Good teachers believe in leveling the academic playing field for every child. While past grade reports and test scores have traditionally been used to measure students' potential for college work, good teachers present college as a viable option to which all students should aspire. They work diligently with each child to cultivate individual strengths and offer support to improve weak areas.These educators provide students with multiple opportunities to build confidence in their abilities, which in turn motivates learners to strive for goals they otherwise would not have thought about striving for. For some students, good teachers can mean the difference between working hard to get into college or losing interest in school altogether.
Teaching students how to think critically is essential as college preparation. A good teacher knows how to use academic scaffolding to move students from basic levels of comprehension to higher levels that include analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These educators design assignments that require learners to synthesize information and present and defend their opinions and judgments on any given subject matter. Good teachers utilize metrics such as Bloom's Taxonomy -- a widely regarded teaching framework for categorizing educational goals and moving students toward higher-order thinking. This approach requires a great deal of preparation and planning on the part of the teacher, but it prepares students for the demands of college-level coursework.
Good teachers often use inquiry-based learning -- a student-centered approach to teaching that helps them learn how to independently identify key elements within content and critically assess it. Educators who use inquiry-based learning recognize that this method grants students a degree of intellectual autonomy and helps them take ownership of the content -- by building interest in areas that intrigue them. Students who practice inquiry become comfortable with formulating questions that will help them gain a deeper understanding of subject matter. This strategy will help them uncover the proper study tools, methods and materials needed once they enroll in higher education courses.
Research reports released by the ACT organization claimed that between 1991 and 2003, the national student English grade-point average climbed from 3.04 to 3.29, while ACT English scores barely bumped from 20.22 to 20.44. Similarly, in 2007, federal reporting data indicated that the progress of students on the reading component of the National Assessment of Educational Progress declined between 1992 and 2005, despite students' reporting earning higher grades and taking more college-preparatory courses during that time period. Concluding that the higher GPAs indicated grade inflation and not an increase in student achievement, these reports urged educators to assign grades that accurately reflect a student's academic growth. While good teachers want their students to succeed, they do not compromise their integrity or their students' integrity by inflating grades.