A Perception Gap Over Students’ Preparation

2 companion ‘Chronicle’ surveys show that college professors are much more concerned than school teachers are about the writing abilities of freshmen

Ask college faculty members about the high-school graduates coming into their classes: Many will tell you that students are ill prepared for the demands of higher education. Ask public-high-school teachers the same question: While they acknowledge student shortcomings, their answers will be more positive.

That’s what The Chronicle found in companion national surveys, one of college faculty members and one of high-school teachers. In particular, professors and teachers differ significantly in their assessments of students’ writing ability. Forty-four percent of faculty members say students are not well prepared for college-level writing, a view held by only 10 percent of teachers. Just 6 percent of professors view students as very well-prepared writers, compared with 36 percent of teachers who see them that way.

There is also a large gap in views of mathematics readiness. Thirty-two percent of faculty members say students are not well prepared in math, a judgment shared by 9 percent of teachers. Conversely, 37 percent of teachers say students are very well prepared in math, compared with only 4 percent of faculty members.

The surveys, designed to compare the views of college faculty members with those of high-school teachers, were conducted for The Chronicle by Maguire Associates, a Boston-area research and consulting company that also analyzed the results. The findings are likely to add fuel to a growing debate over whether students graduate from secondary schools prepared for the rigors of college.

Asked about students’ overall preparation for college, 84 percent of faculty members — compared with 65 percent of teachers — say that high-school graduates are either unprepared or are only somewhat well prepared to pursue a college degree. Almost one-fourth of faculty members say flatly that students are not prepared. Just 12 percent of teachers agree with that assessment.

Conversely, more than twice the proportion of teachers as compared with faculty members — 36 versus 15 percent — say that students are either very or extremely well prepared. Teachers at schools where the proportion of low-income students is 10 percent or below are most likely to hold a positive view.

When asked about students’ abilities and attitudes in several specific areas, faculty members say that students are inadequate writers, have trouble understanding difficult materials, fall short in knowledge of science and math, have poor study habits, and lack motivation. A professor in the social sciences at a public university in Louisiana who responded to the survey complains that “students don’t know how to study, how to organize and retain the information, or how to apply it.”

Many of the faculty members who are particularly troubled by shortcomings in writing volunteered comments about their concerns. Typical is an English professor at a public university in Pennsylvania: “In composition, students are usually unaware of what it takes to write even a four- to five-page essay every two or three weeks. One reason is that they are not asked to write in quantity for high-school English classes.”

A social-science professor at a public university in California says that there is a need for “writing, writing, and more writing. Written preparation, at least in my school, is the weakest link.”

Indeed, professors are much more likely than their high-school counterparts to require a significant amount of writing in their classes. More than 70 percent expect students to at least occasionally write papers of more than five pages. That is true of just 39 percent of high-school teachers. Sixty-one percent of teachers never ask students to write papers of more than five pages. That is true of only 28 percent of faculty members.

Particularly large gaps were apparent in assignments in English and in the social sciences and history. Fifty-four percent of high-school teachers in the social sciences and history never require papers of more than five pages, as compared with just 13 percent of faculty members in those academic areas. Twenty-five percent of English teachers never assign longer papers, as compared with just 6 percent of their college counterparts.

A much smaller gap appears when it comes to shorter writing assignments. More than 80 percent of both college and high-school instructors require papers of one to five pages from time to time, and 40 percent of faculty members and 33 percent of teachers assign short papers at least a few times a month.

Unlike faculty members, teachers feel that students are fairly well prepared in writing, science, and math. But they agree with faculty criticism of students’ study habits and motivation. “I see more and more students who expect a high grade for a minimal amount of work,” says an English teacher in Ohio. And a number of teachers fault parents. A science teacher in Colorado complains that “parents require too little and do not supervise study habits.”

In the arena of college admissions, which is fraught with stories of students facing steeper and steeper competition at the most selective institutions, half the faculty members say their institutions have, in fact, become more selective in admissions. (Faculty members at nonsectarian private institutions are the most likely to hold that view.)

Despite that, many faculty members feel that today’s students are not as well prepared as their counterparts of 10 years ago. An English professor at a public university in Ohio says that “when I give reading quizzes, they frequently complain that the questions are too difficult. Several years ago, students were more likely to say that the quizzes were too easy.”

The observations of an engineering professor at a public institution in North Carolina might explain the seeming contradiction between higher admission standards and lesser student preparation. She says her students fall into two distinct groups: “eager, well prepared, and hardworking, and clueless with terrible study habits and low motivation. The gap between the two groups is growing.”

Comparison of the two Chronicle surveys also reveals:

• When it comes to homework, 65 percent of faculty members and 66 percent of teachers say students do less than they would like them to do. Forty-eight percent of faculty members — compared with 17 percent of teachers — expect students in their courses to do six or more hours of homework weekly. The majority of high-school teachers — 55 percent — expect students to do three to five hours of homework a week, while 28 percent expect zero to two hours. “Most of my students have a do-just-enough-to-get-by mentality,” says an English teacher in Tennessee. “I don’t assign homework because I will never get it back.”

• When asked about reviewing material in class, faculty members and teachers say that a lot of their time is spent going over work that students should have learned earlier. More than half the teachers and almost one-third of the faculty members spend more than 21 percent of class time doing that. A mathematics professor at a public university in Georgia complains that students “expect to forget what they learn — it’s enough to just get the grade.”

• When evaluating high-stakes tests, both groups are uncertain about their impact and usefulness. Many states have turned to such exams to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law. But a plurality of faculty members, 45 percent, feel the tests have no impact on students’ preparedness, while 29 percent say they have a slight or substantial positive impact, and 26 percent say they have a slight or substantial negative impact. Asked for their level of agreement with the statement that “high scores on the tests indicate that a student is well prepared for college,” high-school teachers come down squarely in the middle, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

  As to their views on whether SAT, ACT, and Advanced Placement tests are reliable indicators of student readiness for college work, faculty members and teachers tend to agree that there is a relationship between test scores and student preparedness. Faculty members, however, are substantially less positive than the teachers that passing scores on AP tests signify that students can do college-level work. “I’d like to see advanced-placement courses eliminated,” says an English professor at a private university in Colorado. “They foster a false sense of preparedness when they are not equivalent to college-level work.”

• When asked whether they understand very well what’s required for students to succeed in college, more than two-thirds of the teachers say they do — even though only 11 percent say that colleges are very successful in making academic expectations clear to them. An even lower proportion of faculty members — 5 percent — believe their institutions are very successful in making academic expectations clear to high-school teachers. Consistent with that, 37 percent of faculty members say that public secondary-schools fail to adequately convey to students what colleges expect of them academically, and 60 percent say schools convey that information only somewhat well.

Over all, both teachers and faculty members agree on an urgent need for better communication and greater interaction among high schools and colleges.

“I think colleges need to start listening to high-school teachers more than just dictating what they expect from high-school students,” says a professor in the sciences at a public university in Illinois.

An English teacher in Rhode Island says that “the only way we as teachers know what is going on in colleges across the state is when former students come back to visit us and tell of their experiences.”

Both groups also offer ideas on how to improve the status quo. A mathematics teacher in California suggests developing a mentor program through which secondary-school students learn from undergraduates what will help them succeed academically in disciplines that interest them. An English professor at a public university in Massachusetts proposes that faculty members attend parent-teacher-association meetings in high schools to stress the importance of good writing and math skills, while an English teacher in California would like to see colleges offer writing seminars for high-school students.

Clearly, faculty members and teachers feel strongly about how well prepared today’s students are for college. One indication: More than three-fourths of both groups took time to offer comments that go well beyond the questions asked in the surveys. Reflecting the views of a number of respondents, a science teacher in North Carolina says that, for students to be better prepared, “the entire education community needs to work together.”

VIEWS OF TEACHERS AND PROFESSORS ON STUDENTS’ PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE How well prepared are your students for college-level work? High-school teachers College professors Extremely well 5% 2% Very well 31% 13% Somewhat well 53% 60% Not well 12% 24% Not well-- large gaps in preparation, struggling. Somewhat well -- there are some gaps. Very well -- students are generally able to do what is expected. Extremely well -- they are prepared for almost anything. Are colleges generally successful in making their academic expectations clear to high-school teachers? High-school teachers College professors Very much so 11% 5% Somewhat 60% 62% Not at all 29% 31% How great a role do parents of most of your students play in helping your students be prepared for college? High-school teachers Very much so 11% Somewhat 60% Not at all 29% How well do you personally understand the level of preparation that is required for your students to succeed in college? High-school teachers Very much so 5% Somewhat 62% Not at all 31% Students’ preparation for college-level demands Not well prepared Somewhat well prepared Very well prepared Don’t know Oral communication 14% 55% 26% 5% High school 18% 64% 15% 3% College Science 8% 44% 38% 11% High school 20% 32% 5% 42% College Mathematics 9% 46% 37% 7% High school 32% 32% 4% 32% College Writing 10% 49% 36% 4% High school 44% 47% 6% 3% College Reading/understanding difficult materials 15% 56% 26% 3% High school 41% 48% 10% 2% College Study habits (organization, planning) 30% 53% 15% 2% High school 41% 50% 7% 2% College Motivation to work hard 27% 54% 17% 2% High school 29% 50% 20% 1% College Ability to seek and use support resources 19% 54% 23% 4% High school 26% 55% 12% 6% College Research skills 18% 53% 26% 3% High school 49% 42% 4% 6% College How effective are guidance counselors in your school at doing the following? Providing appropriate advice on courses and preparation for college High-school teachers Extremely effective 7% Very effective 30% Somewhat effective 47% Not effective 16% Providing good advice concerning college options High-school teachers Extremely effective 8% Very effective 35% Somewhat effective 44% Not effective 13%

COMPARISON OF EXPECTATIONS AND ACTUAL STUDENT EFFORT Percentage of class time spent reviewing materials and skills that should have been learned earlier* High-school teachers College professors More than 80% 2% 1% 61% to 80% 3% 2% 41% to 60% 13% 7% 21% to 40% 37% 22% 1% to 20% 43% 57% None 1% 11% * Earlier grade for high-school teachers; in high school for college faculty members. What students do as compared with expectations High-school teachers College professors Much more or somewhat more 5% 4% About what I expected 30% 32% Somewhat less 45% 47% Much less 21% 18%

IMPACT OF HIGH-STAKES TESTING ON HIGH-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ CLASSROOM PRACTICES How much has testing related to the No Child Left Behind Act or other state or district high-stakes testing programs affected your teaching? Never Sometimes Often N/A I am helped by having clearly specified learning goals for students. 10% 42% 40% 9% I have to cut out some of the more creative elements of my teaching. 14% 37% 41% 7% I teach to the test. 18% 44% 29% 9% I have to dumb down the material in order to concentrate on basics. 23% 50% 19% 8% I must teach students material that is too difficult for them. 34% 44% 14% 8% Thinking about a typical class, approximately how many hours in a school year do you spend directly preparing students in that class for high-stakes tests? More than 30 hours 20% 21 to 30 hours 13% 11 to 20 hours 14% 6 to 10 hours 16% 1 to 5 hours 21% Zero hours 7% N/A 9% Agreement or disagreement with statements concerning high-stakes tests that apply to your students High scores on the tests indicate that a student is well prepared for college. Disagree strongly 10% Disagree somewhat 28% Neither agree nor disagree 12% Agree somewhat 39% Agree strongly 5% N/A 6% Test items do not reflect the kinds of intellectual demands expected in college. Disagree strongly 4% Disagree somewhat 19% Neither agree nor disagree 12% Agree somewhat 35% Agree strongly 23% N/A 7% College faculty members’ views on the impact of outcomes testing on student preparedness* Substantial negative impact 11% Slight negative impact 15% No imapct 45% Slight positive impact 26% Substantial positive impact 26% * Responses only of those saying their institutions drew most heavily from states that required such testing Views of the SAT/ACT and Advanced Placement tests SAT or ACT scores are good indicators of the preparedness of students for the academic demands of college. High-school teachers College professors Disagree strongly 7% 7% Disagree somewhat 24% 20% Neither agree nor disagree 13% 18% Agree somewhat 50% 47% Agree strongly 5% 9% Students who pass Advanced Placement tests have already indicated that they can do college-level work. High-school teachers College professors Disagree strongly 2% 8% Disagree somewhat 12% 21% Neither agree nor disagree 10% 22% Agree somewhat 51% 41% Agree strongly 24% 8%

FACULTY MEMBERS’ VIEWS ON HIGH SCHOOLS AND THEIR OWN INSTITUTION Students’ preparation for college Most of the students I teach lack the basic skills for college-level work. Disagree strongly 24% Disagree somewhat 39% Agree somewhat 29% Agree strongly 8% This institution should not offer remedial/developmental education. Disagree strongly 35% Disagree somewhat 37% Agree somewhat 19% Agree strongly 8% Faculty members feel that most students are well prepared academically. Disagree strongly 33% Disagree somewhat 46% Agree somewhat 19% Agree strongly 3% Faculty members here are strongly interested in the academic problems of undergraduates. Disagree strongly 3% Disagree somewhat 14% Agree somewhat 46% Agree strongly 37% Promoting diversity leads to the admission of too many underprepared students. Disagree strongly 48% Disagree somewhat 32% Agree somewhat 16% Agree strongly 5% How academically well prepared are students at your institution now in comparison to the past? Compared to five years ago students are: Better prepared 16% Prepared about the same 61% Not as well prepared 23% Compared to 10 years ago students are: Better prepared 22% Prepared about the same 33% Not as well prepared 45% How descriptive of your institution is the following statement: “Faculty members are rewarded for their efforts to work with underprepared students.” Not descriptive 69% Somewhat descriptive 28% Very descriptive 2% Do you believe that public secondary schools are adequately conveying to their students what colleges will expect of them academically? Not at all 37% Somewhat 60% Very much so 2% Within the last five years, what involvement, if any, have you had with the following types of programs? Programs to work with high-school teachers to increase their effectiveness in preparing students for college No involvement 78% Slight involvement 16% Substantial involvement 6% Programs designed to help high-school students themselves become better prepared for college No involvement 82% Slight involvement 14% Substantial involvement 5% Over the last five years, with respect to undergraduate admissions, would you say that your institution has gotten more selective, less selective, or stayed about the same? Much less selective 4% Somewhat less selective 11% About the same 31% Somewhat more selective 39% Much more selective 8% Don’t know 7% Does your institution have adequate resources to support students who need extra academic help? Very much so 33% Moderately so 62% Not at all 5%

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS’ HOMEWORK Hours of work outside of class expected of students per week High-school teachers College professors 6 or more 17% 48% 3 to 5 55% 46% None to 2 28% 6%

http://chronicle.com Section: School & College Volume 52, Issue 27, Page B9