Data Highlight: 8th Grade Cohort Julie Eklund Interim Assistant Commissioner Strategic Planning and Funding

8th grade cohort tracked for 11 years Most cohort students who complete earn a bachelor’s degree; very few students earn certificates Degree and award completion vary considerably by economic status When controlling for economic status, race and ethnicity differences diminish, except for Asian students Economically disadvantaged students who earn a bachelor’s degree are more likely to earn a certificate or associate along the way than their non-economically disadvantaged peers 2

The CB tracks student progress and outcomes several ways Some data is cohort-based; a defined group is tracked over time. Graduation rates are cohort- based outcomes For our traditional graduation rate, we include first- time, full-time (FTFT) college students and follow them to see how many graduated in 4, 5, and 6 years For example, 60.5% of the 2008 university FTFT cohort graduated within six years We also report on other outcomes by cohort, such as persistence and transfer rates 3

Of 325,000 8th Graders in % started in the cohort (enrolled in grade 8) 94% enrolled in grade 9 69% graduated from high school 53% enrolled in higher education in Texas 20% earned degree or certificate by

15% earned a bachelor’s degree or higher 4% earned an associate degree 1% earned a certificate *Highest degree earned Of the 20% who received a postsecondary award* 5

Data inquiry led to breakouts by – Type of award by economic status, race/ethnicity and region Targets Under Completion Goal include – Increasing completions for economically disadvantaged students (Pell recipients) – Increasing the percent of public high school graduates who enroll immediately in higher education Data request and 60x30TX plan inspired “deeper dive” into the 8th grade cohort data 6

Economically disadvantaged students are much less likely to complete Count in Grade 8Graduated from HS Enrolled in college Earned a degree or certificate Total 324,000 8th graders 69%53%20% Econ. Dis. 159,000 8th graders 60%40%10% Non-Econ. Dis. 165,000 8th graders 79%66%30% 7

Of all economically disadvantaged 8th graders – 1% earned a certificate – 3% earned an associate degree – 6% earned a bachelor’s degree Of non-disadvantaged 8th graders – 2% earned a certificate – 4% earned an associate degree – 24% earned a bachelor’s degree Economic status matters for type of award, too 8

Slide 9 Certificate and associate completion is similar for econ. disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students* *Highest degree earned 9

Econ. disadvantaged students may be more likely to “build-up” to a bachelor’s degree Percent of 8th grade cohort bachelor’s degree recipients who also completed a certificate and/or associate degree Econ DisNon-Econ Dis 16%7% 10

Students complete at similar rates when shown by economic status and race/ethnicity/gender For the State: – For all major ethnic groups, economically disadvantaged male and female students in the cohort complete a degree or certificate at similar rates – Exception is Asian students who complete all degrees at much higher rates – For certificates only, Hispanic and white males are similar at 1.5% and 1.6% earning that credential (respectively) 11

Statewide data on awards by age informs 8th grade cohort results FY 2014 undergraduate degree completion by age 12

Some take-aways 8th grade cohort students who do complete a postsecondary award are most likely to earn a bachelor’s degree; younger degree earners will have more time to build careers and reach financial goals Economically disadvantaged students are more likely to build on other degrees; certificates and associates don’t have to be an end point We need a more developed understanding of the leaks in the pipeline and how to help more students succeed There is much room for growth in certificate and associate completion Future 8th grade cohort results could reflect changes to high school graduation options through increased completion rates or changes in award patterns 13

8th Grade Cohort Questions?