Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, May 5, 2008 College math test for high school? Educators have a plan for Granite Falls High School By Eric Stevick Herald Writer GRANITE FALLS -- Eric and Andrea Cahan, husband and wife, can't help talking about education over the dinner table. Eric is the principal at Granite Falls High School; Andrea, a math instructor, works with students at Everett Community College. "Unfortunately, I don't leave work at school very well and she doesn't either," Eric Cahan said. Both want to see more students ready for college-level math when they leave high school. So they sat down and hashed out a plan. Part of it unfolded in December when nearly the entire junior class at Granite Falls High School took a college math placement test as part of a pilot program. It was the first such large-scale testing the college has done at a high school in Snohomish County. The assessment was paid for with grant money the college received for recruiting and retaining students. Eric Cahan hopes the results will convince more students to take math as seniors in high school and better understand their strengths and weaknesses. Test results provide students with an indicator of what math class they would be placed in. About half the freshmen entering community college statewide are required to take a pre-college math course because of their scores on placement exams. Many high school students simply don't take math their senior year. Results varied, but "they actually did pretty well," said Linda Baca, entry services manager with EvCC's enrollment services office. Any student enrolling at EvCC must take placement tests. The college hopes the testing helped students set academic priorities for their senior year. "We are trying to plant the seed and to give them the idea to gain as much knowledge as they can when they are in high school," Baca said. Cahan and Baca said it also can be helpful information for students who might not have been thinking about college. Sometimes students with low grades in high school are surprised by the results on college placement exams. "Even if they weren't doing well in high school this might be an opportunity to turn them around," Baca said. Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

1. Boeing tip ill considered, poorly timed 2. Sound Transit jeered by county leaders 3. Clock ticking for Boeing contract 4. Barbecue ashes blamed for Lynnwood fire 5. Questions abound after Mariners' lose in 15 innings 6. Mill Creek planning for a second 'urban village' 7. Conserve and you can save, PUD says 8. Everett hospital revises Colby expansion 9. Monroe priest on leave over allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor 10. Animal shelter accused of discrimination 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Man shot to death south of Everett • Terrace seeks to sharpen dog ordinance's teeth • An era ends: the curtain falls on the Sonics • Red, White, and Blue: Parade photoalbum • World famous, and headed to Everett • The man in charge • A lifetime of happiness • Three new administrators join SCC • Adefua opens Edmonds concert series • Fryelands industrial park growing in Monroe • Out of the Blue Aviation expands flight training • Paul Allen’s rare Flying Heritage Collection becomes latest aviation att ... • Warbird's history keeper • Arlington Fly-In marks 40th anniversary this year • USAF tanker rebid up in air after GAO ruling • Glider clubs merge at Arlington Airport • Paine Field General Aviation Day a success