TITLE
College Readiness and The Economic Impact of College
Remedial Impact
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Annually our district graduates and sends students
into the world of higher education. Many
of these students are required to enroll into remedial classes at the college
or university of their choice. Many of
these students meet all admission requirements with the exception of the state
assessment. As a future leader in
educational administration I am researching the potential for the improvement of
content and strategies used in the classroom to more aptly prepare students to
take the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA).
OBJECTIVES AND VISION OF THE ACTION
RESEARCH PROJECT
Huntington High School will improve the performance
of students on the THEA test and reduce the number of students who must enroll
in remedial classes upon entrance into the college or university of their
choice. I will use AEIS data from 2010
and 2011. I will compare district level
benchmark data through DMAC, TAKS scores, and CCRS standards with THEA scores
to determine if there is a specific area for improvement. According to the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, 50% of Texas students entering higher education need
remedial classes to be prepared for college level work.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The majority of my research is being done through a
pragmatic approach. The main substance of
my research will be the data gathered from the AEIS report and campus level
scores. I will also use information from
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
ARTICULATE THE VISION
The vision is to see improved scores on the THEA
test to potentially save our students money upon entering higher
education. With the increasing cost of
higher education, the omission of remedial classes that do not count toward
graduation could be a drastic saving even when considering a small graduating
class. What can the administration and
staff of Huntington High School do to improve the college readiness of our
students? Is there a problem with
strategies used in the junior and senior level classes?
MANAGE THE ORGANIZATION
I am the primary researcher in the project. The assistant principal of curriculum and the
campus counselor are aiding me in the collection of data. I will use the data to determine any trends
if any. Once I have found potential
areas for improvement my campus principal will review the data and determine
how the problems will be addressed bases on my recommendations.
MANAGE OPERATIONS
I am manipulating and assimilating the data in a
manner that will allow for comparisons against college readiness standards
state averages and averages of other surrounding schools. I am interested if there will a definite area
of need to address. If there is a trend
in THEA scores in one particular standard we could work to improve our students
scores and potentially save them from being required to take remedial courses.
RESPOND TO COMMUNITY INTEREST AND NEEDS
Our district is a lower income area with many of our
constituency residing below the poverty level.
Money is a big issue and if the school could potentially help with
saving families money it would be well received. My campus principal and I have discussed
providing tutorials before the THEA test is given to reassure our students on
standards tested in the test.
