Scholar Diploma a good idea

College entrance exams are one barometer of college readiness. On average, Utah students score slightly better than the national average. But the test results indicate a troubling trend — a tendency on the part of Utah high school students not to take rigorous classes.

Although students are admitted into colleges and universities, many struggle with freshman math and English courses. If only they had taken more classes, and more difficult classes, in high school to prepare them for the rigor of college course work.

Utah's Commissioner of Higher Education Rich Kendell is proposing the creation of the Regents' Scholar Diploma, which would, among other things, require high school students to complete a college preparatory curriculum with no course grade lower than a "C." The diploma would guarantee entry into any of the state's public colleges and universities without an ACT or SAT score. Recipients also would qualify for a $1,000 Regents Opportunity Grant.

Taking a challenging high school schedule will benefit students whether they elect to attend college in Utah or out of state. It also takes aim at Utah's low college completion rate, which Kendell describes as "far from stellar."

According to "Measuring Up 2004: The State Report Card on Higher Education," about half of first-time, full-time college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years of entering college. The report factored in students who leave schools for church missions.

Perhaps the strongest selling point of this proposal is that it should result in a more efficient use of public education and higher education resources. If students take a richer course schedule — four units each of English and math and three units each of laboratory science and technology and social studies, as recommend under the Regents' Scholar Diploma proposal — there should be less need for college remediation. Although students bear much of the cost for those services, they should be ready for the rigors of college-level work when they complete high school. The exceptions would be people who return to college after long absences in their educational careers, such as displaced workers or homemakers.

More rigor does not necessarily mean that high school will be all work and no play. As Kendell puts it, "Take the courses that interest you, but take this core — this is your foundation education."

The commissioner also hopes this proposal would result in a greater number of ethnic minority students attending and completing college. A growing number of Hispanics, for instance, are graduating from Utah high schools, but relatively few attend college.

The Regents' Scholar Diploma is a heads-up attempt to increase academic expectations beginning in ninth grade. The Regents and the State Board of Education should work together to achieve these objectives.