Education for All Essay

Higher Education has left behind the image of an American college population featuring predominantly young men and women from affluent, well connected families. Being a college student myself at age 50, I notice the diversity in student demographics. College represents a new beginning for those who have been affected by the recent economical changes all over the country but mostly in California. The visibility of nontraditional students earning a degree while raising families is commonplace. The availability of financial aid, scholarships, and federal loan programs has opened collegiate doors for students of all income levels and cultural backgrounds. I had many reservations in regards to entering the education arena so many years after graduating high school. I had concerns that I would not be able to pass an entrance exam. In the article â€Å"College Entrance Examination Board† in the Encyclopedia of Education, Second Edition, The College Examination Board is the body that creates the nationally recognized college entrance exam referred to as the Scholastic Assessment Test or SAT which is taken by one million students annually and is required for admission by many four year colleges and universities (372). According to the â€Å"Assessment Requirements† article on the website, California Colleges, most California Community Colleges require a placement assessment test to accurately place students in appropriate classes based on each individual’s level of ability. After taking the placement test for Mt San Jacinto Community College, I was amazed at the simplicity of the test itself. However, my reading and comprehension is still college level and unsurprising to me since I have been out of school since 1979, the test showed that I would require some remedial math and grammar. Since becoming a student in a California college I have become aware of several things. According to the Postsecondary Education Commissions article â€Å"Admission and residency requirements† on the website California Postsecondary Education Commission, by law all California Community Colleges are required to admit any California resident who graduated from high school. In addition, community colleges may admit individuals who have not graduated but are over 18 years old and can benefit from the instruction offered. The Commission article further states California Community Colleges serve 1. million students every year and a California resident may attend any community college campus in the state. According to article â€Å"California High School Exit Examination,† on the website California Department of Education, in California all high school students must pass a test to earn a high school diploma, the test itself is called the CAHSEE. I further investigated this exam, and found another article referring to the CAHSEE called â€Å"Help with the California High School Exit Exam† on the website San Diego County Office of Education. In which the San Diego County Office of Education outlined the components of the CAHSEE exam. I was absolutely amazed. The test covers the curriculum of the courses I was placed in after taking the placement test at Mt San Jacinto Community College. I understand the placement of someone who has been out of school for over 30 years, but what I absolutely do not understand are the amount of students in the same classes as I am who are fresh out of high school. Something is definitely wrong. I have discovered that California Community Colleges are the melting pot for students that didn’t make it in high school and now are taking up space in the largest education system in the state. In fact, with the budget cuts in the State of California affecting class availability in the community colleges, obtaining the necessary classes for every student’s educational goal is challenging. I received an email from Enrollment Services at Mt. San Jacinto Community College, titled â€Å"Policy Changes Effective Summer 2012,† its content disturbed me. Basically, it is limiting the number of times each student can take a class to receive a passing grade. That means that the student can take up to three semesters and receive financial aid, take up desk space, trying to pass a class that before this change, the class could be taken more than three times to achieve a passing grade. This policy was adopted by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to â€Å"ensure that as many students as possible are provided the opportunity to access a postsecondary education†. There is a gap between exiting high school and entering community college. There are Adult Education Centers in every community and these schools should be utilized for those students who don’t have college level reading comprehension skills. There should be a referral source and a retesting arrangement for students that cannot read. This has been the most frustrating element of returning to college. The students that for whatever reason did not finish high school and do not have adequate reading comprehension skills should not take up space in the higher education arena. A bridge needs to be created to assist these individuals to integrate them into college. The assessment placement test places students below 10th grade reading and comprehension abilities in remedial courses. Community colleges are providing classes that are not college level, which takes away classroom availability for students moving towards a degree, or certificate program. Class availability is a twofold problem, the number of student trying to enroll in college that don’t have the college level skills and the students enrolling in college trying to obtain their undergraduate courses to transfer to a four year college or university. The remedial classes I took my first semester back to college did not count towards my college units needed for a degree. However, it was difficult to register for these classes due to the infrequent availability and the number of students trying to register for these same courses. There is a huge benefit to the student taking these classes. Not only does it improve reading comprehension and math skills, but it teaches note taking and encourages better study habits. Ultimately these two things are greatly important to being successful in college. Using the community Adult Education Centers for Basic English, math or English as a Second language is part of the solution. The next would be to change the community college entrance â€Å"Accuplacer Test† to a more sophisticated â€Å"Entrance Exam† geared towards college level ability. Not only would this make more class rooms available at the community college level but increased class availability for the type of classes meeting the specific needs of the student. In the article by David Olson â€Å"Education is key theme of Riverside White House summit† from The Press-Enterprise, the percentage breakdown of persons with a bachelor’s degree is 13 percent Hispanic, 31 percent white and 50 percent are Asians (A1+). Olsen further states that nearly half the Inland area’s residents and 60 percent of its school children are Hispanic and lag far behind their classmates in educational achievement (A1+). This is greatly attributed to the language barrier. English as a second language does not carry college degree units. I believe that students who need this type of instruction could receive it just as well in an Adult Education setting. According to the article by Joanna Lin, â€Å"Expanding access to education,† in The Press-Enterprise, the Riverside Unified School District, introduced a state wide ballot initiative that would give students unrestricted access to publicly funded courses (A1+). This initiative would not limit the access to the courses by Zip code. The courses are known as the A-G requirements, required by California State University and University of California for admission. Having access to these undergraduate courses through the Riverside Virtual School is another solution for the overcrowding at community colleges. Lin further states that access to these courses could be through the student’s high school or through any publicly funded school. The type of classes could be online, classroom based or a blended model of both (A1+). According to the article â€Å"Budget Cuts Affect California Community Colleges† on the website Purpose of Education, a state budget cut is affecting more than 21,000 college students in California. Students that would have enrolled in a California State College are now seeking undergraduate courses at the community college level. Due to the overcrowding in the community colleges this student population is having a difficult time accessing their classes. According to Lin’s article in The Press-Enterprise, the Riverside Virtual School would assist in making undergraduate courses available. Lin further states this initiative calls on the State of California to modify its school financing to funding based on courses completed rather than on average attendance allowing multiple institutions to split funding for the same student (A+). It is my belief that in trying to help students whose educational ability is less than the criteria necessary to achieve success in community college, the Department of Education is denying the caliber of students who have the ability to achieve a degree and give back to society in the fashion that supports higher education. Utilizing Adult Schools is a solution for this problem. Every person has a right to education; California law regarding the right to everyone over 18 years of age can enroll in a community college and receive an education is a proactive and positive contribution to the betterment of society as a whole. My argument lies within the parameters of the assessment process. I believe that all students entering community college should have college level reading comprehension and basic math skills. If a student is not able to read at college level then the student should be referred to the Adult Education Center in his or her community to receive remedial instruction and then referred back to the college for re-assessment testing. This process would allow a greater availability of classes to students that already possess these skills and reduce the overcrowding as well as the financial strain on California Community Colleges as a whole. Those students that are serious about furthering their education will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goal. The demographic of the country is changing, along with it the need of the Department of Education to rise to the challenge. Education is mandatory for success for anyone. It is my belief that with the types of alternate education for undergraduate courses outlined in Lin’s article â€Å"Expanding access to education† and utilizing the community Adult Education Centers for remedial education, any student would be able to successfully obtain a degree. Not only obtain a degree but be able to do it in a more expedited fashion, which would benefit society as a whole.