Report: schools do not fully prepare students
High schoolers "perform poorly on core Advanced Placement exams."
Published March 14, 2007
The Missouri education system is not providing an education that adequately prepares its students for college-level work, according to a report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The report graded each state's K-12 education system in nine categories on an A-to-F grading scale. The report did not assign an overall grade.
Missouri received a D in the "postsecondary and workforce readiness" category.
The grade is based on the percentage of students passing certain Advanced Placement tests, the percentage of students graduating from high school and the percentage of ninth-graders who will go on to college within five years. According to data used for the study, 40 percent of ninth-graders who graduated within four years went on to college. The report card also indicates that Missouri 11th- and 12th-graders "perform poorly on core Advanced Placement exams."
Deborah Noble, UM system assistant vice president for academic affairs, declined to comment about the accuracy of the report.
She said the four UM system schools have admission standards, and if applicants meet those standards, they would be admitted.
The UM system consists of UM-St. Louis, UM-Kansas City, UM-Rolla and MU.
Since enrollment has increased in recent years at the four campuses, Noble said she sees more Missouri students as adequately prepared for college academics.
In the category that discusses academic achievement among students, the report graded Missouri with a D.
The grading in the category is based on the percentage of students performing at or above a proficient level on the federally sponsored National Assessment of Educational Progress exams.
Fewer fourth graders in the state performed at or above a proficient level on the NAEP math exam compared to the national average. According to the study, they were behind by 4 percent.
The state education system also received a D in academic achievement of low-income and minority students. The grade is based on the percentage of minority and low-income students scoring at or above a proficient level on NAEP tests.
In the state, only 4 percent of black eighth-graders score at or above proficiency on the NAEP math exam. The state percentage is equal to the national average.
Despite the grade, MU has seen an increase in minority students. Black students comprise 5.5 percent of students at MU, an 11.8 percent increase from 2004.
The Hispanic population at the university also has seen a 12.2 percent increase since 2004.
Karen Elzey, senior director of the Institute for a Competitive Workforce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said how a state performed on the report card has an effect on colleges within the state.
"It directly impacts higher-education institutions," Elzey said. "They are the first consumer of students after high school. Schools need to better align their graduation requirements with what the college entrance standards."
Elzey said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to release the report again in two to three years.
