Academic Vertical Alignment Training and Renewal (AVATAR) Project

Academic Vertical Alignment Training and Renewal (AVATAR) Project Spring 2012 Pilot Project Module Ten Selecting Data to Measure Improvement

Purposes of Module 10 • Study data that pertain to the college and career readiness and performance of local students. • Become familiar with at least one source of data that can inform vertical alignment teams about career and college readiness of shared students and identify data that are relevant to your team. • Select at least one problem of interest for continuing study through use of available data.

The Great Cultural Divide* *Acknowledgement: Ginger Grossman, THECB

K-12 Indicators from AEIS • For a high school of interest, examine the following: In the College Readiness Indicator section, what percentage of the most recent graduating class completed the Recommended High School Program or the Distinguished Academic program? Were there gaps for subgroups? What percentage of students completed advanced/dual enrollment courses? How many took and how many passed AP/IB exams? Were there differences by subgroup? To what extent and how well did students perform on the SAT/ACT? Were results similar by subgroup? What percentage of students were considered TSI (Texas Success Initiative) ready? What percentages of students were “college ready graduates” in ELA, math, and both subjects? Were there differences by subgroup? What is the average years of teacher experience at the school? How are the teachers distributed by school program?

THECB Indicators of College Enrollment • For a high school of interest, examine the following: • Using “Texas High School Graduates from FY2009” information, what percentages of graduates from this high school enrolled within one year in 4-year public universities, 2-year public universities, Texas independent colleges or universities, or were not trackable or not found? • Using “FTIC Students Who Attempted Courses for Dual Credit Prior to Enrollment in a Texas College of University,” what relationships do you see between dual credit enrollment and college completion in 4 years or less (or other items of interest) for students of interest to your team?

THECB Indicators of College Readiness (TSI) • For a school district of interest, examine the following: • Using the “Annual TSI Test Report of Student Performance,” what percentage of high school graduates enrolled in higher education within one year, and what percentage of those who enrolled met TSI (Texas Success Initiative) in mathematics, writing, and reading? • For this same district, what percentage of graduates were TSI ready in all areas? • How do these district statistics compare with those of a high school campus of interest to your team?

THECB Indicators of 2-Year College Performance For a community college of interest, examine the following: • To what extent did transfers from that institution complete the core curriculum and/or field of study requirements, and how did they perform at the university? What differences did you see among the universities to which students commonly transferred? • To what extent did transfers from the institution complete an academic or technical associates degree, and how did completers perform at the university? Were there differences among institutions to which they transferred? • To what extent did transfers from the institution complete certificates, and how did completers perform at universities? • How did transfers who completed developmental education perform at universities compared to those who did not complete developmental education?

THECB Indicators of 4-Year College Performance For a university of interest, examine the following: • To what extent did transfers to that institution complete the core curriculum and/or field of study requirements at another college, and how did those from a college of interest perform at the university? What differences did you see among the institutions from which students commonly transferred? • To what extent had transfers to the institution completed an academic or technical associates degree prior to transfer, and how did completers perform at the university? • To what extent had transfers to the institution completed certificates prior to transfer, and how did the completers perform at universities? • How did transfers who completed developmental education at colleges of interest perform at universities compared to those who had not completed developmental education?

THECB Indicators of 2-Year College Completion • How many students completed baccalaureate degrees within 6 years from universities of interest? What percentage of high school graduates complete baccalaureate degrees within 6 years in your region? • What do you see as your five most important findings from looking at these data? What would you like to know?

Online Data Sources • North Texas Regional P-16 Council Gap Analysis Reports • http://www.ntp16.notlb.com This source presents longitudinal data that pertain to ESC Regions 10 and 11 and/or to Metropolitan Statistics Region 3; Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties; and/or member school districts and post-secondary institutions during the year(s) of the report.

Online Data Sources • Texas Education Agency • Public Education Information Management Systems (PEIMS) • Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) • Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board • High school to college • Performance (GPA) • Dual credit • Texas Success Initiative (TSI) • Accountability • Transfers • Texas P-16 Education Information Resources (TPEIR) See Handout for Links

A Closer Look at Data Sources • What source did you look at? Share one finding of potential interest to your team,

The Example of Algebra 2 Is passing Algebra 2 in high school sufficient to perform well in college mathematics? Is the answer the same if a student goes to a 2-year or a 4-year college? How about for students who got an “A” in their high school mathematics course? With thanks to Ginger Grossman

First College Math Course at a Higher Ed Institution Students who Passed Algebra 2 in High SchoolH.S. Graduates FY 2005-2007 4-Year 2-Year 88.3% 59.4% 40.0% 15.4% Basic Math College Algebra Calculus Intermediate Math Pre-Calculus Other

First College Math Course at a Higher Ed Institution Students who Passed Algebra 2 with an ‘A’ in High SchoolH.S. Graduates FY 2005-2007 4-Year Basic Math Intermediate Math College Algebra Pre-Calculus Calculus Other 52.6% 44.9%

The Example of English IV How well did students who completed English IV in high school perform in English at 2-year colleges? With thanks to Ginger Grossman

Highest H.S. English Course Taken by Students Entering Community College Location C Location A Location B AP English* English IV English III Below English III

First College English Course at a 2-year institutionStudents who Passed English IV in High SchoolH.S. Graduates FY 2005-2007 Location C Location A Location B 87.0% 44.9% 51.0% 49.0% 48.1% 13.0% Developmental Education Composition Other

First College English Course at a 2-year institution Pass RatesStudents who Passed English IV in High SchoolH.S. Graduates FY 2005-2007 Location A Location B Location C 77.6% 76.7% 76.1% 76.5% 70.8% 67.6% 60.9% 56.1% 57.1%

Identifying Problems of Interest • Based on the data available, state at least one question of interest to your team about the performance of students in your pyramid.

Academic Vertical Alignment Training and Renewal (AVATAR) Project