Readiness Matters The Impact of College Readiness on College Persistence and Degree Completion April Hansen ACT Client Relations

ACT’s Unique Vantage Point The ACT Assessment began in 1959 to assess what students have already learned and are ready to learn next to be college and career ready. 52% of the 2012 HS graduating class took the ACT: 1.66 million students 146,822 in Illinois ACT Explore (grade 8 & 9), ACT Plan (grade 10), and the ACT (grade 11 & 12) form longitudinal assessment system that can provide academic interventions and shape curriculum to keep students on track Assessments of academic behaviors, psychosocial factors

The level of preparation a student needs to be ready to enroll and succeed in—without remediation—a first-year, credit-bearing course at two- or four-year institutions or in trade or technical schools. Adopted by the Common Core State Standards Initiative How do we define College and Career Ready?

College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Empirically derived minimum scores needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding first-year credit-bearing college course. Test College Course EXPLORE Grade 8 EXPLORE Grade 9 PLAN Grade 10 ACTCompass English English Composition Math College Algebra Reading Social Science Science Biology NA

Students who are college/career ready when they leave high school have a significantly higher likelihood of: Enrolling in college the fall following high school graduation Persisting to a second year at the same institution Earning a grade of B or higher in first-year college courses Earning a first-year college GPA of 3.0 or higher Not needing to take a remedial courses Graduating within 150% of time Entering the job market with significantly higher lifetime earning potential. Regardless of ethnicity and SES

What’s the number of American high school students who drop out of school, every day, bored, frustrated, or so far behind that they’ve given up? Pop Quiz 6,000

% who graduate from public high schools: 76% % who immediately go on to college: 57% % of 9 th graders who graduate from high school on time, go directly to college, return for their 2nd year, and graduate within 150% of program time: 20% NCHEMS. (2011)

1. The strongest predictors of college persistence and degree completion are: prior academic achievement and course selection (rigorous high school classes). 2. Prior academic achievement and cognitive ability surpass all other factors in their influence on student performance. 3. Non-academic factors can influence academic performance, retention and persistence, but cannot substitute for it. Research is the Foundation

Key Finding 1 Being better prepared academically for college improves a student’s chances of completing a college degree. Benchmarks matter.

College Success by Number of ACT Benchmarks Met

College Success by ACT Score/Benchmark Attainment 53% enrolled in a 4-year college (80% of the students meeting all 4 CRBs enrolled in a 4 year college) 18% enrolled in a 2-year college (6% of students meeting all 4 CRBs enrolled in a 2-year college) 29% did not enroll in college (43% of the 0-1 group didn’t go to college at all)

College Success by ACT Score/Benchmark Attainment Across all outcomes, – College success rates increased as ACT Composite score increased. – Students who met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks had higher success rates than those who didn’t. – The more Benchmarks students met, the higher the success rates.

Coursework Matters Core curriculum taken vs. not taken ( ). HS mathematics coursework taken: – Less than (<) Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II. – Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II. – More than (>) Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II. HS science coursework taken – Biology – Biology, Chemistry – Biology, Chemistry, Physics

2012 Avg. ACT Composite Scores by Type of Coursework and Race/Ethnicity "Core or More" results correspond to students taking four or more years of English and three or more years each of math, social studies, and natural science. Race/EthnicityNumber Tested % Taking Minimum Core or More Average ACT Score Minimum Core or More Less than Core All Students146,88256% African American20,97848% American Indian/ Alaska Native 38245% Caucasian/White75,98562% Hispanic/Latino 26,43448% Asian5,77673% Native Hawaiian/ Other Pac. Isl % Two or more races3,97358% No Response12,91743%

College Enrollment/Retention Rates Math Course Sequence Less than Alg 1, Geom, Alg II Alg 1, Geom, Alg II Alg 1, Geom, Alg II, Other Adv Math Alg 1, Geom, Alg II Other Adv Math, Trig Alg 1, Geom, Alg II, Other Adv Math, Trig, Calc As the rigor of math courses increases, the chances of college enrollment/persistence also increase. Enrolled in college first year Re-enrolled in college second year

Degree Completion by HS Coursework and Benchmark Attainment in Math

College Enrollment/Retention Rates Science Course Sequence As the rigor of science courses increases, the chances of college enrollment/persistence also increase. Enrolled in college first year Re-enrolled in college second year Biology Biology and Chemistry Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

Key Finding 2 Using multiple measures of college readiness better informs the likelihood of a student persisting and succeeding in college.

College Success by HS GPA and HS Coursework Across all outcomes, – Students with HSGPAs ≥ 3.50 had higher success rates than those who had lower HSGPAs. – Students who took the HS core curriculum had slightly higher rates than those who didn’t. – Students who took higher-level mathematics or science courses had higher rates than those who took fewer courses.

Degree Completion by HS GPA and ACT Scores

Academic Achievement and Academic Behaviors

6 year bachelor’s degree completion rates for racial/ethnic and income groups

Key Finding 3 College readiness reduces gaps in college going rates, persistence and degree completion among racial/ethnic and family income groups.

College Success by Race/Ethnicity and Number of ACT Benchmarks Met

College Success by Family Income and Number of ACT Benchmarks Met

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Racial/Ethnic Gaps in College Enrollment Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Enrolled in college first year Gap reduction: 8 percentage points White Underrepresented minorities

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Racial/Ethnic Gaps in College Retention Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Re-enrolled in college second year Gap reduction: 5 percentage points White Underrepresented minorities

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Family Income Gaps in College Enrollment Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Enrolled in college first year Gap reduction: 16 percentage points Highest family income group Lowest family income group

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Family Income Gaps in College Retention Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Re-enrolled in college second year Gap reduction: 5 percentage points Highest family income group Lowest family income group

All College ready in 4 subjects Reductions in Racial/Ethnic Gaps in 4-Year College Degree Completion Rates Associated with Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Graduated from college in 4 years Gap reduction: 5 percentage points White Underrepresented minorities

Key Finding 4 Early monitoring of readiness is associated with increased college success.

Catching up to College Readiness “…the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than anything that happens academically in high school” --The Forgotten Middle, p.2

Findings of “Catching Up” Study Few Far Off Track students catch up in middle or high school. Even in higher performing schools, the majority do not get on track to college and career readiness in four years. There are lots of Far Off Track students by this definition – for example, 40-50% of minority students… …and they have a low probability of hitting the Benchmark in four years.

College Success by Readiness Indicators in Grades 8, 10, and 11/12 Early readiness indicators are predictive of college success. Early and sustained college readiness in high school is associated with persisting to degree completion. – Students who were on target early in grades 8 and 10 for becoming college and career ready and then graduated from high school college and career ready had the highest college success rates. – Students who were not on target in grades 8, 10, and 11/12 had the lowest success rates.

College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Empirically derived minimum scores needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding first-year credit-bearing college course. Test College Course EXPLORE Grade 8 EXPLORE Grade 9 PLAN Grade 10 ACTCompass English English Composition Math College Algebra Reading Social Science Science Biology NA

College Success by Math Benchmark Attainment in Grades 8, 10, and 11/12

Readiness Matters Key Findings Being better prepared academically for college improves a student’s chances of completing a college degree. Using multiple measures of college readiness better informs the likelihood of a student persisting and succeeding in college. College readiness reduces gaps in persistence and degree completion among racial/ethnic and family income groups. Early monitoring of readiness is associated with increased college success.

Overall Recommendations 1.Evaluate the rigor and content of high school courses in English, mathematics, reading, and science and align the curricular content with college readiness standards and the skills that are needed to be successful in college and career. 2.Monitor early and often student’s progress towards becoming ready for college and intervene with students who are not on target while there is still time for them to catch up before they graduate from high school

Overall Recommendations 3.Help students develop strong academic behaviors that can enhance student success 4.Provide all students with educational and career guidance by doing the following: – Help them to understand how preparing well now academically is critical for accomplishing their future career goals. – Encourage them to explore personally-relevant career options based on their own skills, interests, and aspirations. – Make available useful information and resources about the college admissions process and financial aid process to them and their parents, and assist them with these processes

Questions/Comments April Hansen ACT – Client Relations Account Executive