Public H S grads struggle at college

436100
Account: 08/31/2011
Date: IL­D230
Pub Num: 1
Section/Page: 1 / 3
Page Count: Chicago Tribune
Circulation: 437205
DMA: Chicago, IL
City: Chicago
State: IL
Public H S grads
struggle at college
GPA decline raises
issue Are schools
preparing students
for higher education
By Diane Rado
Jodi S Cohen
and Joe Germuska
Tribune reporters
Ariana Taylor thought
she was ready for college
after taking Advanced
Placement physics and
English at her Chicago pub
lic high school and graduat
ing with a 3 2 GPA
Instead at Illinois State
University she was over
whelmed by her course load
and the demands of college
Her GPA freshman year
that
dropped to 2 7
— and
was significantly better
than other graduates from
Morgan Park High School
even who averaged
second Illinois State
but
a 1 75 at
It was really a big cul
ture shock said Taylor 20
now a junior who has start
ed a mentorship program
for incoming freshmen I
bench
aver
There were institutions
that had concerns
that
some of the data would not
be a positive reflection on
them he said
From a
state perspective we want
this information out there
People deserve to
The data searchable on
the Tribune s website re
veal wide disparities in how
In a tough job market report Tuesday when con
employers also look at tacted by the Tribune and
GPAs preferring at least a she immediately printed it
3 0 average according to the out and distributed it to all
National Association of Col
guidance counselors
leges and Employers
It is not the worst thing
But of the more than 600
I ve ever seen but it gives us
public high schools in Illi
something to work toward
nois only 29 produced
Washington said Ifwe do a
graduates whose average
little more research we can
GPA at the state s public
figure out where our stu
universities and community
dents are falling short and
colleges was at least 3 0 work that into what we do
Only three were in the here
Chicago region Chicago s
Northside College Prep
Lake County s Deerfield
High School and the Illinois
Mathematics and Science
Academy in Aurora a resi
public high schools perform dential school for gifted
at college For example students
Among the four year
Bolingbrook High School
graduates had an average state universities only at
2 44 at the University of the state s flagship campus
Illinois while those from the University of Illinois at
Glenbrook South High Urbana Champaign did
School earned a 3 43
— these freshmen average at
though college bound stu least a B with a 3 14 GPA for
dents from both schools had freshmen coming out of
similar average high school Illinois public high schools
students
from
different
GPAs
The average freshman
GPA was 2 52 across all
state universities and com
Those U of I students had
an average high school GPA
of 3 7
Community college
freshmen on average posted
munity colleges roughly C
a
2
3 GPA down from 2 84
work based on the state s
A Tribune analysis of tracking of more than in high school And stu
data available to Illinois 90 000 public high school dents who graduated from
several dozen high schools
citizens for the first time students who graduated be
raises fundamental ques tween 2006 and 2008 In in the Chicago region many
tions about how well the high school those same of them Chicago Public
Schools earned college
state s public high schools kids exceeded a B average
are preparing their students 3 08
freshman GPAs lower than
Graduates who enrolled
for college The data show
2 0 on average
— a
these students struggle to in Illinois four year public
mark often used for putting
get a B average as freshmen universities during that pe
riod averaged a 2 78 GPA as students on academic pro
bation
at the state s universities
freshmen compared with
Overall alumni of Chi
and community colleges 3 37 in public high schools
even after leaving top per
College and K 12 officials cago s Hyde Park Career
Academy didn t hit that
forming high schools with blame the performance de
benchmark
— they
good grades In fact public
aged 1 93 their freshman
school graduates at 10 of the clines on myriad factors
state s 11 four year universi
from inadequate high year in college Those who
ties averaged less than a 3 0 school preparation to high went to Illinois State did a
little better a 2 19 average
GPA their freshman year
school grade inflation new
More and more students found independence and
Academy alumna Tifan
seem to be less prepared for increased partying away nie Howard who finished
her first year at Illinois State
college particularly math from home
and English skills are not
Educators say GPAs with a 3 0 was appalled
where we would like them often improve following
Oh my god that is hor
to be when they come to freshman year and are an rible she said It doesn t
college
said Chancellor important factor in gaining say anything good about the
Rita Cheng at Southern admission to competitive high school
Illinois University at Car undergraduate majors such
Morgan Park s assistant
bondale Freshmen there as business and graduate
finished their first year with and professional programs principal Remy Washing
ton only learned of the
a 2 52 GPA
had no idea what it would
be like
—
Release of the data had
been delayed for a couple of
years as institutions worked
through their concerns
about student privacy and
bad publicity according to
Bob Blankenberger a depu
ty director at the Illinois
Board of Higher Education
NULL
Kyle Bak took college
prep classes at Lockport
Township High School and
finished his freshman year
at Northern Illinois Univer
sity with a 3 0 But the
average graduate at Lock
port fared worse with a 2 62
GPA across all universities
and colleges and a 2 67 for
those who went to NIU
Bak 19 said the GPA is
disappointing for a high
school where many stu
dents are taking Advanced
Placement courses taught
at the college level
At U of I admissions
director Stacey Kostell said
she was pleased with the
numbers overall but caught
by surprise when she
looked at GPAs as low as
1 93 at one feeder high
school
She said the data
will allow college officials to
look at why students may
have struggled
If those freshmen get a
3 1 I think they are suc
cessful
Kostell said
I
think that would be consid
ered really strong after a
freshman year moving
away from home and being
in a different environment
Gery Chico chairman of
the Illinois State Board of
Education said that a C
average as a freshman is
not a horrible thing point
ing out that college level
work is more complicated
than high school courses
and college instructors have
a tougher grading system
As students adjust to col
lege they can improve their
GPAs he said
At the same time Chico
expressed concern about
high school grading prac
tices that inflate perform
ance and give students the
impression that they re
ready for college
I don t believe you do
anyone any favors by artifi
cially boosting a grade To
do what
All that does is
issue said April Hansen
director of postsecondary
services at the ACT com
pany whose college en
trance exam is taken annu
ally by Illinois juniors
give students a false sense
of security said Chico who
formerly served as presi
dent of the Chicago Public
alignment between high
school and college
she
Schools board and chair
ly ready for freshman level
man of the board of the City
Colleges of Chicago
Several university offi
classes
cials stressed the need for
improvement
Cheng said SIU plans to
have
more
contact
with
high school instructors and
guidance counselors so they
know what to expect of an
SIU curriculum and she
has held meetings with
principals and superintend
ents to explain the univer
sity s expectations
At Illinois State public
high school students on
average had a 2 82 GPA as
freshmen
—
the
highest performance of the
four year universities —
students from some high
schools particularly some
in Chicago achieved well
below that The university
and several others have
added more support serv
ices in recent years such as
tutoring counseling and a
for credit
course
called
Success 101 which covers
everything from money
management skills to per
sonalized academic coach
ing
We take some students
from some rough schools in
Chicago and they do less
well here than their ACT
score might predict
said
Jonathan Rosenthal associ
ate vice president for en
rollment management and
academic services at ISU
Obviously the data
says that high school teach
There is a real lack of
said
Kids aren t necessari
Following a state General
Assembly resolution in
2007 ACT tracked college
freshman performance in
partnership with the key
state agencies for K 12 and
higher education The Illi
nois Board of Higher Edu
cation the Illinois Commu
nity College Board and the
Illinois State Board of Edu
cation
Lawmakers mandated
that the results become
public and the
High
School to College Success
reports became available
online earlier this summer
The reports rely on in
formation
from
Illinois
public high schools com
munity colleges and uni
versities so students who
enrolled in out of state or
private colleges are not in
cluded
To protect student pri
vacy information is not
available if fewer than 10
students from a high school
attended a particular col
lege or university About 23
percent of college bound
high school graduates at
tend public universities 42
percent attend community
colleges and 34 percent
attend private institutions
Officials at Township
High School District 113
where Deerfield High
School is located noted that
many of their students go to
private colleges or schools
ers think they are preparing
these folks well and our
folks think they are not as
well prepared Rosenthal
said That simply means
that we have to get serious
about aligning those expec
tations
The disconnect between
high school and college
performance isn t unique to
Illinois
It is a
national
RefNo: 998d65
436100
Account: 08/31/2011
Date: IL­D230
Pub Num: 1
Section/Page: 2 / 3
Page Count: Chicago Tribune
Circulation: 437205
DMA: Chicago, IL
oversees
district
in
with homework and with
papers said Suzan Hebson
with a 2 55 GPA Seaver said
of
Illinois
and
data
Rosenthal
who
NIU is working with feeder
high schools and communi
principal at Deerfield High ty colleges so instructors
Earl Gip Seaver a dep know what university facul
uty provost at Northern ty expect during freshman
Illinois University said it s year
important for the public to
It costs a lot to go to
have such information as college now he said and
colleges are being held people want to know
more accountable for stu
What am I getting for my
dent performance
dollar
At Northern students are
finishing their first year
outside
wouldn t show up in the
Still they were pleased
that Deerfield graduates
earned a GPA of 3 01 after
freshman year at Illinois
universities and community
colleges
Kids who come back to
visit us typically say they are
helping kids in their dorms
struction and is a former
High school
teachers think
City: Chicago
State: IL
they are prepar
ing these folks
well and our
folks think they
are not as well
prepared
We
have to get seri
ous about align
SCOTT STRAZZANTE
ing those expec
tations
— Jonathan
See how your high school performed
For more information on how
students from your high school
performed in their first year at Illinois
public universities and colleges go to
chlcagotribune com siiccess
TRIBUNE PHOTO
Northern Illinois University junior Kyle Bak finished his freshman year at the school with a 3 0 GPA but the average gradu
ate from his Lockport Township High School fared worse with a 2 62 GPA across all state universities and colleges
jpj pi ia pi to io w m cv pa cycQfl w 1
ZBIGNIEW BZDAK TRIBUNE PHOTO
Ariana Taylor says Illinois State University was a big cul
ture shock after her Chicago public high school
BRIAN CASSELLA TRIBUNE PHOTO
Students leave Deerfield High School on Friday It was one of the few area schools to have
its graduates score an average GPA higher than 3 0 in their first year at Illinois colleges
High school versus freshman GPAs
Illinois public high schools with the largest differences between graduates high school GPAs and freshman year of college
GPAs among freshmen enrolled in Illinois public universities and community colleges from 2006 to 2008
SOURCE Tribune analysis of High School to College Success reports
NULL
RefNo: 998d65
436100
Account: 08/31/2011
Date: IL­D230
Pub Num: 1
Section/Page: 3 / 3
Page Count: Chicago Tribune
Circulation: 437205
DMA: Chicago, IL
City: Chicago
State: IL
ZBIGNIEW BZDAK TRIBUNE PHOTO
Tiffanie Howard finished her first year at Illinois State with a 3 0 GPA but was appalled by how her fellow Hyde Park Ca
reer Academy alumni performed Their 1 93 average doesn t say anything good about the high school Howard said
Grades slip as public high school students transition to college
Illinois public school graduates have had a tough time making a B average freshman year of college even when they had more than a 3 0 in high school Data released for the first
time show GPA declines for public school grads who went on to state universities and community colleges Students attending private or out of state colleges are not included
—
Illinois public universities and community colleges
Byhighest Illinois public school graduates freshman GPAs from 2006 08
KEY Average GPA of college freshmen who
graduated from an Illinois public high school
Decline
Average high
school GPA
AVERAGE GPA
University
AVERAGE GPA
3 0
Illinois public H S graduates enrolled
College
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 11648
Illinois public H S graduates enrolled
30
Waubonsee Community College
Illinois State University 5
946
Joliet Junior College
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville 2
872
William Rainey Harper College
Eastern Illinois University 3
003
McHenry County College
Moraine Valley Community College
University of Illinois at Springfield 414
University of Illinois at Chicago 4
825
Elgin Community College
Western Illinois University 3
004
Oakton Community College
Northern Illinois University 5
103
Triton College
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 4
013
College of DuPage
Northeastern Illinois University 1
057
College of Lake County
Chicago State University 462
City Colleges
Olive Harvey Kennedy King Malcolm X Harold Washington Truman Wright and Richard J Daley colleges
Best performing high Schools by COUnty By high schools with the highest college freshman GPAs at 2 and 4 year public schools
Cook County
AVERAGE GPA
DuPage County
High school
College
High school
Northside College Prep Chicago
H S
AVERAGE GPA
College
H S
Kane County
High school
AVERAGE GPA
College H
S
3 02 3
45
Hinsdale Township Central
2 94 3
33
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Glenbrook North Northbrook
2 91 3
34
Naperville Central
2 88 3
27
Geneva Community
26
Neuqua Valley Naperville
2 84 3
29
Batavia
2 70
3 14
Kane land Maple Park
2 68
3 10
New Trier Township Winnetka
2 85 3
Whitney Young Chicago
2 78 3
James B Conant Hoffman Estates
Maine Township South ParkRidge
2 81 3
18
3 14
N A
2 86
3 04
14
Glenbard South GlenEllyn
2 77 3
12
Wheaton Warrenville South
2 81 3
23
Hampshire
2 65
3 31
2 77 3
15
Naperville North
2 81 3
37
Aurora West
2 64
2 93
Carl Sandburg Orland Park
2 75 3
23
Wheaton North
2 74 3
27
Saint Charles East
2 59
3 19
William Fremd Palatine
2 73 3
16
Lisle
2 72 3
13
Saint Charles North
2 59
3 20
2 56
3 25
2 51
3 29
Wheaton
Glenbrook South Glenview
2 73 3
17
Glenbard West Glen Ellyn
Jones College Prep Chicago
2 69 3
01
Glenbard North Carol Stream
Lake County AVERAGE
GPA
High schoolCollege H
Deerfield 3
01 3 44
Highland Park 2
85 3 33
Adlai E Stevenson Lincolnshire
2 81 3
McHenry County
S
29
High school
2 71 3
06
Harry D Jacobs Algonquin
2 62 3
23
Central Burlington
AVERAGE GPA
College
H S
Will County
High school
AVERAGE GPA
College H
S
Harvard Community
2 75 3
08
Reed Custer Braidwood
2 86
Cary Grove
2 72 3
23
Peotone
2 74
3 05
Crystal Lake Central
2 71 3
18
Lincoln Way East Frankfort
2 73
3 00
2 91
2 94
Vernon Hills 2
70 3 03
Crystal Lake South
2 69 3
21
Lincoln Way Central NewLenox
2 69
Barrington Community 2
69 3 18
Prairie Ridge CrystalLake
2 64 3
18
Beecher
2 67
2 91
Libertyville 2
68 3 05
Woodstock
2 60 2
95
Lockport Township
2 62
2 85
Lake Zurich Senior 2
68 3 21
Johnsburg
2 60 3
04
Joliet Township West
2 60
3 24
Lake Forest 2
66 3 13
Huntley
2 59 3
00
Joliet Central
2 55
3 09
McHenry West
2 59 3
08
Plainfield North
2 50
3 11
Richmond Burton Community
2 57 3
09
Romeoville
2 49
3 08
Lakes Community Lake Villa
2 57 2
Mundelein 2
53 3 22
93
NOTE High school GPAs are based on a 4 0 scale representing grades in academic courses reported to ACT
SOURCE Tribune analysis of High School to Coliege Success reports a project by ACT the Illinois Board of Higher Education the I
NULL
nois Community College Board and the Illinois State Board of Education
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