College Success Curriculum
Nationwide, the number of students who need to take remedial courses in college has been rising-more than 40 percent of students entering college need remedial courses in mathematics, reading or writing. These courses do not count toward college credit and are resulting in many community colleges, where as many as 60% of incoming freshmen take remedial courses, becoming extended high school experiences.
At KWoods, we have made a formidable commitment to our students to have them adequately prepared for college success when they graduate from KWHS. We have been researching best practices in high school college readiness and visiting high schools that have proven successful programs. These programs are notable in their high expectations for all students and the remarkable achievements of students who are "typical" students, not gifted and talented students vying for entry into magnet schools. The results of our research has led to the development of a college readiness curriculum that is woven into our academic courses as well as delivered through Advisory.
One example has been our focus on developing the kinds of reading skills students need for success in college and beyond, which requires decoding complex, informational texts. Teachers have been trained in how to integrate these texts into their units across all subjects and how to teach them to develop critical thinking skills. This goes hand-in-hand with our focus on improving math proficiency and understanding scientific method -which are the application of critical thinking.
Research demonstrates that students who possess a clear vision for their future obtain higher levels of achievement while in high school, and recent studies are showing that students who choose a more rigorous course of study in high school are much more likely to be successful in college. Recent research indicates that for high school seniors, an improvement in math performance equals a significant boost in annual earnings.
Your high school experience is the best chance you have to determine your future. No matter what your past performance was, you have a brand new opportunity to become a better student and succeed in life by reaching your goals and aspirations.
To help students meet our goal of 100% acceptance to college, we provide students with the help and resources they need to help them succeed.