Dive Brief:
- A new report from the Community College Research Center shows schools and districts are using “transition courses” to help students become college-ready but such courses do not bolster student preparedness.
- The courses are offered to high school seniors identified as being underprepared for college math or English, and they supplement with instruction in college-level math and English.
- The study examined college-level math outcomes in West Virginia high schools over two academic years and found no improvement.
Dive Insight:
The Community College Research Center points to the possiblility that such “transition courses” being less rigorous may be one possible reason they're not working for high schoolers. Further, they found that the classes actually had a net negative effect, decreasing students’ likelihood of passing a college gatekeeper math course.
Some states, like Georgia, are taking a more innovative approach to career and college readiness. There, a public-private partnership between Banneker High School in College Park and the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Georgia has helped turn the school around by creating the Junior Achievement Magnet Business Academy, which boosts workforce readiness and financial literacy for 139 participating ninth graders. The program also matches students to professional mentors and executes field trips to local employers, like Chick-Fil-A, Georgia Power and AT&T.