8 US States to Test High School Changes video

This is the VOA Unique English Education Report, from voaspecialenglish.com

The Obama administration claims American schools could produce students who are "college and career ready." What is the finest idea to do that? The National Center on Education and the Economy has some concepts.

The center will be working with eight states on a project to play board examination systems. Students who volunteer will take board examination classes related to those found in another parts of the globe. Once they pass the exams, they can leave high school as early as the end of the second year.

Marc Tucker is president of this nonprofit organization. He claims the aim is to create sure students finish high school with enough skills to succeed in at least a two-year college. He claims: In the United States, one is expected to go to high school for four years and you obtain a diploma just for showing up or attending. It doesn't particularly attest to any lvl of accomplishment. What we're trying to do here is to change the system in the United States from one that is based on the time that is spent in the seat to one that is based on your actual accomplishments."

The state projects will run as early as September of two thousand eleven. They will involve ten to twenty high schools in every of eight states. The states contain Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine and Newest Hampshire. The others are Newest Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Some educators and parents do not like the concept of sending students as young as sixteen off to college. They claim the students may not be socially ready for college.

But Marc Tucker claims students who pass the exams should stay in high school and take a demanding set of exams at the upper division lvl. That tool is designed to prepare students for entrance into a competitive college or university. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided more than one million dollars to run the tool. Marc Tucker claims he expects interest in the concept to grow.

He claims:"Our hope is that this will become the idea school is in the United States, it will become the dominant idea of going to high school."

And that's the VOA Unique English Education Report. Does your country use a board examination system? Claim us about it. You can post your comments at our newly redesigned Web web, voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio tool broadcast 25Feb2010)