Ohio Gov. Says Four-Year Colleges
Should Stop Offering Remedial Courses
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Gov. Bob Taft says Ohio must change the way it helps school children prepare for college and work, including those struggling to meet basic education requirements.
In his final State of the State speech on Jan. 25, Taft proposed a tough new set of graduation requirements for high school students and said four-year colleges should no longer offer make-up classes.
Under the program, which Taft dubbed “The Ohio Core,” students would have to take four years of math and English, three years of science and social studies and two years of a foreign language beginning in the fall of 2007.
Completing those courses would be required to get into one of Ohio’s four-year public colleges or universities, and any remedial work would have to be done at a two-year college.
“Too few high school graduates are prepared for college or a well-paying job,” Taft said. “The evidence is overwhelming that when it comes to our high school students, it’s not just about graduation. It’s about preparation.”
Lawmakers who provided only minimal increases in education funding in the current two-year budget backed the concept while saying details would have to be worked out.
