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Preparing Students for Graduation and Beyond. Jim Hull 2011 NSBA Annual Conference April 9, 2011. Preparing students for graduation and beyond. Getting students to graduate high school Preparing students for college/career Determining how prepared students are for postsecondary success.
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Preparing Students for Graduation and Beyond Jim Hull 2011 NSBA Annual Conference April 9, 2011
Preparing students for graduation and beyond • Getting students to graduate high school • Preparing students for college/career • Determining how prepared students are for postsecondary success
Meet our students • Pat • Crystal • Brittney • Ricky
Pat’s Schools RESPONSE Middle School • Retained in 7th grade High School • Suspensions SITUATION Middle School • Excessive absences • Poor grades High School • Skipped school • Failed coursed
Crystal’s Schools RESPONSE Middle School • None High School • Notified she wasn’t likely to graduate on-time. SITUATION Middle School • Low grades High School • Failed English and math courses • Failed to become of sophomore
Brittney’s Schools RESPONSE Middle School • None High School • Provided extra help in math in her sophomore year. • Encouraged to complete her course requirements • Arranged class schedule to meet her needs SITUATION Middle School • Low grades High School • Failed General Math • Passed other courses
Ricky’s Schools RESPONSE Middle School • Teachers provided extra help High School • Assigned a guidance counselor in the 9th grade SITUATION Middle School • Fell behind completing school work • Low grades High School • Completed college prep curriculum
What happened to our students? • Pat • Dropped out • Crystal • Earned a GED • Brittney • Graduated late • Ricky • Graduated on-time
Why Students Dropout • Dropouts are twice as likely to say they left for school related reasons as for family or personal circumstances. • School related factors are a better predictor of who will dropout than such characteristics as race, poverty, gender, or family background.
Prediction • 85% of eventual dropouts can be identified by 9th grade. • 50% of eventual dropouts show signs in 5th & 6th grade. • The strongest predictors are academic failure & disengagement from school
What schools can do Early warnings of dropping out • Excessive absenteeism • Suspension/Behavior grades • Failed courses, especially in 9th grade • Extreme drop in GPA • Overage due to earlier retentions
Intervention • Most effective intervention provide ongoing, comprehensive counseling that is personalized. • Occasional tutoring, counseling, or activities to boost self-esteem do almost nothing to keep students in school.
Prevention • High-quality pre-kindergarten has many benefits, including high school completions • Small schools • Good relationships with adults • Strong and relevant curriculum
Recovery • Unfortunately, researchers can’t reliably predict 100% of eventual dropouts. • Some programs are showing considerable promise. • More research is needed.
How did Ricky’s schools do? • Prediction: identified Ricky early • Intervention: provided on-going personalized support • Prevention: established good adult relationships and provided Ricky with a rigorous and relevant curriculum • Recovery: didn’t need to because they kept Ricky on track to graduate.
What does a high school diploma mean? Goal of P-12 is no longer just graduating from high school Goal of P-12 is preparation for continued learning – college, career, tech on job training
Earnings boost for college degree has grown immensely Change in average family income from 1973 to 2006 Source:Mortenson, T. (2007, November). Average family income by educational attainment of householder 1967 to 2006. Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 185. (p. 15)
Education pays off median annual earnings of adults 25 and over SOURCE: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007
Job tasks are changing across the economy Source:Levy, F. & Murnane, R. J. (2004). The new division of labor: How computers are creating the next job market. Princeton, NJ: Russell Sage Foundation. (p. 50, Figure 3.5)
Postsecondary education means more than ever: The ‘upskilling’ of jobs Percent of workers with some college SOURCE: Carnavale, College for All? Change, January/February 2008
Nearly two-thirds of new jobs will require postsecondary education or training Projected new jobs 2006-2016 Source:Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008, February). Occupational projections and training data: 2008-9 edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor. (p. 4, Table I-3)
Three kinds of learning are becoming increasingly important if not essential for students to succeed in work and life: • Traditional academic knowledge and skills • Real world application of academic knowledge & skills, or “applied literacies” • Broader competencies, or so-called 21st century skills
Defining a 21st Century Education • More formal education = more advantage • Traditional subjects still matter • Traditional subjects alone are not enough • for success both on the job and in their personal lives, students must also better learn how to apply what they learn
What does it mean for our students? • Pat • Mechanic • Crystal • Electrician • Brittney • Nurse • Ricky • Teacher
Average college applicant • GPA 3.1 • ACT 21 • Trigonometry and chemistry • 75%
Ricky’s Chances of Getting into a Good College • GPA 2.0 • ACT 18 • Trigonometry and chemistry • 50% • GPA 2.0 • ACT 18 • Algebra II and biology • 37%
What would raise a student’s chances? • More rigorous coursework • Pre-calculus 75% to 79% • Higher ACT • 22 over 21 75% to 78% • Increase GPA • 3.1 to 3.6 75% to 79%
Mathematics impact • The highest level of mathematics in high school is the strongest predictor of completing a BA/BS. • Finishing a course beyond the level of Algebra 2 (for example, trigonometry or pre-calculus) more than doubles the odds that a student who enters postsecondary education will complete a bachelor’s degree. SOURCE: Adelman (2006)TheToolbox Revisited.
What is the likelihood of each of our students being able to solve this problem?
The screening test for electrician apprenticeships Source:National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Construction and Maintenance Industry, http://www.njatc.org/training/apprenticeship/index.aspx
Trades becoming more technical, requiring stronger math & reading The math and reading skillsrequired for electricians, construction workers, upholsterers and plumbers are the same as what’s necessary to succeed in first-year college courses. SOURCE: ACT, Readiness for College and Readiness for Work: Same or Different, Iowa City, IA. 2006
Ready for College and Ready for Work:Same or Different? ACT study answered question by: Identifying the level of reading and mathematics skills students need to be ready for entry-level jobs that require less than a bachelor’s degree, pay a wage sufficient to support a family, and offer the potential for career advancement Comparing student performance on ACT tests that measure workforce readiness with those that measure college readiness Determining if the levels of performance needed for college and workforce readiness are the same or different SOURCE: ACT, Readiness for College and Readiness for Work: Same or Different, Iowa City, IA. 2006
Key Lesson • The high school curriculum matters • Challenges: Providing rigorous curriculum to all students, not just some Providing relevance and support so all students learn it
Student outcome datafor high school and beyond • Graduation rates • by race, ethnicity, family income • by special program • Local targets • AP, IB tests • ACT, SAT • Curriculum rigor completion • Postsecondary success
What data can we gather? • College acceptance • College enrollment • College remediation • College proficiency (persistence) • College completion • Career success
College remediation • 28% of all new freshmen required remediation • Students in 2-yr colleges were twice as likely to require remediation compared to their peers in 4-yr college (42% to 20%) SOURCES: NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2006; NCES, Condition of Education, 2004
NSC: National Student Clearinghouse • Their database contains records for 92 percent of all students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in the U.S. • Through their High School Tracker program, NSC offers data services for $425 per year per high school so schools can track the performance of their graduates through postsecondary education.