Eighth Grade Students Underestimate College Preparation Needs
July 2, 2003
IOWA CITY, Iowa—Most eighth grade students in the U.S. underestimate what classes they will need to take to prepare for college, according to survey research conducted by ACT. Among eighth graders who participated in ACT's EXPLORE program in the fall of 2002, only around a third of those who intend to go to college said they plan to take the high school courses recommended for college–bound students.
Results from the ACT Assessment® college entrance and placement exam suggest that, unless the information process is improved, too few of these eighth graders are likely to alter their planned coursework before they graduate from high school. ACT score results have consistently shown that a large number of college–bound high school students do not take the recommended core college–preparatory coursework, including nearly two out of every five ACT–tested seniors in the graduating class of 2002.
"These results underscore the need for educators and parents to start early in counseling students on the courses they will need to take to prepare themselves for college and their future," said Jon Erickson, ACT's vice president for educational services. "We need to make sure that more students get this message while they still have time to make adjustments in their course plans."
Students who wait until their junior or senior year in high school to start preparing for college, noted Erickson, may be too late. "You can't take calculus or advanced physics if you haven't taken the prerequisite courses leading up to it," said Erickson. "That's why it's so important for students to plan ahead."
The core college–preparatory curriculum is defined as four years of English and three years each of mathematics (algebra and above), social sciences, and natural sciences. Students who take the core coursework tend to earn significantly higher ACT scores and be better prepared for college than those who do not.
Eighth graders who are interested in pursuing science and technology careers, including such challenging areas as medicine and engineering, are more likely than others to say they plan to take the core curriculum in high school. However, even among students interested in these challenging careers, more than six in ten have no plans to take the core college–preparatory coursework.
The findings suggest eighth graders are well aware that they don't have all the information they need to make wise choices about their future. Two–thirds of the students say they need help selecting high school courses, and an equal number say they need help exploring postsecondary education options. The majority (61%) of the students say they plan to attend a four-year college.
"These students want to go to college, and they are eager to learn what they must do to get there," said Erickson. "The sooner they receive this information and get on the right track, the better off they will be."
To improve student planning, Erickson suggested, school districts should be proactive in setting up formal information programs beginning at least in middle school to educate students and their parents on what courses are recommended for those who wish to go to college.
Erickson noted that parents can help their children by getting involved in their education, finding out what courses they should be taking to meet their future goals, and encouraging them to take these courses and to study hard.
"Teachers, counselors, and administrators bear a certain amount of responsibility for advising students, but they can't do it alone," said Erickson. "Parents must be advocates for their children's educational needs."
The survey results are based on responses from more than 332,000 students nationally who participated in ACT's EXPLORE® program in the fall of 2002. The program is designed to help students explore a broad range of options for their future, preparing them not only for their high school coursework, but also for their post-high school choices. EXPLORE is part of ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS)®, which also includes ACT's PLAN® program for tenth graders and the ACT Assessment college entrance and placement exam.
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