REL Midwest REL Midwest College and Career Success Research Alliance: Perspectives on College and Career Readiness Jennifer Stephan, Ph.D. Researcher Dean Gerdeman, Ph.D. Acting Director February 2013

Today’s Presentation 1.Introduction to REL Midwest and the College and Career Success Research Alliance 2.College and Career Readiness Initiatives in Midwestern States 3.Alliance Interests and Work 4.Study: Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data 5.Resources Related to College and Career Readiness 2

REL Midwest 3 REL Midwest is operated by American Institutes for Research.

REL Midwest  Our charge is to improve academic outcomes for students by doing the following: Helping states, school districts, and schools systematically use data. Conducting and supporting high-quality research and evaluation. Promoting evidence-based decision making. 4

Research Alliances  REL Midwest conducts work primarily through research alliances — groups of practitioners, policymakers, and other education stakeholders interested in working together to address shared problems of practice.  REL Midwest works with alliance members to develop and carry out a research agenda through the following alliances: College and Career Readiness Early Childhood Education Educator Effectiveness Low-Performing Schools and School Improvement 5

College and Career Success Research Alliance  Aims to identify and understand factors that support college readiness, college completion, and workforce success  Members come from Six of seven Midwestern states (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio). State-level education and higher education agencies. Not-for-profits supporting college-access organizations across their states. 6

Context for College and Career Readiness Initiatives  Increasing demand for college-educated workers A shortage of three million college-educated workers is projected by 2018 (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010). More than 55% of job openings in the Midwest are projected to required some college by 2018 (70% in Minnesota).  Hurdles on the path to college completion 97% of seniors plan to attend college, but just 75% enroll within two years of high school graduation (Berkner & Chavez, 1997). More than one third of college students take a remedial education class (NCES, 2011). Certificate/degree completion rates are less than 60% (NCES, 2011). 7

College and Career Readiness Initiatives in the Midwest 8 DomainDescriptionExamples Alignment Aligning curriculum and assessments with the Common Core Dual-credit or -enrollment Funding pilot projects Remediation Bridging the Gap (IL) College and Career Readiness Act (IL) Grades 11–14 redesign (MN) Remediation redesign (IN) Advising/ Interventions Funding and technical assistance to enable local organizations Campaigns Advising programs Local College Access Networks (MI) College Application Week (MI, MN) Learn More Indiana (IN) AmeriCorps programs (OH) National College Advising Corps (MI) Tracking Readiness Development of SLDS Systematic reporting of readiness metrics College Readiness Reports (IN) SLEDS grant (MN)

Challenges to College and Career Readiness Initiatives in the Midwest  Limited financial resources  Initiative fatigue  Large scope and scale of changes  Effectively collaborating with multiple stakeholders  Deciding on metrics to track to assess college or career readiness Building consensus on what measures to collect and report Assessing “hard to measure” components of college readiness (e.g., college-going culture) Technical difficulties 9

Research and Technical Assistance Needs and Interests 10 DomainDescription Alignment How are colleges and high schools aligning curriculum and assessments? How do policies and funding streams for dual-credit or dual- enrollment vary across states? How can colleges best align courses and degrees with jobs in the state? Advising/ Interventions What interventions during high school or college increase college persistence and completion of a college credential? What are the best ways to engage and support adult learners in the transition to college? Tracking Readiness How should we measure college and career readiness? What indicators can high schools use to assess whether a student is on track for college enrollment and success?

Alliance Projects 11 DomainTypeProject AlignmentReference Desk Funding for Dual-Credit and Dual-Enrollment Systems in the Midwest States Advising/ Interventions Study (proposed) Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program Technical Assistance (proposed) Policies and Programs in Midwest States That Prepare and Support Adult Learners to Successfully Transition to Postsecondary Education Tracking Readiness StudyPredictors of College Readiness Using State Data Study (proposed) College Readiness and Pathways for Rural Students in Indiana (Rural Research Alliance) WebinarUsing Data to Prepare Students for College and Careers Webinar (2/22/13) Noncognitive Factors in Shaping the School Performance of Adolescents

Alliance Projects 12 DomainTypeProject AlignmentReference Desk Funding for Dual-Credit and Dual-Enrollment Systems in the Midwest States Advising/ Interventions Study (proposed) Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program Technical Assistance (proposed) Policies and Programs in Midwest States That Prepare and Support Adult Learners to Successfully Transition to Postsecondary Education Tracking Readiness StudyPredictors of College Readiness Using State Data Study (proposed) College Readiness and Pathways for Rural Students in Indiana (Rural Research Alliance) WebinarUsing Data to Prepare Students for College and Careers Webinar (2/22/13) Noncognitive Factors in Shaping the School Performance of Adolescents

What does research say about predictors of college readiness?  Definition of college readiness The level of preparation needed to enroll and succeed in college (ACT, 2007; Conley, 2011; Wiley, Wyatt, & Camara, 2010) Multifaceted (e.g., Conley’s framework: key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, academic behaviors, contextual skills and awareness)  Measures of college readiness High school performance (e.g., course-taking patterns, high school GPA, standardized tests, student portfolios) College performance (e.g., taking only nonremedial coursework, earning all credits attempted, persistence, college GPA, certificate/degree completion) 13

What does research say about predictors of college readiness?  Student-level predictors of college achievements Academic achievement (i.e., ACT/SAT test scores, high school GPA) Academic intensity (i.e., enrollment in AP, dual-credit, or other advanced courses) Completing key college application actions (i.e., college admissions exams, multiple applications, Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Personal-social readiness (i.e., academic goals, self-efficacy, study skills, problem-solving skills)  Context High school (i.e., average achievement, socioeconomic composition, assistance in the enrollment process, locale) College (i.e., selectivity) 14

What does research not say about predictors of college readiness?  Unanswered questions Do the predictors of college readiness in prior research (often based on national samples) also predict college readiness in individual states? To what extent do early test scores predict college readiness? Do behavioral measures (i.e., absences, suspensions/expulsions) predict college readiness? How much overlap is there in different measures of college readiness? How useful is a prediction of college readiness based on the data that we have? 15

Study: Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data  Purposes: To identify… 1.Student-level measures in Indiana’s longitudinal data system that predict college readiness 2.How different indicators of college readiness relate to each other 3.Whether high school or college characteristics predict college readiness after accounting for student-level characteristics 4.Usefulness of measures in Indiana’s data for predicting college readiness 16

Study Design: Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data  Population 2009 Indiana public high school graduates enrolled in a public Indiana college in fall 2009  Measures of College Readiness 1.Enrolled in and completed only nonremedial courses during first year 2.Earned all credits attempted in the first semester of college 3.One-year persistence 4.Combination of (1) – (3) 17

Study Design: Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data  Predictors of College Readiness Student-level 1.Demographic characteristics: race/ethnicity, gender, free or reduced- price lunch (FRPL) status 2.Academic characteristics: 8th- and 10th-grade state test scores, ACT or SAT scores, high school GPA, diploma type, dual credits earned, AP exam scores 3.Behavioral: absences, ever suspended/expelled High school-level  Urbanicity, % FRPL students, % passing end-of-course exams, % passing an AP exam College-level  College selectivity based on Barron’s rankings 18

Resources Related to College and Career Readiness  What Works Clearinghouse College and Career Preparation Publications and Reviews Recent expansion to include additional studies related to postsecondary education  What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do (Tierney, Bailey, Constantine, Finkelstein, & Hurd, 2009)  National High School Center website:  REL Midwest website: 19

20 Jennifer Stephan P: > F: REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL General Information: Website: