College standards barely altered

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jul 11, 2007 by ED SEALOVER THE GAZETTE

Colorado higher education officials barely budged on plans to toughen admission requirements Tuesday, despite pleas from university administrators and rural school districts that the new standards could keep a significant number of students from attending college.

The plans, as approved in 2003 by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, require students in the high school class of 2008 to finish 15 courses in specific subjects, including four in English and three each in math, science and social studies to enroll in the state's public colleges. The standards increased requirements for the class of 2010 by adding two foreign language courses and one math class beyond Algebra II.

After rural districts warned about not being able to recruit and pay enough math and foreign language teachers, the Department of Higher Education studied what effect the standards could have on students. It found that between 14 percent and 50 percent of students admitted to state public colleges for classes that begin in the fall would have been ineligible if the standards were in place this year.

Department officials presented three options to the commission Tuesday, including a plan to delay implementation of the 2010 standards by two years while state officials study them. No mention was made of changing the 2008 standards.

After nearly six hours of testimony and debate, the commission voted 6-3 to approve only minor changes. It decided that the class of 2010 will have to take just one foreign language course, that the fourth math course will not have to be more advanced than Algebra II and that students from school districts that cannot hire teachers to meet the new requirements can receive waivers.

Neither backers nor opponents of the requirements were satisfied with the compromise. Both sides predicted further battles on the subject in the coming legislative session.

"I'm glad that the commission rejected the proposals to roll back math and foreign languages even more," said Rep. Rob Witwer, a Golden Republican who had sought to increase math and science coursework required for high school graduation this year. "While it's not ideal, it's better than what they were asked to do."

House Education Committee Chairman Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, who argued that the concentration on math and science was a relic, did not see the final vote as a compromise. He promised to "do anything I can legislatively to blunt how this is going."

"They ignored the major consequences this is going to have on rural communities and poor school districts," Merrifield said. "And most frustrating to me, they ignored the detriment this will have on the arts."

Some students who do not meet the new standards still can attend public universities through a window that allows 20 percent of those admitted to fall short of state standards. But many who would have gotten in and possibly taken remedial classes will now end up in community colleges or not in college at all, officials predicted.

Backers of the standards, led by Commissioner James Stewart of Colorado Springs, argued that officials have talked forever about raising standards as many other states have but have delayed taking action until now.

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com

Number of classes that graduating high school seniors will have to complete to gain admission to Colorado's public four-year universities and colleges:

CLASS OF 2008

English - 4

Math - 3

Science - 3

Social studies - 3

Academic electives - 2

Total: 15

CLASS OF 2010

English - 4 Math - 4

Science - 3

Social studies - 3

Academic electives - 2

Foreign language - 1

Total: 17

MAKING THE CUT

College officials determined a number of this year's incoming freshmen would not qualify for their schools under admissions standards set to be imposed next year. Officials emphasized this year's students are not subject to the new requirements.

Percentage of this year's incoming freshmen who would not qualify:

CU-Boulder 14

Colorado State 20

Northern Colorado 22

Western State 22

CSU-Pueblo 30

UCCS 35

Fort Lewis College 39

Mesa State College 44

Metro State College 50

COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION