Review test prep resources for educators, students and families.

Transcription

1

2 Goals: Discuss findings of the 2013 SAT Report on College and Career Readiness and the ACT 2013 Condition of College and Career Readiness; examine performance data to see how Arizona students are testing. Review test prep resources for educators, students and families. Use UA enrollment data and UA usage trends in tutoring and academic support to give us perspective on the College Board s 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness. Help us think about how we transition our high school students from a culture of high-stakes testing, competitive college admissions and maximizing financial aid to to a culture of student development and learning.

3 The 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness National Report: Arizona Report: _03_03_01.pdf

4 The 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness Less than half of the students who took the SAT in 2013 are ready to succeed in postsecondary education Only 43 percent of the test takers this year met or exceeded the benchmark score of 1550 out of a possible 2400, the same proportion as last year According to the College Board, those who reach that number have a greater chance of attaining a B-minus average or higher during their first year of college and persisting to graduation The mean score for 2013 was 1498 The number of students reaching the benchmark score has remained virtually unchanged over the last five years

5 College Board Insights David Coleman, president of the College Board, said that for more test takers to reach a score of 1550, rigorous coursework will have to become more widely accessible Coleman plans to better align the SAT with the Common Core State Standards, which he helped write Common Core State Standards prescribe what students should learn, in English and mathematics, from kindergarten through high school Coleman is proposing a shift toward analytical writing; he thinks there is too much emphasis on personal narrative. Students need to be accountable for the evidence they are using in essays

6 College Board Insights (Cont.) Critics of standardized tests contend that the examinations are unfair to students from low-income backgrounds. The College Board's report showed that test takers in the lowest income percentile, whose families make less than $20,000 per year, averaged a score of The average score for students from families who make more than $100,000 was Coleman has repeatedly emphasized the need to get more high-school students into honors and Advanced Placement courses. Nearly 80 percent of the students who met the benchmark score had taken AP or honors courses. The College Board will be working to make advanced courses readily available at schools that serve large minority communities.

7 College Board Insights (Cont.) Language, too, can be a barrier for some SAT takers. Students who reported learning "English and another language" or "another language" first tested as high in math as their English-first peers or higher than them On the critical-reading and writing sections, the average scores for that first group of students who made up nearly 30 percent of those tested were notably lower than for those who had learned only English first

8 2013 Arizona SAT Mean Scores Critical Reading: 521 Mathematics: 528 Writing: 502 Essay: 7.1

9 ACT 2013 Condition of College and Career Readiness National Report: Arizona Report: Nearly 1.8 million test takers (national) 69% met one or more benchmarks 61% met two or fewer ACT College Readiness Benchmarks 39% met three or more ACT College Readiness Benchmarks 31% met zero benchmarks 26% met all four College Readiness Benchmarks

10 ACT 2013 Condition of College and Career Readiness ACT defines readiness as: The acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year courses at a postsecondary institution (such as a 2- or 4-year college, trade school, or technical school) without the need for remediation. ACT measures college readiness by measuring the empirical scores needed on the ACT subject area tests to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.

11 ACT 2013 Condition of College and Career Readiness 64% met ACT English benchmark 44% met ACT Reading benchmark 44% met ACT Math benchmark 36% met ACT Science benchmark Average composite score is 20.9 on a scale of 1 to 36

12 Arizona Benchmark Scores Science: 23 Math: 22 Reading: 22 English: 18 21% of Arizona students who took the ACT met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores (26% national)

13 Percent of Arizona Students Ready for College-Level Coursework: (National figures in parenthesis) College English Composition (English Benchmark): 53% (64%) College Algebra (Math Benchmark): 38% (44%) College Social Science (Reading Benchmark): 37% (44%) College Biology (Science Benchmark): 28% (36%)

14 General Test Preparation Strategies Work hard in school Take challenging courses Read and write extensively Learn to read effectively Improve vocabulary Develop problem-solving skills Strengthen writing

15 Online Resources The Official SAT Question of the Day : Practice a different question each day with the College Board s popular SAT Question of the Day. Visit the College Board s website or sign up to receive daily test questions via Online flashcards, vocabulary builders, grammar and math review: * * * * php *This is a sample of what s online. Explore these sites and more, and have some fun! Mobile Apps: Read the following article about the variety of mobile apps designed to help you prepare for college entrance exams.

16 Tucson-area Preparation Courses Number of in-person, online, and hybrid options Angie Record Double800.com Kaplan Princeton Review The THINK TANK at the University of Arizona Tucson SAT Preparation Academy

17 SAT Prep Course at the THINK TANK at the University of Arizona 6 weeks (Fall, Spring); 2-week Summer Course Pre- and post-tests 14 hours of instruction The Official SAT Study Guide, College Board (Textbook) On campus offerings introduce high school students to college environment One instructor for Critical Reading and Writing Sections; one instructor for Mathematics Section Instructors provide office hours

18 From the Executive Summary of the 2013 SAT Report on College and Career Readiness: The College Board s 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness reveals that fewer than half of all SAT takers in the class of 2013 graduated from high school academically prepared for the rigors of college-level course work. With our country struggling to compete in the global marketplace and with millions of skilled jobs left unfilled there is a heightened focus on understanding how our students are performing academically and in ensuring that they are college and career ready. While some might see stagnant scores as no news, the College Board considers them a call to action. These scores can and must change and the College Board feels a sense of responsibility to help make that happen. College Board s members have called for a renewed focus on our social mission by declaring that the students in our programs are within our care. The College Board s objective is to use evidence-based practices to deliver measurable results for students across the country.

19 Basic facts about the report: SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark developed by SAT to help schools, educators and policymakers better prepare students for college. The benchmark of 1550 associated with a 65% probability of obtaining a first-year GPA of B- or higher (associated with high likelihood of college success). The Benchmark over the past five years has remained steady (44% 2009, 44% 2010, 43% 2011/2012/2013). Benchmark associated with higher rates of four-year college enrollment and four-year graduation rates.

20 SAT Test is part of a finite process, learning is not Our high school students want the best score to maximize their opportunity to get into their school of choice or improve odds of receiving certain aid packages. But at some point, this competitive, high-stakes process will end. And the experience becomes more collaborative and less of a competition. How many times have we heard on our campuses: You need to learn these skills now because in college there s no one there to help you. Anathema to one of the Core Values of the Division of Student Affairs at UA. Provide an extraordinary student experience. It s important to learn these skills now, because in college you will continue to refine them.

21 What we know about the entering class of 2013 (Source: UA Office of Institutional Research) Full Time Mean SAT score 1114 Full Time Mean H.S. GPA 3.40 Mean SAT score w/writing 1657* *Mean SAT score w/writing is used only for purposes of this analysis.

22 The SAT report only shows part of the picture. UA freshmen across all bands of the SAT spectrum seek out tutoring and academic support at the THINK TANK. 2,190 Freshmen have used THINK TANK for a total of 8,280 visits (through 11/4/2013). Mean SAT score w/writing (1,568) Mean SAT (math) 534 Mean SAT (writing) 514 Mean SAT (verbal) out of 10 THINK TANK users are First-Time Full- Time-Freshmen (63% have SAT score on record) Fall 2012 FTFT Freshmen Median CUM GPA at end of Spring 2013 TT Users (N=3,188): 3.04 Non-TT Users (N=3,160) 2.97

23 Demographics about freshmen who use the THINK TANK 40% Gender Female: Male: 60% 60.00% 50.00% Representation of THINK TANK Freshman users relative to all FTFT Freshmen (by Ethnicity) 54.65% 49.34% 40.00% UA FTFT FR 30.00% 25.79% 23.86% THINK TANK FR 20.00% 10.00% 8.30% 8.52% 7.97% 6.22% 6.32% 4.74% 2.23% 2.06% 0.00% White Hispanic/Latino Asian/Pacific Islander Not Specified Black/African American American Indian/AK Native

24 Demographics about freshmen who use the THINK TANK UA Freshmen seek academic help across various subjects and in different learning modalities (individual, group, appointment v. drop-in)

25 Demographics about freshmen who use the THINK TANK A high concentration of THINK TANK users come from STEM fields, which might help shatter high school student perceptions of smart students. Across majors (and regardless of perceptions of a major s academic rigor), resourcefulness is a critical part of college readiness. Visits by Major Students Pre-Business 384 No Major Selected (CLAS) 351 Pre-Physiology 228 Engineering 199 All Social and Behavioral Science 196 Psychology 113 Biology 96 Pre-Pharmacy 56 Pre-Public Health 47 Pre-Nursing 47 TOP 5 UA Majors: 1. Pre-Business (21.5%) 2. Pre-Physiology (8.4%) 3. Psychology (4.8%) 4. Biology (3.4%) 5. Pre-Pharmacy (2.9%)

26 May we suggest Data is out there to inform our students, high school academic and counseling departments, families and communities. High school and middle school counselors can use test performance data and other metrics to better support students. Higher ed. also uses this data to inform practices and better support students. These tests are only one component of the college application process. Student development theory offers a more nuanced picture of the high school to college transition and the college experience; test scores alone should not dissuade students from pursuing college and career opportunities. We all have a vested interest in student success.