单选题 For nearly half of my professional career, I was wrong about how to help students achieve. I had the wrong focus, made inaccurate assumptions, used faulty logic, and came to the wrong conclusions about how to increase students' achievement. Although a high percentage of students persisted in and graduated from the programs in which I worked, they seldom became top achievers.
Here is where and how I went wrong. I designed procedures to identify the students who were least prepared so that we could build programs and services that would help more students achieve. I assumed that there were certain levels of preparation that students needed in order to succeed: that if students met or exceeded these preparation levels, everything would take care of itself; that if students were prepared and met the expectations of their professors, then the normal courses of study and interactions with faculty would be sufficient to help students accomplish their goals.
Believing that student success depended on acquiring certain skills and knowledge, I used a combination of standardized tests, institutionally developed instruments, and interview procedures to get a clear picture of whether each student was prepared or underprepared. This was good practice in many ways, but I eventually came to see that I had structured my practice with the tenets of the Deficit Remediation Educational Model, which has been predominant in education for decades and remains the most prevalent approach in use today. This model assumes that the first and most important thing to do is to "fix" the student. Programs and services based on this model are dedicated to helping students achieve by first diagnosing student needs, problems, ignorance, concerns, defects, and deficits. Those who use the Deficit Remediation Educational Model have the challenge of designing classes, workshops, programs, and services to help students improve in areas in which they are underprepared. Based on the diagnosis, participation in remedial programs and services is often required. Students are usually prevented from pursuing other areas of study and from pursuing their interests until their "deficits" have been removed and their "problems" have been overcome. Typically, if students are unable to overcome their deficiencies by an established date, they are dismissed or told that they aren't college material.
What would happen if we turned our traditional retention effort on its head? What would happen if we developed programs that helped students assess their strengths and then apply those strengths to their studies? Of course, we would still assist students in improving their ability to write well or to master mathematics or to read their political science text more efficiently and critically, but all this would be in the context of helping them identify, further develop, and apply what they can already do well. In my experience, this approach is tremendously motivating, contributes to a sense of agency, and helps young people stay in college.

单选题 What proved that nearly half of the author's professional career was a mistake?
A. Few of the participants in his training programs made great achievements.
B. Few of the participants in his training programs graduated from the courses.
C. The author made inaccurate assumptions about how to increase students' achievement.
D. The author came to the wrong conclusions about how to increase students' achievement.

单选题 Which of the following was the author's wrong focus when he attempted to help students achieve?
A. He tried to make everything take care of itself.
B. He tried to recognize those underprepared students.
C. He organized sufficient interactions between students and faculty.
D. He helped the prepared students meet their professors' faulty expectations.

单选题 What will be the most likely outcome of the author's faulty achievement training projects?
A. Not only their students' weakness but also their strengths will be identified.
B. Most of the training programs will focus on the strengths of their students.
C. Many students become frustrated and disillusioned as a result of it.
D. More students will stay in college in spite of their lack of ability.

单选题 Which word or expression is closest in meaning to "deficits" in Para. 3?
A. Diagnosis B. Deficiencies C. College material D. Skills and knowledge

单选题 How does the author like the approach of assessing students' strengths and then applying them to their studies?
A. It will assist students in improving their ability to study some courses.
B. It will tremendously motivate students to manage their weaknesses.
C. It will seriously discourage students of their further study in college.
D. It will positively improve students' achievement with encouragement.