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> A 2006 study from the American Institutes for Research found that only 31 percent of adults with bachelor’s degrees are proficient in "prose literacy"–being a

> A 2006 study from the American Institutes for Research found that only 31 percent of adults with bachelor’s degrees are proficient in "prose literacy"–being able to compare and contrast two newspaper editorials, for example. Well shock and awe, people can't do a college compare and contrast assignment after they leave college. Just ask them what's different in the articles. > More than a quarter have math skills so feeble that they can’t calculate the cost of ordering supplies from a catalogue. A skill that isn't strictly needed if those people can use a calculator, it's good enough. Stop measuring how effective school is by having people retake tests they took in school.

nkohari 17y ago
I think you're missing the point by a wide margin. Determining the difference between two articles and ordering supplies are two very common tasks -- if people with a college degree lack the ability to do them, we really are in trouble. If they were testing something that was obviously very college-centric but not a commonplace in a regular job -- say, integral calculus -- I would agree with you. However, if someone graduated with a degree in physics and they couldn't do calculus, I would say there was a problem also. It sounds like they just tested the bare minimum of skills.
- electromagnetic 17y ago
  I work in construction and I work with guys who haven't graduated high school, but they can easily perform the basic arithmetic required for the latter of the tasks, and they're frequently doing the former when discussing everything from radio stations to movies and video games. For anyone who graduated college and can't accomplish these thoughtless tasks, all I can say is that they wasted way too much money to essentially get dumber than your average high school dropout. Similar procedures can be performed for a much more reasonable price and involves taking a hammer to the flattest part of a persons skull . . . although I'm unsure even a major concussion and amnesia could make someone dumb enough to forgot how to do 1 + 1 + 1

nkohari 17y ago

I think you're missing the point by a wide margin. Determining the difference between two articles and ordering supplies are two very common tasks -- if people with a college degree lack the ability to do them, we really are in trouble. If they were testing something that was obviously very college-centric but not a commonplace in a regular job -- say, integral calculus -- I would agree with you. However, if someone graduated with a degree in physics and they couldn't do calculus, I would say there was a problem also. It sounds like they just tested the bare minimum of skills.

electromagnetic 17y ago
I work in construction and I work with guys who haven't graduated high school, but they can easily perform the basic arithmetic required for the latter of the tasks, and they're frequently doing the former when discussing everything from radio stations to movies and video games. For anyone who graduated college and can't accomplish these thoughtless tasks, all I can say is that they wasted way too much money to essentially get dumber than your average high school dropout. Similar procedures can be performed for a much more reasonable price and involves taking a hammer to the flattest part of a persons skull . . . although I'm unsure even a major concussion and amnesia could make someone dumb enough to forgot how to do 1 + 1 + 1