College prep courses may actually hinder students’ preparation for higher education – the opposite of what they promise, a recent study concludes.
“While English and math college prep courses have seen a boom in enrollment, (Texas university) researchers found students in those courses were 5% less likely to earn a college degree or certification within six years of high school graduation than students who were not considered college ready,” writes Click2Houston.com. “They were also 18% less likely to get a degree or certification than their dual credit peers.”
As a result, course attendees may be receiving “a false signal of preparedness” while their counterparts outperform them, according to the article.
“We could be potentially setting students up for failure because we’re saying, ‘OK, you’re college ready,’” explained the study’s lead researcher, Jacob Kirksey. “But you actually get into college and you’re immediately taking developmental coursework. And maybe you’ve racked up, you know, loans as a result of that process.”
Kirksey, also a Texas Tech University professor, urged the state to re-evaluate the ways it ties school funding to preparing students for college and careers.
