REL Midwest Reference Desk. Student Success and College Completion Rates 1

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1 Reference Desk Student Success and College Completion Rates October 2012 Questions 1. What reports are available on student success and completion rates in college at a national or state level? 2. What high school supports are needed by students in order to be successful in college? Background received a request for information on student success rates in college, specifically persistence in college coursework, years taken to graduate and average grade point average. The requester also was interested in research linking high school practices with college success. Following an established research protocol, we conducted a search for research reports as well as descriptive and policy-oriented briefs and articles on student success rates in college and high school practices linked to college success. The sources included federally funded organizations, additional research institutions, several educational research databases, and a general Internet search using Google and other search engines. We also searched for appropriate organizations that may act as resources on this issue. We have not done an evaluation of these organizations or the resources themselves but offer this list to you for your information only. 1. What reports are available on student success and completion rates in college at a national or state level? DeAngelo, L., Franke, R., Hurtado, S., Pryor, J. H., & Tran, S. (2011). Completing college: Assessing graduation rates at four-year institutions. Los Angeles: UCLA Higher Education Research Institute. Retrieved from From the Introduction: The purpose of this report is to provide data-driven information regarding more complex ways of assessing institutional graduation rates, taking into Student Success and College Completion Rates 1

2 account the characteristics of students that institutions enroll as first-time freshman. Other reports on variation in institutional graduate rates have used comparisons of similar institution types to alert the public about low or high degree attainment rates of particular colleges (Hess, Schneider, Kelley, & Carey, 2009). Unfortunately, such reports rely on aggregate data and therefore are not actually comparing institutions with similar types of students. Green, J. P., & Forster, G. (2003). Public high school graduation and college readiness rates in the United States (Education Working Paper No. 3). Retrieved from From the executive summary: Students who fail to graduate high school prepared to attend a four-year college are much less likely to gain full access to our country s economic, political, and social opportunities. In this study we estimate the percentage of students in the public high school class of 2001 who actually possess the minimum qualifications for applying to four-year colleges. To be college ready students must pass three crucial hurdles: they must graduate from high school, they must have taken certain courses in high school that colleges require for the acquisition of necessary skills, and they must demonstrate basic literacy skills. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education we are able to estimate the percentage of students who graduate high school as well as the percentage that finish high school ready to attend a four-year college. We are also able to produce these estimates by racial/ethnic group as well as by region and state. Hoachlander, G., Sikora, A. C., & Horn, L. (2003). Community college students: Goals, academic preparation, and outcomes. Education Statistics Quarterly, 5(2), Retrieved from From the study: This study first examined the outcomes of BPS students whose first enrollment was in a community college. Among students who intended to obtain a formal credential or to transfer to a 4-year institution, 11 percent had attained a bachelor s degree or higher, 17 percent had earned an associate s degree, and 11 percent had earned a certificate as of 2001, for a total attainment rate of 39 percent. An additional 12 percent had transferred to a 4-year institution but had not yet attained a degree. In total, 51 percent of BPS community college students who intended to earn a degree or to transfer to a 4-year institution had fulfilled these expectations within 6 years of their initial enrollment. Horn, L., & Kojaku, L. K. (2001). High school academic curriculum and the persistence path through college: Persistence and transfer behavior of undergraduates 3 years after entering 4-year institutions (NCES ). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from From the executive summary: This report examines the relationship between high school academic curricula and students persistence path through college, approximately 3 years Student Success and College Completion Rates 2

3 after first enrolling. The data are drawn from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Survey, a longitudinal study of beginning postsecondary students who first enrolled in a 4-year college in Measures of high school academic preparation are based on academic courses taken in high school as reported by students on their college entrance exam applications. Knapp, L. G. (2012). Enrollment in postsecondary institutions, fall 2011; Financial statistics, fiscal year 2011; and graduation rates, selected cohorts, : First look (NCES ). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from From the introduction: The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects institution-level data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia) and other U.S. jurisdictions (see appendix A for a list of other U.S. jurisdictions). This First Look presents findings from the preliminary data of the IPEDS spring 2012 data collection, which included four survey components: Enrollment at postsecondary institutions during fall 2011; Finance, for the 2011 fiscal year; and graduation rates of selected cohorts within 150 and 200 percent of normal program completion time. Data for all components were collected through the IPEDS web-based data collection system. Michigan Department of Education. (2009). Higher education enrollment and persistence report: High school graduates from and school years PILOT [Data file]. Accessible from From the website: This pilot report supports metrics outlined in the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) reporting requirements that helped secure $1.3 billion in federal support of statewide local public education efforts. This report contains the number and percentage of Michigan public high school graduates from the and school years who enrolled in an Institution of Higher Education (IHE). It also contains the number of Michigan public high school graduates from these school years who persisted in an IHE long enough to earn at least one year s worth of credits. The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) collected the databases used to compile this report. The databases include the NSC database and CEPI s Student Transcript and Academic Record Repository (STARR). Data from both databases are combined to provide the most complete picture of Michigan public high school graduate enrollment at an IHE nationwide. Roderick, M., Nagaoka, J., & Allensworth, E. (2006). From high school to the future: A first look at Chicago Public School graduates college enrollment, college preparation, and graduation from four-year colleges. Chicago: University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. Retrieved from Student Success and College Completion Rates 3

4 From the report overview: Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has made preparing students for success in postsecondary education and careers a central focus of its reform efforts in high schools. In 2003, CPS established the Department of Postsecondary Education in the Office of High School Programs, which has instituted an array of new initiatives aimed at providing guidance, academic enrichment opportunities, and financial resources to students, parents, and high schools. As part of the initiative, CPS began to track the postsecondary plans and participation of its graduates and has developed new school- and system-level reports on postsecondary outcomes. In 2005, CPS also produced a new high school report card that highlights measures of postsecondary preparation and participation as key indicators of high school performance. Wirt, J., Choy, S., Rooney, P., Provasnik, S., Sen, A., & Tobin, R. (2004). The condition of education 2004 (NCES ). Supplemental Table Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from From the website: The Condition of Education 2004 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 38 indicators on the status and condition of education and a special analysis of changes in student financial aid between and The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The 2004 print edition includes 38 indicators in six main areas: (1) enrollment trends and student characteristics at all levels of the education system from elementary education to adult learning; (2) student achievement and the longer term, enduring effects of education; (3) student effort and rates of progress through the educational system among different population groups; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education in terms of courses taken, teacher characteristics, and other factors; (5) the contexts of postsecondary education; and (6) societal support for learning, including parental and community support for learning, and public and private financial support of education at all levels. 2. What high school supports are needed by students in order to be successful in college? Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from From the Executive Summary: The Toolbox Revisited is a data essay that follows a nationally representative cohort of students from high school into postsecondary education, and asks what aspects of their formal schooling contribute to completing a bachelor s degree by their mid-20s. The universe of students is confined to those who attended a four-year college at any time, thus including students who started out in other types of institutions, particularly community colleges. Student Success and College Completion Rates 4

5 Center for Best Practices. (2005). A profile of state action to improve America s high schools. Washington, DC: National Governors Association. From the Website: This eight-page report summarizes state high schools policy activity in five areas: (1) restoring value to the high school diploma; (2) redesigning high schools; (3) recruiting, keeping and supporting high-quality teachers; (4) strengthening educational accountability; and (5) improving education governance. According to the report, while all states have expanded college-level learning opportunities, only three states hold high schools accountable for college- and work-ready standards; only three states hold colleges accountable for student retention and completion. Note: is unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems. Engberg, M. E., & Wolniak, G. C. (2010). Examining the effects of high school contexts on postsecondary enrollment. Research in Higher Education, 51, Retrieved from From the abstract: The present study is organized around the central hypothesis that the high school context affects students' postsecondary outcomes. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of high school seniors from the Educational Longitudinal Survey (ELS:2002), this study broadens our empirical understanding of how students' acquisition of human, social, and cultural capital at the individual and school level affects 2- and 4- year college attendance. Results highlight the normative role of high schools in promoting college enrollment, particularly the role of socioeconomics, academic preparation, and access to parent, peer, and college-linking networks. This study advances our understanding of the secondary-postsecondary nexus and has implications for policies and practices aimed at realizing the current administration's promise of providing greater access to postsecondary education for all students. Note: is unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems. Frost, M. B. (2007). Texas students' college expectations: Does high school racial composition matter? Sociology of Education, 80(1), Retrieved from From the abstract: This article explores the association between school racial composition and students' expectations to graduate from a four-year college. In addition to the individual characteristics of students that have been repeatedly shown to influence educational goals, the results indicate that both school socioeconomic level and Student Success and College Completion Rates 5

6 achievement composition are related to expectations. The results also suggest the counterintuitive finding that in similar schools, students in schools with greater concentrations of minority students are more likely to expect to attain a four-year college degree than are students in schools with lower proportions of minority students. Hill, L. D. (2008). School strategies and the "college-linking" process: Reconsidering the effects of high schools on college enrollment. Sociology of Education, 81(1), Retrieved from From the abstract: This study reconsidered school effects on college enrollment by focusing on strategies that schools use to facilitate college transitions. It also examined whether school strategies influence different outcomes for students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Using data from the High School Effectiveness Study, the analysis identified three distinctive "college-linking" strategies: traditional, clearinghouse, and brokering. The results revealed that the strategies that schools use to help students navigate the college-linking process are associated with variation in college enrollment. They suggest that schools that operate primarily as a resource clearinghouse, in which organizational norms limit their role as agents in the college-linking process, foster significant racial/ethnic variation in students' outcomes. Horn, L. J., & Kojaku, L. K. (2001). High school academic curriculum and the persistence path through college [NCES ]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from From the executive summary: This report examines the relationship between high school academic curricula and students persistence path through college, approximately 3 years after first enrolling. The data are drawn from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Survey, a longitudinal study of beginning postsecondary students who first enrolled in a 4-year college in Measures of high school academic preparation are based on academic courses taken in high school as reported by students on their college entrance exam applications. Ishitani, T. T. (2006). Studying attrition and degree completion behavior among first-generation college students in the United States. Journal of Higher Education, 77(5), Retrieved from From the abstract: This study investigated attrition and degree completion behavior of first-generation college students. Based on the findings, first-generation students were at the highest risk of departure during the second year, followed by the first year. These students were also 51% less likely to graduate within 4 years than students with collegeeducated parents were. Roderick, M., Nagaoka, J., Coca, V. & Moeller, E. (2008). From high school to the future: Potholes on the Road to College. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research at Student Success and College Completion Rates 6

7 the University of Chicago. Retrieved from From the study: This report, the second report in the series, looks beyond qualifications to examine whether CPS students who aspire to four-year colleges are effectively participating in the college search and application process and where they encounter potholes on the road to college. Drawing on prior research, we examine both how students manage the college application process and what types of colleges students apply to and ultimately enroll in. First, are CPS students who aspire to attend a four-year college taking the steps they need to enroll in a four-year college? Second, do CPS students effectively participate in college search and get the support they need to make informed choices about what colleges they could apply to and what colleges may best fit their needs? Tierney, W. G., Bailey, T., Constantine, J., Finklestein, N., & Farmer Hurd, N. (2009). Helping students navigate the path to college: What high schools can do (NCEE ). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation. Retrieved from From the Introduction: This guide is intended to help schools and districts develop practices to increase access to higher education. It can be useful for individuals who work in schools and districts in planning and executing strategies to improve preparation for, and access to, higher education. A panel of experts in college access programs and strategies and in research methods developed the recommendations in this guide. The guide contains specific steps on how to implement the recommendations that are targeted at school- and district-level administrators, teachers, counselors, and related education staff. The guide also indicates the level of research evidence demonstrating that each recommended practice is effective. Warburton, E., Bugarin, R., & Nuñez, A. (2001). Bridging the gap: Academic preparation and postsecondary success of first-generation students. Education Statistics Quarterly, 3(3), Retrieved from From the executive summary: This report examines the high school preparation and postsecondary persistence of first generation students those students whose parents had no education beyond high school and compares them with students whose parents went to college. Wolniak, G. C., & Engberg, M. E. (2010). Academic achievement in the first year of college: Evidence of the pervasive effects of the high school context. Research in Higher Education, 51, Retrieved from From the abstract: This study aims to improve our understanding of the postsecondary impacts of high schools by investigating whether or not exposure to different high school Student Success and College Completion Rates 7

8 contexts may explain academic performance once in college. Drawing on a sample of 3,750 participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, descriptive and multivariate analyses examine relationships between students' precollege characteristics, the high school context, and first year college grades. Results indicate that the quality of the high school infrastructure and exposure to violence at school--two operationalized dimensions of the high school context--affect first year college grades above and beyond precollege academic achievement and a variety of other background characteristics. Results also provide evidence of the conditional nature of these effects, where the high school context reinforces advantages of students with relatively greater economic resources prior to college. Implications for policy are discussed along with a call for a more holistic and interdependent perspective in examining the secondary-postsecondary nexus. Additional Organizations to Consult Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment From the website: The Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE) carries out research in partnership with five states Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia to better understand the employment and earnings benefits associated with a broad range of postsecondary education pathways, including those at the sub baccalaureate level. CAPSEE also seeks to identify policies that improve completion rates along pathways leading to strong economic returns. College Measures From the website: College Measures is committed to informing and improving the decision-making process for students, parents, and policy makers. By making available key data through websites like our 2-year and 4-year college data tools, we enable users to make smarter decisions, and in doing so help create a more efficient, productive and effective higher education system. Community College Research Center (CCRC) From the website: The Community College Research Center (CCRC) is the leading independent authority on the nation s nearly 1,200 two-year colleges. Since our inception, CCRC s consortium of researchers has strategically assessed the problems and performances of community colleges. Our mission is to conduct research on the major issues affecting community colleges in the United States and to contribute to the development of practice and policy that expands access to higher education and promotes success for all students. Digest of Education Statistics From the website: The primary purpose of the Digest of Education Statistics is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection Student Success and College Completion Rates 8

9 of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international education. National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR) From the website: The National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR) focuses on measuring the effectiveness of programs designed to help students make the transition to college and master the basic skills needed to advance to a degree. Key Words and Search Terms Used in the Search College OR post-secondary AND completion OR graduation OR graduation rates OR persistence OR readiness OR enrollment Search of Databases and Websites Institute of Education Sciences Sources: The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program, IES Practice Guides (IES), What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), Doing What Works (DWW), National Center for Education Research (NCER), National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) Other Federally Funded Sites: The National High School Center, National Center for Postsecondary Research Search Engines and Databases: ERIC, Google Scholar, Google Criteria for Inclusion When Reference Desk researchers review resources, they consider among other things the following four factors: Date of the Publication: Except in the case of nationally known, seminal publications or resources, the researcher includes the most recent and current information available. If current information is not available, older resources or reports are included. Source and Funder: Reference desk researchers give priority to published, peerreviewed literature funded by Institute of Educational Sciences (IES) and other federally funded organizations. In addition, the researcher uses databases and search engines such as ERIC, Google Scholar, and Google to find journal articles (with priority given to peerreviewed publications), reports, articles, policy briefs, or tools from well-respected, nonpartisan sources of high-quality research. Student Success and College Completion Rates 9

10 Methodology: Reference desk researchers give priority to reports that employ rigorous methodologies such as randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs; statistical analyses of surveys or other data; literature reviews or meta-analyses; qualitative case studies; policy briefs; and others. Priority for inclusion includes the external validity of the study (i.e., the degree to which findings can be generalized to other populations, geographical areas, contexts, and times); sample selection (Did the participants volunteer for the study, or were they chosen?); and sample size (How many participants are included in the study? Are the demographics of the pool homogeneous or diverse?). Existing Knowledge Base: Although we strive to include peer-reviewed resources, there are times when the research base is limited or nonexistent. In these cases, we include the best resources we can find, which may include newspaper articles, interviews with content specialists, organization websites, and so forth. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Reference Desk is a service provided by a collaborative of the REL Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). This response was prepared under contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 with IES, by, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the response does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. Student Success and College Completion Rates 10