Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
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
www.relmidwest.org2
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 Work4. Study: Predictors of College Readiness Using State
Data5. Resources Related to College and Career
Readiness
www.relmidwest.org
REL Midwest
3
REL Midwest is operated by American Institutes for Research.
www.relmidwest.org
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
www.relmidwest.org
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
www.relmidwest.org
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
www.relmidwest.org7
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).
www.relmidwest.org
College and Career Readiness Initiatives in the Midwest
8
Domain Description Examples
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)
www.relmidwest.org9
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
www.relmidwest.org
Research and Technical Assistance Needs and Interests
10
Domain Description
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?
www.relmidwest.org
Alliance Projects
11
Domain Type Project
Alignment Reference 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
Study Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data
Study (proposed)
College Readiness and Pathways for Rural Students in Indiana (Rural Research Alliance)
Webinar Using Data to Prepare Students for College and Careers
Webinar (2/22/13)
Noncognitive Factors in Shaping the School Performance of Adolescents
www.relmidwest.org
Alliance Projects
12
Domain Type Project
Alignment Reference 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
Study Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data
Study (proposed)
College Readiness and Pathways for Rural Students in Indiana (Rural Research Alliance)
Webinar Using Data to Prepare Students for College and Careers
Webinar (2/22/13)
Noncognitive Factors in Shaping the School Performance of Adolescents
www.relmidwest.org13
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)
www.relmidwest.org14
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)
www.relmidwest.org15
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?
www.relmidwest.org16
Study: Predictors of College Readiness Using State Data
Purposes: To identify…1. Student-level measures in Indiana’s longitudinal data
system that predict college readiness2. How different indicators of college readiness relate to
each other3. 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
www.relmidwest.org17
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 Readiness1. Enrolled in and completed only nonremedial courses
during first year2. Earned all credits attempted in the first semester of
college3. One-year persistence4. Combination of (1) – (3)
www.relmidwest.org18
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
www.relmidwest.org
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: http://www.betterhighschools.org/CCR/overview.asp
REL Midwest website: www.relmidwest.org
19
www.relmidwest.org20
Jennifer StephanP: 312-283-2409 > F: 312-288-7601E-Mail: [email protected]
REL Midwest1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200Naperville, IL 60563-1486General Information: 866-730-6735Website: www.relmidwest.org
