Far too many college freshmen in Maryland can?t write well enough to do college work, a new report reveals.
“With No Child Left Behind, high school students aren?t getting any meaningful writing instruction,” said Jay-Philip Imbrenda, a writing fellow at Goucher College and a member of the English Composition task force.
“It?s alarming, the changes being made to English education. Writing is taking a back seat, and realistic writing instruction is almost filtered out completely.”
The panel recommends high schools and colleges reduce class sizes so teachers have more time to evaluate and provide feedback on writing assignments.
Task force member Catherine Gira, a former president of Frostburg State University, says teachers, pressed for time, assign fewer and shorter writing projects because it takes 20 minutes to properly grade each paper.
This has resulted in a “national crisis,” in which employers complain about their workers? writing abilities, she said.
“Teachers come out of their teaching programs and say they aren?t as comfortable teaching composition as literature ? that?s a problem,” said Mary Cary, an assistant state schools superintendent and task force member.
In Maryland in 2005, 1 in 5 college students needed remedial classes before moving on to college course work, according the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The task force plans to share its recommendations today with the education committee of the Board of Regents, which oversees the state?s 11 state colleges.
TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS
» High school writing expectations should align with college expectations.
» All prospective teachers must demonstrate the ability to write and how to teach writing.
» English teachers should structure writing assignments that require students to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
» Teachers of all disciplines should assign regular writing experiences.
» Teachers should maintain student writing portfolios.
» Schools should analyze class sizes and teacher workloads.
»All teachers should participate in professional development in the teaching of writing.
