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Icebergs ahead! NY adopts no-test 'portrait' diploma
New York is headed for disaster: Fuzzy graduation standards -- with no tests -- will set students up to fail.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 22 min read


Does college pay for B- students? Probably, yes
College seems to pay for not-very-prepared students, even though many won't complete a degree.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 51 min read


Unprepared: SF high helps grads get into Berkeley, but many fail
It's "cruel" to admit students to colleges where they're likely to fail, says UC professor.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 43 min read


SUNY redesigns math, English to cut failure rate: Tutoring is mandatory
Failure rates are up for new students at New York's state universities and community colleges. Fewer students start with the basics -- or study skills.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 212 min read


Job 1: Restore the high school diploma's credibility
Careers are built on a solid academic foundation. "Passenger" students don't have that.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 202 min read


Test-blind UC admits students who can't do algebra or write a sentence
Test-blind college admissions has failed at the University of California. The Regents should restore SAT/ACT scores.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 72 min read


It's impossible to fail in Philly: It's too much paperwork
Failing a student is nearly impossible, say Philadelphia teachers. Principals discourage or ban F's and change grades.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 241 min read


College is free for Columbus grads -- but few earn a degree
Free tuition at community college isn't helping students succeed. Poor academic preparation -- not cost -- is the greatest barrier to upward mobility.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 162 min read


Failing Diego: Why UC must bring back the SAT/ACT
Diego's A's got him into test-blind Berkeley, where he's likely to fail Calculus and give up on an engineering major.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 132 min read


Test-blind admissions is a 'failed experiment,' say UC's non-STEM professors
Going "test-blind" was a "failed experiment" say University of California's humanities and social sciences professors, joining STEM faculty.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 122 min read


We knew students were unprepared, and we sent them on to fail
Refusing to measure college readiness ensures the reckoning will come later, at the student's expense.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 93 min read


'My college students can't read'
Most college students can't read at the college level, says instructor.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 32 min read


College is too late to learn how to multiply fractions
Students who are passed along with wobbly math skills will pay the price in college.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 22 min read


After high school: Gen Z feels unprepared -- charter grads earn more
Gen Z charter graduates have more education and earn a lot more than graduates of traditional public schools.

Joanne Jacobs
May 302 min read


Don't make us reteach middle-school math, say STEM profs at 'test-free' UC
STEM professors are seeing huge readiness gaps since the University of California went "test-free" in admissions.

Joanne Jacobs
May 282 min read


RU Rdy for college?
How low can college-readiness expectations go?

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 242 min read


Mind the gap: 86% graduate in DC, 15% meet math standards
More students are completing high school, but fewer are prepared to learn a skilled trade or pass a college math class.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 132 min read


Dual-credit soars in Chicago -- but college success does not
Will Chicago's dual-credit students be prepared to succeed in college?

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 33 min read


Graduation rate -- but not achievement -- is way up in Boston
What's a diploma worth in Massachusetts? Without a state test requirement, graduation rates -- but not test scores -- are way up in Boston.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 262 min read


Texas: College-prep classes set students up for college failure
Dual enrollment helps Texas students do well after graduation, but taking college-prep classes has no benefit, says a new study.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 252 min read
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