Florida's High School Failures Reflected In Unimpressive Scores

Published: Sep 4, 2007

Florida's high schools can't get their ACT together. And their SATs are stagnant.

High school students performed worse this year than last on the American College Test, the second straight year of declines. The results place Florida 48th among the states.

On the other major college entrance exam, the SAT, Florida's scores stayed the same as last year. But the average score of 1,472 ranks well below the national average of 1,514.

That's not exactly progress.

About the only thing Florida education officials can feel good about is that the ACT attracted 23 percent more test takers and the SAT drew an extra 3 percent, a record for the state.

Still, it's hard to say what's more troubling, that Florida's students performed so dismally on these national tests or the excuse given by acting Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg when the ACT results were released late last month.

Blomberg blamed the declining scores on more black and Hispanic students taking the test.

Such excuse-making is exactly what President Bush meant when he coined the term "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

The problem isn't that more minorities are taking the test; it's that Florida is pushing more students to take a test for which they are not prepared.

Floridians should be mortified that high school students can pass the 10th grade FCAT and receive a diploma, yet are woefully unprepared for college coursework.

More than half of those who enter Florida's community colleges and universities must first take remedial classes in math, reading and writing. Community colleges are particularly challenged by the number of high school graduates who need remediation, almost 75 percent. This partly explains why community colleges have such a dismal graduation rate - well below 50 percent statewide, and just 17 percent at Hillsborough Community College.

Only half of those who need remedial classes complete the coursework, according to the Legislature's auditor. They drop out and give up, not even pursuing other types of workforce training.

A state committee is studying the disconnect between high school curriculum, the FCAT and college readiness, but there seems little urgency for finding a remedy. High school reform efforts remain in their infancy, so it will take years to learn whether new curriculum would better prepare students for college.

In the meantime, what should Florida do?

The state can start by ensuring that freshmen college students have the academic support needed to complete remedial classes so they don't drop out in frustration. And education leaders should stop touting the number of Florida students who take college entrance exams. A large number of unprepared test-takers proves nothing.

Most importantly, education leaders should ensure that every graduate has the knowledge needed not just to score well on national tests, but to prosper in life after high school.