The Challenge of College Readiness

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The Challenge of College Readiness
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Getting in AND staying in

• The first step to higher education at a
  four-year college/university is
  getting accepted.
• But the challenge does not stop there.
  Actually staying in is another obstacle
  that many students are just
  not able to overcome.

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Statistics

• Approximately 35 percent of students who enter
  college will drop out during the first year.
• Moreover, according to a report issued by The
  Education Trust, a Washington-based nonprofit
  group, only 63 percent of students who enroll in
  a four-year university will earn a degree, and it
  will take them an average of six years to do so.
• The other 37 percent will either drop out of
  college before finishing or else flunk out of
  their programs of study.
  (USA Today, 2005).Read more http//www.brighthu
  b.com/education/college/articles/82378.aspxixzz0z
  KZZVdy7

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6 Main reasons students drop out

• 1. TOO MUCH FUN
• 2. NOT JOINING IN
• 3. ACADEMICALLY UNPREPARED
• 4. LOW ON FUNDS
• 5. CHOSE THE WRONG MAJOR
• 6. FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT
• Read more
• http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTR/is_4_2
  2/ai_845
• 99442/?tagcontentcol1

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College Prepared vs. College Ready

• What does it take to be accepted into a four-year
  college/university?
  (college prepared)
• What does it take to actually stay in a four-year
  college/university after you get in?
• (college ready)

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College Prepared

• rigorous classes (honors, AP)
• Competitive GPA
• Extra-curricular activities (sport, club,
  community service)
• Student leadership
• High test scores (SAT and ACT)
• Personal statement

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College Ready

• College instructors expect students to
• Draw inferences
• Interpret results
• Analyze conflicting source documents
• Support arguments with evidence
• Solve complex problems
• Draw conclusions
• Offer explanations
• Conduct research
• College courses also move at a faster pace, often
  requiring students to read eight or nine books in
  the same amount of time it took them to read only
  one in high school
• Read more
• Conley, David. The Challenge of College
  Readiness. Educational Leadership. April 2007.

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How can you ensure that you are academically
READY for college?

• Learn how to use active, deep reading strategies
  with all text
• Analyze prompts
• Read strategically
• Summarize and synthesize source material
• Read for multiple purposes
• Marking and charting the text