Ready For College 2010: An Annual Report On New Mexico High School Graduates Who Take Remedial Classes In New Mexico Colleges And Universities Dr. Peter Winograd, Governor Richardson s Education Policy Advisor Dr. Vi Florez, Secretary, Higher Education Department Dr. Veronica C. García, Secretary, Public Education Department Presented To The New Mexico Legislative Education Study Committee Senator Cynthia Nava, Chair Representative Rick Miera, Vice Chair Frances Ramirez-Maestas, Director Rio Rancho New Mexico June 17, 2010
Key Contributors To The Ready For College 2010 Study Scott Hughes, Office of Education Accountability Beata Thorstensen, Office of Education Accountability Richard LaPan, Office of Education Accountability Jo Lynn Gallegos, Office of Education Accountability Dina Advani, Higher Education Department Yash Morimoto, Higher Education Department Joel Nudi, Public Education Department Robert Piro, Public Education Department 2
Ready For College Reports On New Mexico High School Graduates Who Take Remedial Classes In New Mexico Colleges And Universities These reports: Are a joint effort by OEA, HED, and PED and have been published annually since 2006. Provide detailed information about how many New Mexico high school graduates take remedial courses in New Mexico colleges and universities. Offer longitudinal information that can be used by the Governor, the Legislature, educators and citizens in their efforts to improve New Mexico s education system. Strengthen the capacity of the HED, PED and OEA to track students throughout the PreK-20 education system and report on their progress. Support key policy initiatives including high school redesign, alignment of college and university placement tests, and increased communication among high schools, colleges, and universities. Are to be used to explore the data questions and policy questions that need to be answered if New Mexico is to increase the number of students who graduate from high school ready to succeed in college. 3
The Limitations Of The Ready For College Reports These reports: Are limited and only include data about those approximately 40% to 48% of high school graduates who attend New Mexico colleges and universities. We do not know about the preparation levels of those New Mexico students who attend college out of state or who choose to go into the military or other careers. Given the fact that high school graduates who come from other states and attend New Mexico s colleges and universities have a significantly lower rate of remediation than do in-state high school graduates, it is likely that those New Mexico high school graduates who leave the state to attend colleges and universities are better prepared for college. Are limited and do not include data about New Mexico s high school graduates who attend Navajo Technical College, Diné College, Institute of American Indian Arts, or Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. 4
New Mexico s Ready For College Reports NM High Schools Students Who Go To College In New Mexico NM Higher Education Institutions The Data Questions How many high school graduates take remedial courses in college? What is the relationship between high school performance and college readiness? What kinds of remedial courses do they take? What happens to college students who take remedial classes? Will the number of high school graduates/college freshman taking remedial courses decline as the Higher Education Department and the Public Education Department strengthen their alignment and as new legislation and policies are implemented? The Policy And Political Questions What can be done at the middle and high school level to improve student readiness for college? What can be done at the college level to ensure that more students succeed in higher education? How much will these initiatives cost? Where will the funding come from? Who are the partners that can strengthen the cooperation between high schools and higher education?
Number Of New Mexico Public High School Graduates Who Attended College In New Mexico Included In The Study: 2000-2009 10,000 9,713 9,500 9,000 9,346 8,900 8,500 8,000 7,618 7,616 7,668 7,687 7,500 7,000 6,696 7,170 6,500 6,623 6,000 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools 6
Percent of New Mexico Public High School Graduates Who Took Remedial Classes In Math And/Or Reading In New Mexico Colleges: 2000-2009 60% 50% 46.2% 47.6% 50.3% 50.5% 50.8% 50.4% 49.3% 50.1% 50.2% 47.1% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2000 (n=6,696) 2001 (n=6,623) 2002 (n=7,170) 2003 (n=7,618) 2004 (n=7,616) 2005 (n=7,668) 2006 (n=7,687) 2007 (n=8,900) 2008 (n=9,346) 2009 (n=9,713) 7 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools
What Might This Improvement In the Percentage of Students Needing Remediation Mean? The change for one year of an 10-year trend may not last. However: The 3.1% improvement from 2008 to 2009 is a statistically significant change. The numbers of high school students enrolled in Dual Credit courses has increased steadily over the last few years and preliminary data is very positive. 4,524 high school seniors participated in the Dual Credit program during the 2008-09 school year. 4,126 (91%) graduated that same year. 2,754 (67%) attended college in Fall, 2009. This is higher than NM s average high school to college going rate which is usually in the 50% range. 1,777 ( 65%) of these students did not take any remedial courses at all during the Fall 2009 semester New Mexico has focused on high school redesign initiatives including the Career and College Ready Policy Institute (CCRPI) which was a partnership among 8 states and national groups including Achieve, the Data Quality Campaign, the Education Counsel, Jobs for the Future and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. A number of school districts have started to implement changes in their high school curriculum 8
Several Of New Mexico s High School Redesign Initiatives Were Implemented In School Year 2009-2010 Adding an additional year of mathematics at the Algebra II level for all students entering the 9 th grade in 2009-2010. Eliminating the traditional 9 th grade assessments and high school competency exam and replacing them with a set of exams that assess student readiness for high school, college, and the workplace. Requiring all high schools to offer distance learning, dual credit courses and advanced placement courses in 2008-2009; and requiring all students entering the 9 th grade in 2009-2010 to take at least one such course for graduation. School Year (HS Grad in Spring; College Freshman in Fall) 2007-08 (HS Grad 08 College Freshman in 08) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Ready For College Report 2009 2010 % of HS Graduates Taking Remedial Courses 50.2% 47.1% HS Freshman HS Sophomore HS Junior HS Senior Graduate / College Freshman Number of HS Graduates in Study 9,346 9,713 9
Percentages Of New Mexico Public High School Graduates Who Took Remedial Classes Only In Math Or Only In Reading: 2000-2009 45% 40% 37.2% 39.1% 42.5% 43.2% 43.4% 40.7% 38.7% 39.0% 40.3% 37.3% 35% 30% 30.6% 31.0% 32.3% 31.5% 30.5% 32.6% 31.3% 32.9% 31.9% 29.2% 25% 2000 (n=6,696) 2001 (n=6,623) 2002 (n=7,170) 2003 (n=7,618) 2004 (n=7,616) 2005 (n=7,668) 2006 (n=7,687) 2007 (n=8,900) 2008 (n=9,346) 2009 (n=9,713) Numeracy & Computation Literacy & Communication Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools 10
Percent of New Mexico Public High School Graduates Who Took Different Numbers Of Remedial Classes In New Mexico Colleges: 2009 60% 52.9% 50% 40% 30% 25.0% 20% 14.2% 10% 7.6% 0% 0.3% No Remedial Class One Remedial Class Two Remedial Classes Three Remedial Classes Four Remedial Classes 11 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools
Percentage Of New Mexico Public High School Graduates Who Took Remedial Classes By Ethnicity: 2000-2009 75% 70% 65% 60% 55% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Native Americans Hispanics Whites Blacks Asians 12 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools
Percent of High School Graduates Who Took Remedial Classes In Math And/Or Reading In New Mexico Colleges By Type Of High School: 2009 80% 70% 64.2% 60% 50% 51.6% 47.1% 53.7% 40% 30% 26.7% 20% 17.8% 10% 0% Foreign High School (n=45) Out Of State High Schools (n=1,664) NM Public High Schools (n=9,713) GED (n=430) Public Alternative High Schools (n=265) Public Charter Schools (n=407) 13
Percent of Public High School Graduates Taking Remedial Math And/Or Reading Courses In College By High School: 2009 100% 80% 89% of graduates from this high school took remedial classes 60% 8% of graduates from this high school took remedial classes 40% 20% 0% New Mexico s Public High Schools Ranked From High To Low Percentages (n=95) 14 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools and public high schools with less than 10 students included in this study.
Percent of Public Charter High School Graduates Taking Remedial Math And/Or Reading Courses In College By High School: 2009 100% 86% of graduates from this charter high school took remedial classes 80% 86% 86% 83% 82% 20% of graduates from this charter high school took remedial classes 60% 62% 61% 60% 50% 48% 40% 43% 41% 40% 40% 33% 25% 23% 20% 20% 0% New Mexico s Public Charter High Schools Ranked From High To Low Percentages (n=17) 15 Note: Data does not include public high schools or alternative schools and public charter schools with less than 10 students included in this study.
Percent of Public Alternative High School Graduates Taking Remedial Math And/Or Reading Courses In College By High School: 2009 100% 80% 81.3% 80.0% 78.3% 81% of graduates from this alternative high school took remedial classes 72.7% 72.7% 72.7% 71.4% 69.6% 0% of graduates from this alternative high school took remedial classes 60% 60.9% 40% 30.0% 20% 0% 0.0% New Mexico s Public Alternative High Schools Ranked From High To Low Percentages (n=11) 16 Note: Data does not include public high schools or charter schools and public alternative schools with less than 10 students included in this study.
New Mexico Public High School Graduates Attendance At New Mexico Colleges and Universities In Fall of 2009 3,000 2,664 2,500 2,000 2,329 2,187 1,500 1,000 500 0 696 491 252 193 189 182 160 117 115 106 32 NMSU UNM CNM ENMU SJC NMJC NMHU SFCC CCC WNMU NNMC LCC NMIMT MCC 17 Note: Data does not include charter schools or alternative schools
New Mexico Public Charter High School Graduates Attendance At New Mexico Colleges and Universities In Fall of 2009 250 200 209 150 100 106 50 43 22 10 0 CNM UNM NMSU SFCC NMIMT 18 Note: Data does not include public high schools, alternative schools or colleges with less than 10 attendees.
What Happens To Students Who Take Remedial Courses? These exploratory analyses focused on learning about the impact and effectiveness of the remedial courses offered in colleges and universities: These analyses were conducted on approximately 8,300 students who graduated from New Mexico public high schools in the spring of 2003 and attended a New Mexico college as freshmen in fall of 2003. These students were tracked over the next six years (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008). This data set shows whether students are still in New Mexico colleges and universities or not. Those students who are not in New Mexico colleges and universities may have left to attend other higher education institutions in other states or returned to New Mexico colleges and universities after 2008. Approximately 36% of those students obtained degrees or certificates within six years. We compared students who obtained degrees and/or certificates within six years and looked at how many remedial courses they took as freshman in 2003. We compared students who took remedial courses and who did not take remedial courses as freshmen in the fall term of 2003 in terms of what kinds of degrees and certificates they received in the following six years. 19
Percent of Students Who Entered College in Fall of 2003 and Did or Did Not Obtain Degrees or Certificates Within Six Years by the Number of Remedial Courses Taken During Their Freshman Fall (2003) Semester (n=8,315) 80% Degree and/or Certificate No Degree and/or Certificate 76% 70% 60% 54% 50% 46% 40% 30% 25% 20% 10% 0% 20 No Remedial Courses One To Five Remedial Courses
Percent of Students Who Entered College in Fall of 2003 and Who Obtained Degrees or Certificates Within Six Years by Number Of Remedial Courses Taken During Their Freshman Fall (2003) Semester (n=2,976) 70% 67% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 20% 10% 0% 9% 4% 1% None One Remedial Course Two Remedial Courses Three Remedial Courses Four Remedial Courses 21
Percent of Students Who Entered College in Fall of 2003 and Who Earned A Bachelor s Degree Within Six Years by Number of Remedial Courses Taken During Their Freshman Fall (2003) Semester (n=2,155) 80% 76.6% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 16.7% 10% 5.3% 0% 1.2% 0.2% No Remedial Courses One Remedial Course Two Remedial Courses Three Remedial Courses Four or More Remedial Courses 22
Kinds Of Degrees or Certificates Obtained by Students Who Entered College in Fall of 2003 by Number Of Remedial Courses Taken During Their Freshman Fall (2003) Semester (n=8,315) Associates Or Less Bachelors Masters 40% 38.0% 30% 20% 17.6% 12.3% 13.0% 15.7% 13.1% 10% 9.2% 9.1% 0% No Remedial Courses 1.7% One Remedial Course 4.3% 4.7% 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Two Remedial Courses Three Remedial Courses Four Remedial Courses 23
What Is The Current Status Of New Mexico s P-20 Data System? Governor Richardson Executive Order 09-19 establishing the New Mexico Data Warehouse Council signed on June 8, 2009 HB70 Educational Data System sponsored by Representative Miera and the LESC passed during the 2010 Regular Session. The New Mexico Data Warehouse Council has meet and is in statute. New Mexico can produce many of the reports called for in HB70: Connect student records from prekindergarten through post-graduate education; Connect public school educator data to student data; Match individual public school students' test records from year to year to measure academic growth, including student-level college and career readiness test scores; Report the number and percentage of untested public school students by school district and by school and by major ethnic group, special education status, poverty status and gender; Report high school longitudinal graduation and dropout data, including information that distinguishes between dropouts or students whose whereabouts are unknown and students who have transferred to other schools, including private schools or home schools, other school districts or other states; Provide post-secondary remediation data, including assessment scores on exams used to determine the need for remediation; Provide post-secondary remedial course enrollment history, including the number and type of credit and noncredit remedial courses being taken; Report post-secondary retention data that indicate whether students are returning the second fall term after being enrolled as full-time first-time degree-seeking students; 24
What Is The Current Status Of New Mexico s P-20 Data System? (Continued) New Mexico can produce many of the reports called for in HB70: Report to New Mexico public high schools on their students who enroll in a public post-secondary educational institution within three years of graduating or leaving the high school regarding freshman-year outcomes; Provide post-secondary student completion status, including information that indicates if students are making annual progress toward their degrees; Include data regarding students who have earned a general educational development certificate in reporting post-secondary outcomes; Report data collected for the educator accountability reporting system; Report pre-kindergarten through postgraduate student-level enrollment data, demographic information and program participation information; Report pre-kindergarten through postgraduate student-level transcript information, including information on courses completed, grades earned and cumulative grade point average; Connect performance with financial information; Establish and maintain a state data audit system to assess the quality, validity and reliability of data; and Provide any other student-level and educator data necessary to assess the performance of the prekindergarten through post-graduate system. 25
New Mexico s Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grant New Mexico submits a Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grant (SLDS) to the U.S. Department of Education Institute for Education Sciences in December 2009. SLDS Grant winners were announced in April 2010. New Mexico did not receive a grant. The PED, HED, and Governor s Office are exploring ways to obtain funding for the P-20 Data System: Working with Congressional Delegation and the U.S. Department of Education Race To The Top Grant HED and PED collaboration with other funding sources Other? 26
Ready For College: 2006-2010 This Is The Last Ready For College Report On Our Watch. What Are The Most Important Lessons From These Reports And Recommendations For The Future? New Mexico can make a difference in the number of high school graduates who need to take remediation in college. The high numbers of students who need remediation indicate that students need to be better prepared and that the alignment between high school and college needs to be improved: Rigorous and Clear Standards Better Assessments Based On Rigorous and Clear Standards Better Assessments That Align With College Success PED and HED submitting a Race To The Top Assessment Grant as part of the Smarter Balance Consortium that will focus on exactly these last two issues. The communication between high schools and higher education needs to be improved. HB70 -The Data Warehouse calls for these reports to be developed, but the Legislature should monitor the implementation of this carefully. 27
Ready For College: 2006-2010 (continued) In 2007 and 2008, the Ready For College report examined the alignment between the 11th grade Standards Based Assessments and the need for remediation. The correlation between performance on the SBA and the need for remediation is significant, indicating that, in general, the assessments used in K-12 and in higher education are aligned. However, the results also revealed that the alignment varied by college and by ethnicity. Alignment studies between the assessments used in New Mexico s high schools and college need to be conducted every year, especially as the state develops and implements new assessments. The remediation rates for high school graduates vary widely among high schools and it may be important to target interventions and support tailored specifically to the schools that need the assistance. New Mexico needs to develop a process for tracking those high school students who attend college out of state. In addition, the Ready For College reports should include information from Dine, Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Institute of American Indian Arts, and Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute. 28
Ready For College: 2006-2010 (continued) New Mexico should continue to focus on the national initiatives like the College and Career Ready Policy Institute. The CCRPI Action plan has a number of goals, strategies and timelines that could prove helpful over the next few years for improving graduation rates, student readiness in math and language arts, higher education participation, and higher education completion. The Ready For College reports have focused on the transition from the 12th grade to college. These reports need to follow middle school students into high school and then into college. In addition, the Ready For College reports should follow the college students through graduation or completion and into their careers. New Mexico may want to consider developing Ready For Careers reports that track how well prepared the high percentage of high school graduates who do not attend college are for the workplace. 29
Trend Data For New Mexico s Public High Schools, Charter and Alternative High Schools Are Included In The Appendix Please Note That Data For High Schools With Less Than 10 High School Graduates A Year Included In This Study Have Been Removed To Protect Student Confidentiality. High Schools Interested In These Data May Contact The Office Of Education Accountability 505-476-1070 30
For More Information The Office Of Education Accountability, New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration Telephone: 505-476-1070 http://education.nmdfa.state.nm.us New Mexico Higher Education Department Telephone: 505-476-8400 http://www.hed.state.nm.us New Mexico Public Education Department Telephone: 505-827-5800 http://www.ped.state.nm.us 31