High schools urged to boost course requirements

All Massachusetts high school students should be forced to take the same classes the state's four-year colleges require for admission, the chairman of the state Board of Higher Education is urging.

About one in five school systems do not require that tougher regimen for students to earn a diploma, said Stephen Tocco , chairman of the Board of Higher Education, in a letter sent Friday to the state's top K-12 education officials.

If the state follows through on Tocco's suggestion, all students would take four years of English; three years of math, including Algebra II; three years of science; and two years each of history and a foreign language -- more math and science than many high schools require.

``I think it would help everybody," said Tocco. ``If success in higher education is directly related to the courses you take in high school, then all you've got to do is connect the dots here."

Tocco, in his letter, said he is pushing for the change because too many recent high school graduates require remedial classes in college. His proposal comes at a time when state officials are debating how high to set high school graduation standards. A 30-member committee of school, college, and business leaders met yesterday for the first time to start drafting a set of courses that would prepare students for college and work.

Tocco said this summer he will convene a task force to discuss raising the requirements to get into a state college or university, especially in math and science.

State education officials balked at setting statewide graduation standards and said they would instead favor incentives to get students to take tougher classes.

``I don't think it's the responsibility of the state to mandate curriculum or to determine precisely what material gets taught and how," said James A. Peyser , the chairman of the state Board of Education. He said he didn't know whether the board could mandate a college-preparatory curriculum, or if it would require a new law.

Currently, the state requires only that students pass physical education, civics, and the MCAS in English and math; science will be added as an MCAS requirement in 2010. School committees set course requirements. About one in four high schools required two years of math or less, a recent state survey found, while 66 percent required three years of science and more than a third required a foreign language.

Brockton High School principal Susan Szachowicz said she encourages students to take challenging classes, but some fall behind. Students who flunk the MCAS have to take extra classes to help them pass it.

``There's only so much time in a school day," Szachowicz said. ``Not every kid wants to go to UMass, so why should they have to meet those standards?"

But Boston mandates more math and social studies than state colleges require now. Students can take a fifth year of high school to finish, if necessary, said Chris Coxon , deputy superintendent for teaching and learning.

``Kids who get a college degree are going to make a lot more money than kids who don't," he said.

Community colleges don't require specific courses for admission, but have high remedial rates. As a result, students take longer to finish, and have to pay more for college. Only 16.4 percent of full-time Massachusetts community college students earn a degree or certificate in three years, lower than the national average.

David Hartleb , president of Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill in Lawrence, called Tocco's proposal ``fantastic."

``Let's focus on what it takes to get successful in college," Hartleb said. ``That's what high school is about these days."

Tracy Jan of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Maria Sacchetti can be reached at msacchetti@globe.com.