Bredesen Offers Free Shot at College Education
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press: A below-average score on the ACT college entrance exam would be high enough to earn some high school students free tuition to community college under the proposed Governor’s 19-19-19 Program. Gov. Phil Bredesen introduced the program concept last year during his re-election campaign, promoting it as a way to help “C” students gain access to college. The Tennessee Board of Regents developed a proposal for the program in late November. To be eligible, a student must have an overall score of 19 on the ACT college entrance exam, and a 19 in the math and English. The ACT has four sections: English, math, reading and science. The writing portion is optional.
Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning said the incentive of free tuition encourages students to do better in high school. Only about a third of all first-time freshmen who enter the Board of Regents system meet the program’s 19-19-19 criteria now, he said.
“Part of what we’re trying to do is set a bar out there that is somewhat higher to make people have a goal,” Dr. Manning said.
Nationally, the average composite ACT score for the high school class of 2006 was 21.1, according to data released in August. Tennessee students had an average score of 20.7. ACT scores range from 1 to 36.
Amir Behreini, 19, a student at Cleveland State Community College and governor of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, said rewarding high school students, especially those from low-income families, with free tuition gives an extra incentive to attend college.
“Community colleges are there to serve the masses,” he said.
The Tennessee General Assembly will consider the governor’s proposal, which would reward some 4,700 students with free tuition. The average annual cost of tuition and fees at community colleges in the state totals $2,350. The current Hope scholarship award for community college is $1,900.
State lawmakers have mixed opinions on the proposal.
Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, said students tend to value their college education more if they pay for at least some of the expenses themselves.
“I’m not sure that we ought to completely give away higher education,” he said.
Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, past vice chairwoman of the House Education Committee, said she needs to look more closely at the details of the proposal but likes the general idea of it. However, she said she opposes depleting the $315 million lottery fund balance.
Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said he is open-minded about the proposal, but does not “want to jump in the water too quick and say I support it.”
Dr. Jim Catanzaro, president of Chattanooga State Technical Community College, said he served on the committee that structured the 19-19-19 proposal. Rewarding academically eligible students with “essentially a free ride” to college would motivate high school students to take college prep classes and push themselves academically, he said.
Dr. Catanzaro cited statistics from a national report that came out last month from the National Collaborative for Higher Education Policy and other groups that show 37 of every 100 students who are in the ninth grade in Tennessee will not graduate from high school.
Only 17 of those students will complete an associate’s degree within three years or a bachelor’s degree within six years, the report found.
“What I love about it is the governor has realized you have to do something really dramatic to right the ship,” Dr. Catanzaro said.
About half of existing HOPE scholarship recipients — who do not receive full tuition awards — would qualify for the 19-19-19 scholarship, according to the program’s proposal.
Dr. Catanzaro said it was the consensus of the 19-19-19 committee that the students targeted by the program need a scholarship reward that is closer to full tuition.
“We felt like if we don’t load up on the reward, we’re not going to be able to move these people (to attain a score of 19-19-19),” he said.
Gov. Bredesen asked Dr. Manning in November during his higher education budget hearing whether an ACT score of 19 is the best benchmark for determining free tuition.
“The 19 was kind of given to me as a reasonable description of a ‘C’ student … but there’s nothing magic in it,” he said. “Maybe we need our own entrance exam. I don’t know.”
Dr. Manning told the governor that a minimum ACT score of 19 is what a student needs to bypass remedial classes.
By Angie Herrington
01/08/2007
