This is an excellent article written by a very insightful high school senior.  As a retired high school teacher in the state of Georgia, I totally agree with what she is saying.  -- Bettye Chambers, Webmaster

Click here to read a letter to the editor as a follow up to this article below:
 

ajc.com > Metro > Gwinnett

 

MY VIEW/ Katherine Park

HOPE changes crucial to future of education

Published on: 01/11/06

Once upon a time, a C on a report card meant average. Enter grade inflation.

Now, not all C's or B's or A's carry the same meaning.

 
Katherine Park is a senior at North Gwinnett High School. She hopes to pursue a career in law after college.
 
EMAIL THIS
PRINT THIS
MOST POPULAR
 

In Georgia, one reason for teachers issuing disproportionately high grades is clear: the HOPE scholarship.

At face value, HOPE is a great idea. Georgia students who earn grade averages of 80 or above can attend state colleges tuition-free. Outstanding students without means to finance a college education can receive a good education, and the state retains its best students, who might then enter the Georgia work force.

Win-win. Everything's just peachy, right? Not quite.

With HOPE dollar signs in their eyes, students and parents expect the grades necessary for the scholarship. Receiving that B in English class may mean a savings of thousands of dollars. The pressure on teachers to dole out A's and B's has meant unprepared students are exploiting the HOPE faster than you can say the words "budget deficit."

Whether pressures come from parents, students, administrators or a combination, there is evidence that because of grade inflation and the lack of grade standardization, at times the wrong people are receiving HOPE, and changes of standardization are necessary in HOPE requirements.

Among the examples of the flawed HOPE system: A Lithonia High School graduate with a 3.8 GPA earned the HOPE for her first year at State University of West Georgia ("HOPE award hinges on a fickle standard," AJC, Front page, Nov. 10, 2003). Based on the concept of HOPE, the student should have performed well in college, but instead, her first semester she received two D's, an F and a B — hardly the performance desired of a state-financed HOPE scholar. After her successes in high school, the graduate felt lost with her sudden failure in college.

That student was not alone. Ideally, an 80 in one Georgia high school should be equal to an 80 in another Georgia high school, but analysis of the HOPE demonstrates that some 80s reflect higher performance than others.

According to the AJC report, a comparison of a sample of students with similar GPAs from Walton High School of Cobb County and Towers High School of DeKalb showed a disparity of 0.7 GPA points after one semester of college. Lest one think the problem is isolated in DeKalb County, at least 20 percent of students in certain schools in the Atlanta, Fulton and Gwinnett systems in recent years needed remedial help in college.

Teachers report feeling pressure from parents and students, along with principals who fear a below-80 performance reflects negatively on the school's performance.

The disparity in college GPAs is significant because it means some HOPE students are prepared for the challenges of college coursework, but others are not. Some well-prepared students may be denied HOPE grants because of a lack of uniform grading systems in the state, with some schools inflating student grades.

Studies indicate that grade averages of 80 are not always held by the people most prepared for college work. The Georgia Department of Education releases an Adequate Yearly Progress Report for every public school in the state. The implications of the statistics for the 2003-04 year are mind-boggling.

Looking at average SAT scores of high school seniors and performance on Advanced Placement tests as good indicators of preparedness for college-level courses, there are several instances in which Georgia schools have higher percentages of HOPE recipients but lower standardized testing scores.

For example, Stephenson High School in DeKalb County had 68.5 percent of its students eligible for the HOPE scholarship, with a 906 average SAT score and only 22.2 percent of AP students receiving a 3 or higher on the national exams.

In contrast, North Forsyth High School in Forsyth County had only 63.2 percent of seniors eligible for HOPE, with a 1014 average SAT score and 54.8 percent of students receiving a 3 or higher on the national exam.

At Osbourne High School in Cobb County, 67.9 percent of seniors had GPAs high enough for HOPE, but the average SAT score was only 879, with 21.1 percent of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams.

At North Cobb High School, however, only 65.8 percent of seniors were eligible for the HOPE scholarship, despite an average SAT score of 1006 and 71.2 percent of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams.

These numbers indicate that a student with a grade average just under the 80 mark who has attended a school like North Cobb that has strong AP exam performance and better SAT scores might be better-prepared for college but would not receive the HOPE, but a student in a less demanding high school environment would. Such a system puts unprepared students in college, where they will have difficulty succeeding.

So far, it has been difficult to find a solution to this lack of standardization and its ramifications. Suggestions, such as adding a minimum SAT or ACT score have met criticism, including accusations of racism or prejudice in the SAT.

Some form of standardized testing minimum as a qualification for HOPE, however, is imperative. Evidence indicates that national standardized testing scores are strong indicators of ability to handle college work. In fact, of all the high schools mentioned here, those with higher SAT scores and better AP passing rates also have lower rates of students needing remedial help in college.

The State of Georgia has no shortage of standardized tests necessary for a high school diploma, including end-of-course tests and graduation tests, among others. It follows naturally that to receive a state-funded grant for college, standardized tests also should be necessary.

If the SAT penalizes minority students because of cultural differences, then we need to find some method of gauging what an 80 means in one high school vs. another. A viable option might be a minimum score requirement on a test like the Advanced Placement exam, which is closely aligned with college work.

Although HOPE funding might remain in good shape for the next few years, the injustice in current requirements does not help ensure the continued presence of sufficient HOPE funds. Left unnoticed or unattended, the current system could lead to even more pronounced examples of grade inflation and unprepared students usurping the HOPE funds.

Without standardization there is no HOPE, or hope, for the future of education in Georgia.