. Texas school districts are using test scores to gain extra funding for exemplary performance, which results in merit pay and bonuses for educators and administrators, according to the RAND Education 2000 report.
According to RAND, students are coached to develop certain skills needed to answer specific types of questions. Even though students do their school districts proud by passing TAAS and making it a “blue-ribbon” school, does TAAS prepare those who are continuing their education?
Palo Alto sophomore and Southwest High School graduate Elena Perez doesn’t seem to think so. “Developmental classes are a waste of time and money,” said Perez. “If my teachers would have taught math and not the test, it wouldn’t have to come to this.”
Some students are concerned that it will take longer to finish their associate’s degree or their 2+2 transfer program to a 4-year university if they have to pass developmental classes. Another concern is that enrolling in such classes can take away the opportunity to enroll in other core transferable courses.
Currently, PAC has approximately 378 students enrolled in developmental English (0300-0301), 706 students in developmental Reading (0300-0304), and 2,604 students in developmental Math (0300-0303). Developmental Math has more than twice the number of students enrolled than Reading and English classes combined.
Even our president senses a problem. According to Palo Alto President Ana “Cha” Guzmán, such trouble could be a result of poor teaching at the high school level. “Paying qualified instructors is almost non-existent at the high school level,” said Guzmán, “especially when school districts are praised for keeping their budget to a minimum. Why would school districts pay a teacher for his or her experience and knowledge when they can hire two recent college graduates for the price of one, and at less pay?”
Former State Comptroller John Sharp, who recently gave a lecture during PAC’s Student Success Week last month, said “It all comes down to funding. When education no longer is a true priority, results such as these are going to continue.”
According to Palo Alto’s Assessment Center, more students take the TASP Alternative, which consists of the Accuplacer and the ASSET tests, because of its weekly testing dates and lower fees.
“Remediation does help students pass the retake of the TASP and help bring them up to par,” said Laura Lopez, Coordinator of Assessment and TASP at Palo Alto.
Palo Alto provides a number of tutoring services. Students can also use the Student Learning Assistant Center (SLAC), which is located in the Palomino Center. SLAC offers tutoring in Math and English by staff and peer tutors, or you can ask your respective instructors for any tutoring that they may give.