3/6/2012 Noncognitive Factors and Young Adult Success Jenny Nagaoka and Camille Farrington University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research Presentation to the U.S. Department of Education College Access Affinity Group June 25, 2014

Today Background on noncognitive factors 5 categories of noncognitive factors Challenges, unknowns, and the next stage of work

in Supporting Urban School Reform 3/6/2012 Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) Model for the Role of Research in Supporting Urban School Reform CCSR’s mission is to support the search for solutions in ways that build the capacity of schools to improve by identifying strategies and levers for improvement and working across all levels of the system. Research identifying what matters: Organizing frameworks Indicator development: The critical role of measurement Identify leverage points: Support in identifying strategies for improvement Accessible and actionable communication: Dissemination of findings through publications and presentations and individual school data reports.

The College Readiness Challenge Students’ college aspirations are high Students recognize the importance of postsecondary education for the workforce High school course-taking has increased College enrollment continues to rise College degree attainment is unchanged How do we prepare students to persist and succeed in college and be able to build successful careers – particularly those from marginalized communities?

Grades, Grades, Grades! Grades are better predictors than test scores of long-term educational outcomes (HS grad, college enrollment, college graduation) Grades are better predictors of life outcomes (wages, health, longevity, civic participation) Grades are where we observe growing gaps by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, and gender What do grades measure that test scores do not?

(and what really matters)? What Do Grades Measure (and what really matters)? Content Knowledge Academic Skills Noncognitive Factors Measured by GRADES Measured by TEST SCORES

Redefining College Readiness David T. Conley, 2007 Content Knowledge Academic Skills Noncognitive Factors

What are noncognitive factors? Anything not measured by cognitive tests (achievement or IQ tests) Skills, behaviors, strategies, beliefs, attitudes The stuff that isn’t content knowledge or core academic skills, but that matters for school performance

Why Focus on Noncognitive Factors and Grades? 3/6/2012 Why Focus on Noncognitive Factors and Grades? Address students’ identity development as learners Students have more control and opportunities for improvement over their grades than their test scores Teachers have more control over the conditions that support high grades than they do over test scores Help us see student behaviors as a response to a larger system of schooling and adult practices rather than student characteristics.

A Review of the Research Lumina Foundation: College access and persistence Raikes Foundation: Supporting students in the middle grades Review the literature on noncognitive factors and their relationship to students’ academic performance

Review the Literature on… Skills, behaviors, strategies, beliefs, attitudes Peer Interactions Interests Conscientiousness Work ethic Professionalism Grit Teamwork Collaboration Motivation Agreeableness Persistence Self-Concept Tenacity Self-Efficacy Open-mindedness Flexibility Leadership Creativity Innovation Confidence Effort Enthusiasm Values Cooperation Communication Goal-setting Self-Regulation Work Completion Attendance Time Management

5 Categories of Non-cognitive Factors Academic Behaviors Academic Perseverance Academic Mindsets Learning Strategies Social Skills Academic Performance (Course Grades)

5 Guiding Questions What is it and does it matter? Can we change it in students? Can we change it in classrooms (settings)? Do we know HOW to change it in classrooms (strategies)? Does it matter for closing achievement gaps?

2012: Literature Review: Camille A 2012: Literature Review: Camille A. Farrington, Melissa Roderick, Elaine Allensworth, Jenny Nagaoka, Tasha Seneca Keyes, David W. Johnson, Nicole O. Williams

Academic Behaviors Being a “good student” (e.g., Going to class, doing homework, participating in class) The only DIRECT relationship to course performance – Improving academic behaviors is the goal! Virtually all other factors that go into grades are expressed through academic behaviors

Academic Perseverance The ability and tendency to see something through to completion despite distractions or obstacles Grit, Tenacity, Persistence, Self-Control, Effort, Delayed Gratification It’s what makes kids enact academic behaviors Not directly observable: expressed through (and equated with) behavior A desirable outcome, but hard to change directly!

Academic Mindsets Beliefs about oneself in relation to academic work. I belong in this academic community I can succeed at this My ability and competence grow with my effort This work has value to me

Evidence on Academic Mindsets Foundational research vs. Intervention studies Goal orientations Implicit theories of ability Locus of control Expectancy-value theory Learned helplessness Stereotype threat Normalizing academic difficulty in college Malleability of intelligence Relevance of course material Cueing important values

Learning Strategies Strategies to aid in cognitive work of thinking, learning, or remembering (e.g., Metacognitive Strategies, Study, Skills, Self-Regulated Learning, Goal Setting) Monitoring, adjusting, & reflecting on the learning process

Social Skills Hard to measure, easily conflated with other factors Interpersonal Skills, Empathy, Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility Hard to measure, easily conflated with other factors Poor social skills/ behaviors can negatively affect grades through disciplinary events Little evidence of positive effects on grades

SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT 3/6/2012 SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT

Key Findings Improving students’ grades requires improving their academic behaviors and building their academic perseverance Academic mindsets and learning strategies are key levers for improving students’ academic behaviors and academic perseverance (and hence for raising their grades) Classroom context and teacher instructional practices play a crucial role in building academic mindsets and learning strategies We have very little consolidated understanding of how to leverage this fact in classroom practice or in school design (few clear strategies) There is no single existing instrument that measures all the noncognitive factors that research suggests are important for student performance

The Becoming Effective Learners Survey Development Project What Do We Need to Know? What is the “natural” developmental trajectory of noncognitive factors from K to 12 and beyond? How are noncognitive factors shaped by daily classroom practice, absent “intervention”? Are noncognitive factors best understood as properties of individual students or as products of students’ contexts? Are noncognitive factors transferable across settings/contexts? What are the best measures of noncognitive factors? The Becoming Effective Learners Survey Development Project

The Becoming Effective Learners Survey Development Project Goals: Consolidate existing survey scales to create a comprehensive measurement instrument Simultaneously measure student noncognitive factors and classroom context/instructional factors Provide a set of common survey instruments to generate comparable data across projects, populations, and contexts Provide data to schools on student noncognitive factors and on school & classrooms factors that affect the development of noncognitive factors

SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT Noncognitive Factors measured by Becoming Effective Learners Student Survey SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT

What Do We Need to Know? What is the “natural” developmental trajectory of noncognitive factors? Are there key windows in their development? What is the role of exposures and opportunities afforded to different kinds of kids and kids of different backgrounds? A Framework for Developing Young Adult Success in the 21st Century Project

Factors for Young Adult Success: Expanding on Previous Work Developmental lens from early childhood to young adulthood What is the normative developmental trajectory for this factor (from early childhood to late adolescence)? How is this factor developed in different contexts (home, school, out-of school)? What are the key features or opportunities kids need to support the development of this factor in each stage? What are promising practices/interventions for developing this factor at different stages and in different contexts, and what is the evidence of their effectiveness? What are opportunities for knowledge development and practice supports? Does anything about this factor vary by race/ethnic, gender, SES, or academic achievement level? Socio-cultural context and background characteristics

Questions raised in framework project 3/6/2012 Questions raised in framework project What might we consider the successful culmination of 18 years of investment in education, socialization, and development for the young people we are raising today? How much of success in young adulthood based on opportunities and resources versus individual characteristics and competencies? What characteristics or competencies would make youth ‘ready’ for young adulthood? What are the key features or opportunities kids need to support the development in each stage of life? What is the role of school, family, afterschool, and community? What are promising practices/interventions for developing this factor at different stages and in different contexts, and what is the evidence of their effectiveness?

3/6/2012 Thank you! Jenny Nagaoka jkn@uchicago.edu Camille Farrington camillef@uchicago.edu