1. 7th Grade PEP
Academic Planning

2. Overview Evaluate college readiness Assess growth vs. fixed mindset
Assess internal locus of control
Review the research related to academic achievement!

3. The “IT” factors?

4. “IT” Factors for College & Career Success
What do you think is the most important factor in determining whether or not someone is college and career ready?
Brainstorm ideas: record top 10 ideas on blank pieces of paper and post in the front of the room
Class vote: Hand out 3 sticky colored dots to each student. Each dot represents one vote. If they want, students may vote for the same factor more than once. Instruct students to walk around the room and distribute their dots as a way to vote for factor(s) they think are most important.
Examples: grades, test scores, class rank, intelligence, persistence, goal-setting, help-seeking, conscientiousness, belief in self, determination, self-discipline or control, motivation, effort, work habits, study skills, organization, learning strategies. Alternative voting directions: provide each student 3 sticky dots, each with a different color representing a different point value or number of votes. Instruct students to walk around the room and distribute their dots as a way to vote for factor(s) they think are most important.

5. Do you have what “IT” takes?
Assessing your college and career readiness

6. Assessing Your Readiness
Before I reveal the most important factors in determining college readiness, you will complete several short surveys to evaluate whether or not you are on-track to be college ready
Mental Mindset Survey
Source of Control Survey
Overall Readiness Rubric
If you can identify where you might have readiness gaps, you can start making plans to close those gaps.

7. Mental Mindsets
Fixed vs. Growth

8. Mental Mindset Fixed mindset: Growth mindset:
Belief that you are either smart or not smart.
Belief that your intelligence and abilities cannot be changed.
Fear making mistakes and/or always trying to prove yourself.
Growth mindset:
Belief that your abilities and intelligence can grow and change through effort and learning.
View mistakes as learning opportunities.
Learning for yourself, not for anyone else.

9. Mental Mindset
Scientists now know that the brain is continually changing in response to one’s environment, habits, and experiences.
Over time, these experiences create patterns in the signal strength of the brain’s nerves, synapses and neurotransmitters.
As one meets new people, has new experiences and acquires new skills, these activity patterns change.
Information from

10. Source of Control
Internal vs. External

11. Internal vs. External External = Excuses Internal = I am responsible
External locus of control:
Belief that things outside your control are responsible for your successes and failures in life.
Examples: Lack of intelligence or ability, chance/luck, test difficulty, teacher, family situation, friends, classmates, etc.
Internal locus of control:
Belief that you are in control and responsible for the successes and failures in your life.
External = Excuses
Internal = I am responsible

12. Readiness Rubric

13. Success Factors & the College Readiness Rubric
Take time to read through and complete the Readiness Rubric:
Academic Marks
Academic Belief or Mindset
Academic Responsibility
Effort and Persistence
Academic Behaviors
Learning Strategies
Standardized Test Scores
These factors increase the chances of you reaching your college and career goals.

14. Readiness Rubric & Reflection

15. What does the research say?

16. Academic Beliefs
Growth Mindset and Sense of Personal Control are more closely associated with school performance than test scores
(Farrington, Roderick, Allensworth, Nagaoka, Keyes, Johnson, and Beechum, 2012).

17. Academic Beliefs Fixed Mindset Group Growth Mindset Group
Research Study by Dweck
Fixed Mindset Group
Growth Mindset Group
Test 1 - 5th Graders were given a puzzle to complete. When they finished, they were told either…
“You must be smart (intelligent).”
“You must have worked really hard.”
Test 2 - Same students were given the choice between a difficult and an easy task.
Most chose the easy task.
90% chose the difficult task.
Test 3 - Same students were given a difficult (8th g.) test.
They gave up quickly.
They worked hard at figuring out the puzzle.
Test 4 - Same students then asked if they wanted to see exams of students who did better or worse than them.
Wanted to see exams of students who did worse.
Wanted to see exams of students who did better.
Test 5 - Students were given the original puzzle again to see if they improved.
Scores dropped by nearly 20%.
Raised average score by 30%.
Academic Beliefs

18. Academic Beliefs Control Group Treatment Group Outcome:
One week later – Students in treatment group outscored control group students on practice GRE questions.
One year later - Students in treatment group had higher GPAs than control group by .27 points and were 80% less likely to have dropped out of school. (Wilson and Linville (1982, 1985)
Control Group
Treatment Group
1st year college students were shown a video with older college students talking about their academic interests, with no discussion of their grades or class performance.
1st year college students were shown a video with older college students talking about their initial difficulty in college and how their performance and GPA improved over time.
(Skip this slide if running short on time) Note: not just true for 5th graders, same type of effect when done with college students.

19. Academic Behaviors
Attendance, homework, and study habits are more closely related to school performance than test scores.

20. Academic Behaviors Attendance:
Researchers followed Chicago 8th grade students with the lowest standardized test scores as they entered high school. The lowest scoring students who had less than a week of absences in a semester passed more of the 9th grade courses than students who entered HS with the highest test scores but who missed just one more week of class (Allensworth and Easton, 2007).

21. Academic Behaviors Homework:
Students with the lowest standardized test scores (i.e. bottom third) who spent over 10 hours per week on homework were able to raise their grades to mostly B’s, the same grade as students with the highest standardized test scores who did not do their homework (Keith, 1982).
Time spent on homework has a positive effect on both grades and standardized test scores.

22. Academic Behaviors
Attendance and study habits strongly predicts student’s grades, even more than standardized test scores or any other student background characteristics.
Grades predict high school and college performance and graduation
Grades even predict people’s future alary.
For each point increase in GPA, men and women earned 20% more money in their jobs 9 years after high school, even after controlling for educational attainment (Miller, 1998).
Why might this be? Because students who attend class and complete their work are likely to practice work habits needed in college as well as in the workforce.

23. Review Important to remember!
Smart is not something you are but something you become
Two of the ways you can become smarter is by trying hard and being organized
When students establish good habits that they do every day
They will be much more successful in school
These habits include
Use your planner to organize your time
Take notes in class and when reading school books
Complete homework and class assignments
Seek help to gain a better understanding of the subject
Be prepared for class with all your materials
A few of the biggest factors in school success is
Believing in yourself
Doing your best
Not giving up when things get difficult

24. Readiness Reflection
Read through the 3 surveys again and use a different color to show if any of your answers have changed.
Complete the reflection questions on your worksheet.
In what ways will improving my academic attitudes and behaviors affect my performance in school?
In what ways will improving my academic attitudes and behaviors affect my college and career goals?
In what areas am I currently meeting college readiness and career expectations?
In what areas am I still developing college and career readiness?
What steps can I take to improve my college and career readiness?
My classmates, teachers, counselors, and/or parents could help me in the following ways?

25. Works Cited
Allensworth, E. and Ponisciak, S. (2008). The on-track indicator as a predictor of high school graduation. Chicago: University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.
Farrington, C.A., Roderick, M., Allensworth, E. Nagaoka, J., Keyes, T.S., Johnson, D.W., Beechum, N.O. (2012). Teaching adolescents to become learners. The role of noncognitive factors in shaping school performance: A critical literature review. Chicago: University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.
Keith, T.Z. (1982). Time spent on homework and high school grades: A large sample path analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(2),
Miller, S.R. (1998). Shortcut: High school grades as a signal of human capital. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 20,
Wilson, T.D., and Linville, P.W. (1982). Improving the academic performance of college freshmen: Attribution therapy revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42,
Wilson, T.D., and Linville, P.W. (1985). Improving the performance of college freshmen with attributional techniques. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49,
Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour. Alzheimer’s Association website:
IQ Mindware website: mindsets-failure/, citing work of Carol Dweck.