Pogemiller: More data for the college-bound

State education leaders want to make sure high school students know before they graduate whether they are fully prepared for college.

Office of Higher Education Director Larry Pogemiller said many students graduate from high school without being up to speed in reading, writing or math, and do not realize it until they take a placement test for a college.

"Having those kinds of testing instruments available earlier to the high school student -- ninth, 10th, 11th grade," Pogemiller said, "would be a more productive thing to do rather than waiting until they're just entering college."

Pogemiller said many students heading to college "find out that they don't meet their standards, and so they end up doing remedial work."

Pogemiller and the heads of the state Department of Education and state college system have been discussing a plan that would enable that change, among others.

He said they may seek legislative changes or funding for the proposals in the upcoming session.