Disservice to our students

Marietta Times: Time and again, officials at colleges and universities tell us we are not preparing our students to attend their institutions. That is fine with them, of course – they get to charge more for extra semesters in which students take remedial courses.

Ohio was going to address that. Lawmakers intended to put in place tougher graduation standards, so students are prepared to take their next steps after graduation. In fact, beginning in 2018, students were to be expected to either score at least 18 out of 36 points on end-of-course exams, earn a remediation-free score on a college entrance exam or earn an industry-recognized credential or a minimum score on a workforce-readiness test.

Lawmakers were told the schools could not help students reach those standards in time, so the start date was pushed back a year. Still not enough time, it seems. Now the standards may not be in place until the class of 2020 is ready to graduate. Any good parent will tell you, giving kids the easiest path possible does them a disservice in the long run.