Analyze The Key Factors That Influence The Development Of Pretest

Transitioning from high school to college is a very important stage in a young adults life. It is an exciting, nerve racking, and sometimes frightening experience leaving home for the first time and essentially living on your own. Not having your immediate family around you for months at a time definitely affects students differently. Some students embrace the opportunity and strive while others do not make it past the first semester. However, research shows there are factors that increase the likelihood of becoming the student that strives rather than the student that does poorly. Factors

William G. Tierney, Zoë B. Corwin, Julia E. Colyar, (2005), Preparing for colleges, pp 200-264

Many college professors find it very important to have parents, students and current instructors aware of the expectations for the upcoming student. By informing students,

Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle in their book “Rereading America” feel that commencing college is a very disturbing experience. So many things we have to deal while starting college, but the major challenges are expanded difficulty levels and higher expectation which we are not familiar over the years of high school. In order to solve this issue, we have to remodel ourselves by taking up the challenge and rethink about our strength and flaws. To succeed in college we need to be mentally strong and dedicated towards our goal.

Preparations for tests should ideally begin much earlier than shortly before the actual test taking period. Indeed, many students perform dismally in their tests because of their failure to understand this and many other principles of test and exam preparation. In addition to discussing how students should prepare for tests, this text will also identify the various strategies which should be embraced by students during test taking in an attempt to enhance performance.

Kanno & Kangas, 2014), rigorous college preparation begins in middle school, when students must take the prerequisite classes to advanced high school courses. By the time students reach high school, advanced placement courses may be out of reach for those who have not taken the preparatory classes (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Given that a rigorous secondary school curriculum seems to predict college success (Flores et al., 2012), ensuring that former ELLs enroll and succeed in high-level classes is integral to promoting equitable college readiness. Indeed, students who take advanced coursework tend to develop more higher-level thinking skills, analytical abilities, and positive attitudes than students who take basic courses (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Most recently, Flores et al. (2012) analyzed student data from Texas and found that taking high-level and dual-credit courses is a strong predictor of immediate college enrollment for all students regardless of ELL

Throughout the many years of the educational process, students are often met with different challenges that will test abilities and skills related to cognitive status and learning. The United States places much importance on education for children and young adults to move forward in order to ensure continued prosperity of the nation

Pre-college and student behaviors preparation plays an integral part in a student’s transition into college. Temple (2009) noted that successful student behaviors include frequently conferencing with their guidance counselor about college preparations, and developing an awareness about the college transition process. Students must be prepared academically to attend college. Therefore, schools must prepare students not only to be good citizens but to also academically challenge and prepare students to enter a career or college. The Best Colleges (n.d.) wrote that choosing the just right college increases the retention of FGS. Baum, Ma, & Payea (2011) noted that many FGS lack the substantial preparation required to successfully perform and acclimate to college socially and academically. Self-determination, resilience, and persistence play a vital role in assuring that FGS remain in their chosen higher learning institution.

Determining college readiness is an essential part in determining who will qualify as a good candidate for admission into a college or a university. The last thing that colleges want is for students to qualify for admission and drop out, this affects drop out rate and graduation rate. According Robin Chait and Andrea Venezia (2009),

The areas that were the strongest for me on the College Student Inventory was, Math and Science, Attitude Towards Educators, Family Emotional Support, Sense of Financial Security and Academic Assistance. Now the math and science goes along with the attitude toward educators. Both of these were high because my mom was my math teacher and I respected all my teachers. I saw firsthand all the crap they got and stuff students tried on them. I just did what I was told and got along great with my teachers. If they respected me, I respected them back, I believe respect is just like a two way street. Family Support and Financial Security also go together for me. My parents taught me to be tight and careful with my money. Always plan for if something happens you will be fine and can take it and not affect you to bad. Also the biggest thing is not to stretch myself out with loans and have showed me to save up and pay cash and how much you will pay in interest. Lastly is the Academic assistance,

As senior year approaches or comes to an end, students start to decide what they want to do with their lives after high school. They begin applying for scholarships as well as saving up to cover all of their expenses. Tuition is expensive which means a lot of people cannot afford it without being in debt once they are done. It is important to prepare for college way before it’s time to attend and be well informed of costs one may have. Through the numerous stressful moments, students must consider all factors to a decision as well as maintain a social life because in the end, that will be one of the few things that will make college tolerable.

The first topic “Measuring College and Career Readiness” was presented by Myliss Parker, Director of Advanced Academics. She said she would specifically address the Advanced Placement (AP) program. Mrs. Parker shared several slides of data showing the number of students who took AP exams and how many scored a three or better, the number of AP exams taken and how many had a score a three or higher, AP scores of three or better by subject, the number of students who scored a three or better by campus, the number of AP exams taken with a score of three or higher by campus, and the number of AP scholars by campus. She then described the next steps regarding campus leadership for the AP program, continued data analysis, curriculum alignment for

“If the material in the tests is anticipated and becomes the basis for study, then the results tell us only about the level of prep work and nothing else” (Tanner 4). The results no longer offer valuable insight into students’ academic lives, they merely display how well teachers prepared them for the test.

How does a high school student know that he or she is ready to enter college? How do parents know their children are academically, mentally and emotionally ready for this transition? It is a question that has no definitive answer but does however have a basic theory that can’t be ignored. Preparing our children to enter college and to determine their career path can be a daunting task. The transition for students from high school to college really begins with the first taught lesson, the first hug, the first word and a collaborative effort; throughout a child’s lifetime we as a community pave the road to higher education.

An (2015), compared high school students with dual enrollees through data provided by the WNSLAE. Researchers found that a main factor in academic performance is the level of preparedness and motivation of the student. Many students enter college unprepared, which affects their performance in college courses. However, it was found that students who were dually enrolled in both high school and college performed better in college courses because dual enrollment students enter post-secondary school with pre-existing college standards (An, 2015). They already know what college courses and professors expect because they already had their transition period during high school. Motivation was said to play an important role in academic success and performance. Dual enrollees have the intrinsic motivation in wanting to learn versus having to learn information. To support that dual enrollment increases academic performance, dual enrollees have already developed organization skills, study habits, and are already exposed to the college experience prior to starting post-secondary school (An, 2015).