April 15, 2002

GRADE EXPECTATIONS
Critiquing Ways in Which Education Initiatives Promote Diversity and Other College Admissions Criteria

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"The 10 Percent Solution, By JIM YARDLEY", April 15, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students learn about how the ten percent plan and other education initiatives promote diversity, as well as about their practical effects on students from different types of educational and economic backgrounds. Students then discuss and come to conclusions about their own opinion on the relative importance of college admissions criteria.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   45 minutes

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Consider and rank a variety of criteria often used in the college admissions process; defend their rankings.
  2. Learn about the effects of the 10 percent rule on higher education by reading and discussing the article "The 10 Percent Solution."
  3. Research college admissions criteria in groups to examine the traditional roles of the criteria and the debates surrounding them; participate in a round-table discussion in which they share their groups' findings.
  4. Develop college mission statements reflecting a commitment to diversity.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Prior to class, create a chart on the board comprised of six columns, each labeled with one of the following: Standardized Test Scores, Academic Achievement, Extracurricular Activities, Family Income, Race/Ethnicity, State of Origin. Write the following prompt on the board for students to respond to in their journals upon entering class: "On the board are six criteria that colleges often use to determine their admissions. In your journal, rank these criteria according to the importance that you think they should have in determining whether a person should be admitted to a college (1 being most important, 6 being least important). Then, write a paragraph explaining your ranking system." After a few minutes, ask students to come up to the board and enter their ranking numbers on the board in the appropriate columns. Then, discuss why students ranked the college admissions criteria as they did.
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "The 10 Percent Solution," focusing on the following questions:
    1. What are the academic backgrounds of Cecilia Lara, Reberto Farias and Debbie Rosen?
    2. What is the 10 percent law?
    3. How did Ms. Lara and Mr. Farias do their first semester in college?
    4. What is the academic environment at Bellaire High School like?
    5. What was the general response to the 10 percent law?
    6. Has the 10 percent plan restored minority enrollment and improved access to the educational system, according to this article?
    7. What is the "Keep Texans in Texas" plan?
    8. Why has the SAT been de-emphasized recently?
    9. What are the two major complaints of the critics of the 10 percent plan? What are the responses to these complaints offered in the article?
    10. What is the false premise of the 10 percent plan, according to George Scott?
    11. What is Texas A & M's "Aggie Access" program?
    12. What are the problems with a student receiving provisional admission, according to the article?
    13. What does Jesse H. Jones High School plan to do to give students better chances of making the top 10 percent?
    14. What is the "gamesmanship" conducted at Bellaire High School?
  3. Explain to students that they will be further exploring the six college admissions criteria considered in the initial class activity. Divide students into six groups, and assign each to one of the criterion. Using Web sites such as individual college sites, news resources and other education destinations on the Internet, each group finds the following information about their criterion (written on the board for easier student access; ensure that each student in a group writes down the group's findings for use later in class):
    • What is the traditional role that this criterion has played in college admissions?
    • How has thinking about this criterion changed in recent years?
    • What are the debates regarding the use of this criterion in the college admissions process? (Include the views presented by supporters and refuters of the criterion.)
    • What statistics are offered to support and refute the use of this criterion?
    After research is completed, reconvene the class for a round-table discussion on college admissions. Students should act as "experts" in their specific criteria in the discussion. Some suggestions for questions that can be used to shape the discussion include:
    • What is the value of ethnic diversity on a college campus?
    • Does academic achievement in high school directly correlate to college performance? Why or why not?
    • Which is a more accurate reflection of intellectual ability and success in college: grade point average or class rank? Why?
    • Should athletic ability or other talents aid a person in being admitted to a college if his or her academic scores are not up to the standards of the school?
    • Should one's ability to pay tuition affect one's admission to college? Why or why not?
    • Do you support need-based, academic or other types of scholarships for students who cannot afford college otherwise? Should students get scholarships even if they are able to pay? Why or why not?
    • How might standardized tests reflect cultural biases? What is being done to try to remove cultural biases from such tests?
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Considering the six college admissions criteria explored in class, each student develops a mission statement for a college that reflects a commitment to any one or all of these various types of diversity. Students may wish to read mission statements of colleges in their state or across the country to compare the formats and concepts of them. In a future class, students should share their mission statements and discuss their decisions.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal response, participation in class discussions, participation in group research, and thoughtful completion of mission statement.

VOCABULARY:
salvation, grant, valedictorian, salutatorian, disheartening, scurrying, devise, criteria, trailblazer, beneficiaries, byproducts, nascent, marginal, rigorous, rationing, gregarious, inequities, complement, interdisciplinary, rampant, speculation, mollified, exempted, gamesmanship

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Learn about legislation that has been passed in an effort to promote diversity and opportunities in education and the workplace, such as affirmative action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and equal opportunity. Create a timeline of these various laws. Stage a class debate on one such law.
  2. Research a single-sex institution or historically black colleges and universities. Create a brochure of the school geared towards possible applicants, including information about how the school was founded, the role it has played in its community and the education community as a whole, the changes that it has undergone since it was founded, and the opportunities that the school affords its students.
  3. Consider how the college admissions process can best reflect the reality of America's diversity. Create an application for a college that celebrates and encourages diversity. Consider the type of information that the college might require from its applicants, including letters of recommendation, essays, and other supplementary materials.
  4. Poll your school community regarding issues of diversity in your school. Some suggested questions include: Would you consider your school community to be "diverse," and why? What types of communities to you notice a lack of in your school? How well do you think the school addresses issues of diversity? Using the information from the poll, create a "diversity assessment" of your school, including suggestions to make the community more diverse and/or more aware of diversity issues.
  5. Compare the admissions statistics for a college or university that you may want to attend with your own profile, including your grades, test scores, activities, and ethnicity. Then, discuss the information with your school guidance counselor and determine your chances for getting into this school given your profile and how you can increase your attractiveness to this school given the criteria it seems to value. After doing this, re-evaluate your interest in the school.
  6. Many colleges and universities require a personal essay to be submitted along with the standard application information. Obtain several college applications. What do the questions seem to indicate the college wants to know about its applicants? Select what you think is the most interesting essay question and answer it.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Geography- Create a map depicting the ethnic make-up of one state from each of the United States' time zones. Compare these statistics with the ethnic population at a large public university in each state. Compare the two sets of statistics. Include a reflection on what you think might be the cause for any similarities and/or disparities in populations across the states and in the colleges.

Global History- Research the education system in another country. Write a short paper or create a classroom poster describing this system. Also include your opinion as to whether this is an effective way to educate. Support your ideas with facts, examples and details.

Media Studies- Watch the movie "Finding Forester," "School Ties," "Stand and Deliver," or another film that addresses the difficulty that students often face in getting into and/or succeeding in competitive schools or academic programs. Then, write a journal reflecting on the issues raised in the film.

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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