So you're a senior in a Texas high school. You've passed your 11th grade exit-level TAKS test. You're passing all the courses that you need to graduate. Once you've graduated, you think you are "college ready," right? Well, maybe not.

As Texas is clamoring for more college graduates to fill the the state's employment needs, many high school graduates have to find ways around another barrier between them and a college education. In September 2003, the Legislature passed into law the Texas Success Initiative, which requires that seniors pass a test called the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA), or one of its variations, before they can take credit-level classes at any publicly funded colleges in the state.

Where does the barrier lie? If a graduating senior does not pass all three parts of the test of 12th grade-level reading, writing and math skills, they might be able to get into an "open enrollment" college (where every applicant is accepted) like Austin Community College, but they have to take "developmental" classes in the areas they did not pass until they reach the 12th grade skill level. These classes cost the same as a credit-level class, but the student receives no credit for taking them. This situation not only slows students down, it increases the cost of their college education and their frustration level, which could lead to dropping out.

To understand the scope of the issue, one only has to look at a college like ACC and see that more than 50 percent of the 30,000-plus student body is taking or has taken "developmental" classes.

Two-year colleges across the state do a great job of shouldering the lion's share of the "developmental" burden while attempting to meet the educational goals of their students and the employment needs of their respective communities. Though four-year state colleges are bound by the same law, their burden is lessened by the fact that, unlike community and junior colleges, they are not "open enrollment" schools and their entrance requirements filter out many students who must take "developmental" classes.

Those of us who work in the education trenches see the impact that the policy has on our students every day.

At Austin High School, for example, graduating seniors historically have not done well on the tests. Up to two-thirds of those who take the tests don't pass them. There are many reasons for it, but a significant one is that many don't take the test seriously or prepare for it. And students can be so "tested out" by their senior year that they fail to grasp the importance of the test in terms of what it will cost them if they do not pass. In two words: time and money.

But there is hope. Austin High is taking a proactive approach this year by offering free test preparation classes to its seniors. We are doing this with the help of Austin Partners In Education (APIE), a nonprofit established by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Austin school district. APIE initiated a pilot "College Readiness" program, which recruits and trains volunteers from the business community to tutor students in their academic area of need. The district provides the space, time and incentives for students to attend and Austin Partners provides the curriculum, coordination, additional incentives and trained volunteers.

Only time will tell if the effort will pay off, but this veteran educator doesn't see how it can miss.

Adamko is a college counselor at Austin High School.