Page 33 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

Editorial
An Early Start
More Minnesota teens should use dual-credit enrollment
January 14, 2012, StarTribune
1 Taking advanced, dual-enrollment classes made a big difference in Paj Ntaub Lee’s life.
2 Her Hmong immigrant parents didn’t encourage her to go to college; they thought
graduating from high school, then getting married or finding a job would be enough for their child.
3 But her exposure to college and higher-level courses while at Johnson High School in St. Paul set her on a path to graduate from St. Olaf College in Northfield.
4 Her experience should be shared by more Minnesota students, and the Legislature should expand the programs that make that possible.
5 Participating in any of the state’s dual-credit programs can prepare more students for college work, save money and increase postsecondary graduation rates. Taking more-challenging classes can also open educational doors for not only the highest-performing students, but for kids across the academic spectrum.
6 Those are the conclusions of a recent study conducted by the Center for School Change (CSC) at Macalester College. Minnesota students can participate in one of five dual-credit options—Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, postsecondary options, concurrent enrollment programs or Project Lead the Way, which allows students to take courses in technical and scientific areas.
7 Each program allows students to earn college credit while still in high school.
8 The study showed that the programs are increasing in popularity— between 2001
and 2006, about 38,000 state students took AP or IB exams, and an average of about 5,500 students a year participated in postsecondary options during those years. Concurrent enrollment increased from 17,581 to 21,184 between 2008 and 2010.
9 A 2010 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities report showed that 53 percent of those who enrolled in a Minnesota public college within two years of graduation had to take at least one remedial course.
10 But if more students take advantage of dual-credit options, more will be prepared for college and other postsecondary level work. That will reduce the need for remedial courses and save money for students, families and taxpayers.
11 To expand the options to include more students, the CSC report rightly recommends that the Legislature change the statutes to allow ninth and tenth graders to participate and to allow colleges and universities to advertise about the savings.
12 Paj Ntaub Lee now works for the CSC and helped do the research for the center’s report. She’s a supporter—and a good example of why more Minnesota students should take advantage of dual-credit options.
My Notes
ACTIVITY 1.16
continued
College
dual: having two of something
legislature: a body of persons with the authority to make or change laws
Baccalaureate: a degree of bachelor given by a university or college
remedial: concerned with providing extra academic help for students
statute: a law or written rule that the government has made
Unit 1 • Coming of Age 79
ACTIVITY 1.16 continued
6 FIRST READ: Based on the complexity of the passage and your knowledge of your students, you may choose to conduct the first reading in a variety of ways:
• independent reading • paired reading
• small group reading • choral reading
• read aloud
Text Complexity Overall: Very Complex
Lexile: 1300L
Qualitative: Moderate Difficulty Task: Challenging (Evaluate)
7 As students are reading, monitor their progress. Be sure they are engaged with the text and highlighting evidence that informs them of the audience. Evaluate whether the selected reading mode is effective.
8 Do a shared reading of the introduction, and discuss how it acts as a hook. What sender-receiver relationship does the editorial establish with the voice and
content here?
9781457304651_TCB_SE_G9_U1_B2.indd 79
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SCAFFOLDING THE TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
1. Key Ideas and Details: (RI.9–10.2) What is the central claim in this editorial? How does the writer introduce it? Reread the first 6 paragraphs of the editorial. Identify the example the writer uses in his introduction as a support to his claim. Which sentence in the introduction states the writer’s claim?
2. Craft and Structure: (RI.9–10.5) What claim does the author use the CSC study to support? Reread the paragraph that explains the CSC study. Before introducing the CSC study, the
writer makes a claim that the study supports. What is that claim?
3. Craft and Structure: (RI.9–10.5) What claim does the author make in paragraph 10? Read paragraph 10. Who will benefit from the author’s claim? How will they benefit?
4. Craft and Structure: (RI.9–10.6) What rhetorical appeal is the most effective? What does the author want from his readers? Think about the evidence presented.
Unit 1 • Coming of Age 79
on
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.