College Readiness and the Sciences A Conversation About Transitioning to UK

One of 9 universities in the US to offer studies ranging from agriculture and art to engineering, law, medicine and pharmacy on a single campus Most comprehensive research university in KY Approx. 27,000 students, 70% undergraduate Fall ‘09 = 4,153 incoming first year students mid-50% range ACT composite scores Outreach efforts in science education include KY P20 Innovation Labs, PIMSER, Tracy Farmer Institute, Agricultural Extension KY High School Grads in Transition: About UK

“War on Attrition” resulted in retention rate over 80% for second year in a row Record high fall-to-spring retention rate of 94.5%, compared to previous high of 92.3% KY High School Grads in Transition: About UK

Students who enter UK with a STEM major as their goal tend to succeed better overall Half of all students who do not complete their bachelor’s degree at UK leave in their first year KY High School Grads in Transition: About UK Graduating cohort entering Fall 2008 Fall ‘08Fall ‘09% retained at UK STEM major1, % Not STEM major3,0152, %

UK students who pass all their classes with a C or above in their first year tend to have: –High school GPAs of 3.5 and above –AP course credits accepted toward graduation at UK –Studied 10+ hours/week during their high school senior year –Identified with being a good student –Self-reported a “drive to achieve” KY high school grads in transition: About UK

Of the 4,111 first year students entering UK in Fall 2009, 1,267 or 31% earned college credit from successful Advanced Placement exams KY High School Grads in Transition: About UK Top Science and Math Credits Earned by UK 2009 Cohort AP Test ScoresUK CourseStudents Calculus AB or BC 3-5MA Statistics 3-5STA Chemistry 3-5CHE 105/111/ Biology 4-5BIO 150/151/152/15390 Calculus BC 3-5MA 11473

Goals: 1.Introduce yourself to your colleagues and get to know each other 2.Demonstrate understanding of state and federal emphasis on improving transition to college, especially to increase degree completion in STEM disciplines 3.Begin exchanging information about teaching and learning expectations in science classrooms of Kentucky 4.Plan future events that involve discussions for problem-solving transition issues KY High School Grads in Transition: Why We Are Here Today