New York Graduates Poorly Prepared For College: Report

For New York's high school graduates, their diploma could be little more than a piece of paper.

According to data from the state's Department of Education, graduates are ill prepared for college after they walk the line.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Across the state, the graduation rate in 2009, the last year for which figures are public, was 77%. But only 41% of high-school students were prepared for a career or college, the state said. The state defines students as college- and career-ready if they score at least an 80 on the state's math Regents exam and at least a 75 on the English Regents exam. New York students receive a high-school diploma if they achieve a score of at least 65 on Regents tests.

The state education department said that in New York City, only 23% of graduating high-school students meet the college- and career-ready standard, compared with a graduation rate of 65% among general-education students.

Amongst African-American students, the graduation rate is 62 percent, with only 15 percent considered college- and career-ready.

In Syracuse, just 1 percent of Hispanic students were at a college-and-career ready level.

There was bad news for charter schools as well. Of the 49 percent of students who graduated from a charter school, just 10 percent were college- and career-ready, according to the report.

"Well before the state announced this plan, we told schools we would begin including robust college readiness metrics to school progress reports," said Shael Polakow-Suransky, the city's chief academic officer.

In 2008, the city's DOE partnered with City University of New York to track how its graduates were performing in city colleges. They then share that information with graduates' high schools so they can address deficiencies.

Comments

[democles]

03:16 PM on 02/09/2011

And Cathy Black has the solution: birth control.

[Dragoon]

11:17 PM on 02/08/2011

The numbers are shameful, but, truthfully, not all students have the aptitude for college. Their strengths may lie in a trade. I would think that better evaluation of the students prior to the age of 16 to determine whether an academic path or trade path would be better suited for them would be important. Moving certain students to a trade school program would produce a more employable person than the current system.

[UnknownSolider]

11:11 AM on 02/09/2011

Ok I can see you have really "THOUGHT" this situation through........ NOT
 
Trade school????
 
Which trades did you have in mind??? Maybe I don't know Auto Mechanic??? Plumber??? Electrician???
 
The cars of today are highly computerized, the best auto mechanic jobs are at the dealerships, which charge 90 to 150 dollars an hour for service. These are not jobs for uneducated anymore.
 
Plumbers, well with the new advancements in plumbing technology, you have to be able to use a computer install many of the new plumbing parts.
 
Electricians, well an electrical engineer (degree) is better able to handle the complex electrical systems of today, than someone who barely understood basic algebra in high school........
 
 
So my question is what TRADES were you talking about, maybe the flipping burger trade, or the pushing a mop trade........
 
This is not the 50s when a High School diplomia would qualifty you to do a number of jobs, you need a College Degree just so that employers will know that you can read

[pita143]

07:52 PM on 02/08/2011

Why are we stuck on the idea that only those who prepare to go to college are successful. Beer see how much a plumber or a carpenter makes lately, while those College Grads are flipping burgers.
We need to return to an idea of Vocational Schools that will teach English and Math but also teach Auto Mechanics and other courses that would allow kids to jump right into a very demanding market without need of a college degree.
We could also have Unions use the scoops for their apprententance programs and teach the kids a good career such as an Electrician, Plumber, A/C installation and repair and other careers.

[pita143]

07:55 PM on 02/08/2011

Please forgive the typos, I forgot to grab my glasses, and to reread my post.

[UnknownSolider]

11:35 AM on 02/09/2011

In order for a car dealership to hire you as a Mechanic you will need a degree. If you want a career as an electrician or plumber its better that you have a degree in engineering, or else you'll pretty much be working odd jobs here an there hoping to make enough to pay your bills.
 
I think you are stuck in the 50s when going to a trade school was a viable option for many people........ its not today
 
Its sad to say but we have to start training people to become entreprenuers, and I mean the street vendor type, yes its getting that bad

[anfractuous]

06:55 PM on 02/08/2011

And what's Bloomberg's plan for what these graduates will be doing for the rest of their lives? Where will they live on the paltry salaries they are destined to earn? He decimated manufacturing in the city so his developer pals could build on the riverfront. There are not going to be enough "service" jobs to accommodate the unceasing ignorant efflux of his educational pipeline, which only leaves the "servile" jobs: servants, maids, gofers, toadies etc.. What good fortune there will be a whole Olympus of "savvy businessmen", as Obama styled them, who are looking for just such adornments.

[adamben]

03:16 PM on 02/08/2011

so, 23% of public school kids in nyc are ready for college, and the solution, according mayor mike? send everyone to charter schools where the college ready rate is, 10%?! how'd he get re-elected again and again? the new math?

[BlackYowe]

01:52 PM on 02/08/2011

This has been the case for some time. Colleges have to offer remedial English classes just to get the students up to speed to take entry level college English classes. Many Jr. Colleges have become two more years of high school to prepare kids to go to a university.

[European1919]

02:03 PM on 02/08/2011

LOL.
Many moons ago our teachers in school told us during the penultimate term, that those wishing to attend universities in the USA should be able to cut the whole first year. I see that now even the Americans themselves have noticed this.

[BlackYowe]

02:32 PM on 02/08/2011

I went to a small school in a rural area here in wetern, NY and graduated in 1976. It was almost like a private school, the quality of education was that high. I was a very average student. I had a wonderful English teacher and many other very good teachers and even then when I entered my university I was so advanced compared to the other students I was stunned. Many of the other kids were really pathetic that came from the Pittsburgh PA area. Many of them came from wealthy areas like Squirrel Hill but had no understanding of grammar and did not even write in complete sentences. I knew I was not a great student of English so I was very confused. This was 30 years ago.

[lcr999]

08:22 PM on 02/08/2011

If a HS diploma is effectively worthless, why do we both giving them.?

Looking at the data for Rochester NY....approximately 50% graduate, but only FIVE percent are qualified to take an intro college course. i.e 90% of those who graduate in the entire city of rochester have worthless HS diplomas, diplomas that signify little more than that they showed up for 4 years. As an employer or college admissions officer, I would look at a Rocherster HS diploma as a worthless piece of paper.

I find this really shocking. Why do we even bother. We have lowered the standards so much , and still only 50% get through, that those who do have little value.

At some point we should just give up. Make HS optional. Give them a voucher for 4 years of education and tell them to come back when they grow up and want to learn. And concetrate our resources on teaching those who are ready and able to learn.

[BlackYowe]

10:11 PM on 02/08/2011

Education in the USA is a corporate brain washing system to pump out good consumers who resist reason.

[Mark Thuesen]

01:27 PM on 02/08/2011

sounds about right.

[1donewrong]

01:26 PM on 02/08/2011

That number is a gift, less than 1/2 of NY graduates are qualified even to work at McDonald's

[anfractuous]

01:17 PM on 02/08/2011

Yeah, but they're street smart!

[KIVPossum]

12:32 PM on 02/08/2011

Going to bookmark this for the next discussion about low educational levels in the south

[1donewrong]

01:27 PM on 02/08/2011

needent worry they speak english down south, a lost language in NYC

[Max19th]

12:22 PM on 02/08/2011

You spelled "Undeclared" wrong.

[bluguy8]

11:49 AM on 02/08/2011

part of the problem is they are always off.. If someone farts they have a teacher conference about it and close the schools. School should be 9-5 now and only 1 month off. They aren't learning. and the teachers are a big part of the problem as is not enough money for good schools

[cs crash]

10:33 AM on 02/08/2011

I thought Bloomberg and Klein had it all figured out?!

[democles]

03:17 PM on 02/09/2011

Klein is no longer with us, I'm afraid. Cathie Black has a solution: roll her eyes and put everyone on birth control, so in seven years there'll be less children to graduate.

[momopopo]

10:10 AM on 02/08/2011

Since NYC public schools are run entirely by liberals I find it surprising that even 41 % just barely make the grade for college.

[democles]

03:18 PM on 02/09/2011

Cathie Black and Bloomberg, who technically run the schools, are both Republicans. I see you are one of the 75%,

[twoto2]

09:23 AM on 02/08/2011

Is it me or is the disposable surplus of people getting larger. I mean with all the advances in tech sooner or later the world won't even need truck drivers.(self driving cars etc.)