A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Getting High Standards into Every Classroom

Learning to read well and independently by the end of the third grade is essential to continue learning. Mastering challenging mathematics--including the foundations of algebra and geometry--by the end of eighth grade is crucial for opening the doors to high school courses that will prepare students for college and promising careers.

In today's economy, almost every high school student should be taking all the core courses for college, and planning to take Advanced Placement and/or tech-prep courses their junior and senior years in high school. To succeed in the 21st century, high school students should learn about careers and pathways to college, and they should take four years of math, science, and English, three to four years of a second language, as well as courses in the arts, geography, history, and computer science.

Related facts:

Mastering the fundamentals of algebra by the end of eighth grade, students will be prepared for the challenging math and science courses in high school that are the gateway to college and promising careers.
According to the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), 83 percent of students who took algebra and geometry went on to college within two years of their scheduled high school graduation. Only 36 percent of students who did not take algebra and geometry courses went to college.
While fourth graders scored above the international average in math and science, eighth graders scored below the average in math, and only slightly above the international average in science. Twelfth grade performance ranks third from the bottom.
New academic standards are being put in place in 48 states, and two states have raised standards at the local level. The next challenge is to get high standards into every classroom.
According to the 1998 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 68 percent of fourth graders in high-poverty schools are not able to read at even the "basic" level. These children are already far behind their more fortunate peers. A much smaller percentage of children in low-poverty schools--23 percent--are not able to read at the basic level.

Model programs:

The Gateway Institute of Technology, a magnet school and a New American High School in St. Louis, Missouri, integrates a strong academic curriculum emphasizing mathematics and science with career preparation in highly technical fields.
Gateway is organized into clusters to facilitate the achievement of academic and technical skills. All students, regardless of which cluster they belong to, are required to take many math and science courses, including algebra, geometry, advanced algebra with college algebra, and trigonometry with analytic geometry, in addition to biology, chemistry, and physics. Students may also take dual-enrollment courses for college credit such as Advanced Biology, Advanced English, Ethics in Science and Technology, Aviation, and Industrial Chemistry - in addition to Advanced Placement courses in computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus.
All students complete projects that integrate other subject areas or real-life applications into the subject area of each particular course. For example, in a recent statistics class, students completed a project for the St. Louis Rams where they studied scouting and developed a math model to predict whom the team would draft. For more information, please contact: Susan Tieber, Principal, Gateway Institute of Technology at (314) 776-3300.
Arvida Middle School, in Miami Florida, was recognized as a 1997-98 Blue Ribbon School for its high academic standards. Through educational reform, the school has demonstrated its commitment to excellence by addressing the unique learning needs of all its students. Through subject-area gifted classes, an extensive foreign language program, the implementation of national science standards through an integrated science program and high school credit science classes, and advanced math and science studies, Arvida promotes a rigorous and challenging curriculum. The middle school also offers flexible schedules to allow students the opportunity to take extra elective courses before school, or receive tutoring services during the after-school hours. At-risk intervention programs are in place to assist students who are not working up to their potential.
Part of Arvida Middle School's success is related to its impressive community partnerships. Faculty, students, parents, and community members have established a viable coalition that promotes continuous improvement. Partnerships with fifteen community businesses and associations have contributed to an ongoing incentive program that defrays the cost of awards, certificates, field trips, and funding assistance for special projects. Contact: Arvida Middle School, 10900 Southwest 127 Avenue, Miami, FL 33186; (305) 385-7144.

America Goes Back to School Idea:

Partner with local business leaders, teachers, college students, parents, and community members to evaluate the performance levels of students in your schools. Compare your school to those across your state, and to national standards. Partner with business leaders, teachers, and college students to launch a year-long effort to make sure every student in your community can read well and independently by the end of the third grade, that students are taking algebra by grade eight, and that almost every high school student is taking all the core courses to prepare for college or a career.

Resources:

The U.S. Department of Education offers a number of publications and programs to help get high standards into the classroom. To request products related to any of these programs, call 1-877-4ED-Pubs. For additional information on these programs, call 1-800-USA-LEARN