An Analysis of College Readiness Indicators in the Middle Grades

An Analysis of College Readiness Indicators in the Middle Grades Although high school continues to be the focus of most college readiness research, there is growing recognition of the important role early adolescence plays in a student s likelihood of enrolling in and completing college. One study by ACT titled The Forgotten Middle found that a student s level of academic achievement by the eighth grade actually has a larger impact on his or her college readiness than anything that happens during high school. From a program design standpoint, most middle school college readiness programs are an outgrowth of high school programs. The trend toward a middle school focus is a positive one; however, too often middle school programs mirror high school program models without being sufficiently redesigned for the unique developmental stage of middle school learners. In terms of middle school indicators of college readiness, the research is primarily clustered in five areas, described below. Among these, research demonstrates that academic indicators are clearly the strongest predictors of college readiness. The remaining sets of indicators have been shown to influence academic achievement. 1) Academic indicators: academic achievement (as measured by GPA), completing algebra by the end of eighth grade, attending school more than 80 percent of the time, and not triggering all three Early Warning indicators including having five absences in a school year, an F grade in a core course, and a suspension/expulsion. 2) Behavior indicators: receiving passing behavior grades, possessing academic discipline, resiliency to social inhibitors of academic success, and participation in a quality Social- Emotional Learning (SEL) program. 3) College knowledge indicators: students attitude about college, and their knowledge of the college application process, post-secondary education options, financial aid, and other common college admissions criteria. There has been very little scholarly research examining the extent to which college readiness and success can be predicted by these types of college knowledge and attitude indicators; however, information from our grantees suggests that students understanding about and attitude toward college is a significant predictor of college readiness. 4) Family support indicators: adult family member is a college graduate, adult family member buy-in, and adult family member actively involved in school. 5) Institutional indicators: teacher quality, access to advanced curriculum, and student mobility. Academic indicators carry the most predictive power of college readiness in middle school students. They are also the most straightforward to measure, especially for school-based programs with access to school data. The most common methods for measuring academic 1 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

indicators require access to school records, specifically records pertaining to academic performance, attendance, and behavior documentation. Community-based organizations serving middle school students tend to focus more on the indirect indicators of behavior and college knowledge/mindset. While both influence academic achievement, neither is as easily measurable as academic indicators. Most programs use surveys to assess a student s knowledge of and attitude toward college. While there are valid ways of measuring behavior and college knowledge/mindset, they tend to be expensive, and program staffs are typically unaware of these methods. They typically rely instead on program satisfaction types of surveys to assess program impact. Family support indicators, especially those related to the beliefs and behaviors of adult family members, are also associated with college readiness, and parent/guardian surveys are a relatively simple way of measuring these indicators. However, a comprehensive literature review has yet to uncover any strategies that markedly increased adult family member engagement. Institutional indicators like teacher quality and student mobility (the number of times a student switches schools), have a profound impact on college readiness; however, they are likely beyond the scope of College Spark s influence. Further, methods for measuring these indicators are especially challenging and usually require a lot of financial resources, human resources, and political capital to measure and influence. In conclusion, College Spark should continue to prioritize programs that collect academic indicators of college readiness, especially those programs serving middle school students. The research around the reliability of academic measures is conclusive, and several current grantees have demonstrated the ability to access and utilize the data needed to measure these indicators. While the research is more limited, there is data that suggests behavior and college knowledge/mindset indicators influence academic performance and college readiness. Building grantees capacity to assess and learn from these kinds of indicators as a complement to assessing academic indicators will generate a greater understanding of the relationship between academic and non-academic indicators and their collective influence on college readiness. 2 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

College Spark Washington defines college readiness as the level of preparation a student needs to be ready to enroll and succeed without remediation in credit-bearing college courses. While the number of students who meet this definition of college readiness is startlingly low (a recent report estimates the number to be one in four high school graduates 1 ), progress is happening, especially at the high school level. There are many programs across the country, school-based and community-based, working to increase high school graduation rates and better prepare students for a rigorous college curriculum while still in high school. Recent research shows, however, that middle school is a more powerful venue than high school for instilling college readiness in students. In fact, a student s level of academic achievement by eighth grade actually has a larger impact on his or her college and career readiness than anything that happens in high school. 2 In addition to academic achievement, other factors contribute to a student s preparation for postsecondary education at the middle school level, namely, behavior in school, college knowledge, family support, and the institutional factors influencing the student s school environment. These factors contribute to the development of a student s academic performance throughout his or her school career. For instance, the variables that form a student s behavior in school will have an effect on his or her academic achievement, which will ultimately help prepare him or her for college. Therefore, since academic achievement is the overwhelming predictor of college readiness in middle school students, the factors that influence these other indicators paint a clearer picture of what prepares a middle school student for college success. Given this symbiotic relationship, all of these indicators merit close attention. To better understand each of these indicators and how they can be measured and influenced, this report will: Outline key middle school indicators that have the greatest likelihood of predicting college readiness; Comment on College Spark s greatest opportunities for influence; Discuss the challenges and opportunities related to measuring these indicators; Provide examples of what other funders and national programs are doing to address middle school college readiness; and, Lay out some possible next steps for College Spark. Since developing, implementing and evaluating college readiness strategies aimed at middle school students is still relatively new territory, there are research constraints such as limited access to useful data and a lack of consensus on what actually works. However, the intuitive 1 ACT, The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School, (2008): 1 2 ACT. (2008). The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School: 2 3 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

belief that early promotion of college readiness has an effect on students likelihood of attending college is supported by some sound research and validates funding programs attempting to address this issue. In order to prepare middle school students for college and successful careers, a firm understanding of the indicators that most strongly predict college readiness in students at this age is essential. By pinpointing the appropriate indicators, steps can then be taken to promote these indicators. There are numerous indicators that predict college readiness in middle school students. There are obvious indicators, such as high academic achievement, which show a direct correlation to college degree attainment and are backed by sound research; the majority of research on middle school college readiness demonstrates that the higher a student s GPA, the more likely he or she will attend college. Other indicators, such as behavior, seem intuitively relevant, but the research is just starting to gain momentum. While the field for predictors of college readiness is vast, the majority can be grouped into one of five different categories: academic, behavior, college knowledge, family support, and institutional. Academic Indicators The indicators that have the strongest predictive power for college readiness in middle school students are related to academics. It is not surprising that a student s course grades, curricular level of difficulty, and attendance record all have a significant impact on whether or not he or she is prepared for a postsecondary education. Understanding exactly how well these academic factors prepare a student for college gives us a better idea of how to influence and improve upon them system-wide. The following four academic indicators are most frequently mentioned in the current literature on middle school college readiness: Academic Achievement. In a variety of studies, the indicator with the most predictive power for indicating college readiness in middle school students is academic achievement as measured by test scores or GPA. A 2008 ACT study showed that students showing higher academic achievement (as measured by EXPLORE 3 scores in four core subjects) had a much stronger likelihood of performing well on eleventh- and twelfth-grade ACT tests, and thus becoming more college and career ready. 4 Aside from the ACT program, however, studies actually show that a student s academic 3 EXPLORE is ACT s set of college readiness benchmarks for middle school students, which represent the level of achievement required for students to have a high probability of succeeding in credit-bearing, first-year college courses. 4 ACT. (2008). The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School 4 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

achievement in class (as measured by grades or GPA) is a stronger predictor of college readiness than his or her score on a standardized test. 5 Completing Algebra in Eighth Grade. Multiple research studies indicate that students who complete algebra by the end of the eighth grade with a grade of C or higher are more college ready than students who do not. According to a report by the Office of Shared Accountability (OSA) from Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, students who took Algebra I by eighth grade were far more likely to take calculus in high school. 6 Students who take higher level courses, such as calculus, are more likely to obtain information about postsecondary opportunities and are therefore, more likely to apply to a four-year college. Particularly among minority and first-generation college students, those who take higher-level math courses are more likely to attend college. 7 Attendance. Students who attend school more than 80 percent of the time are more likely to graduate high school and attend college. 8 Sixth graders attending school less than 80 percent of the time only have a 10 to 20 percent chance of graduating on time. 9 Furthermore, in a study of eighth grade students attendance records, of those students who attended school less than 80 percent of the time, 78 percent dropped out of high school. 10 However, critical attendance thresholds vary by school district, and some districts saw diminished graduation odds for students who attended class less than 90 percent of the time. 11 With this type of variance, this indicator is likely less reliable. Not Triggering All Three Early Warning Indicators. When core course achievement, attendance, and behavior are all taken into account simultaneously, the prediction of college readiness is even stronger. One way to measure behavior is to track Early Warning Indicators; these indicators include five absences in a school year, an F in a core course, and a suspension or expulsion 12. Students who do not trigger all three Early Warning Indicators are more likely to be ready and prepared for college by the end of middle school. While each of these indicators separately detracts from student success in school, when all three are identified simultaneously in a particular student, their power to predict whether that middle school student is not on track to becoming college ready is stronger. While it is true that academic indicators traditionally have the largest statistical influence in determining whether a middle school student is prepared for college, most academic indicators used as a measure for college readiness in current research neglect to examine the external factors that influence academic achievement, and therefore also help to indicate college 5 Balfanz, Robert. (2009). Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle School Association: 5 6 Rethinam, Vasuki. (2011, May). Grade 9 Indicators Influencing High School Graduation and College Readiness in Montgomery County Public High Schools. Montgomery Public Schools Office of Shared Accountability: 4 7 Wimberly, George, and Noeth, Richard. (2005). ACT Policy Report: College Readiness Begins in Middle School. ACT: 4 8 Kennelly, Louise, and Monrad, Maggie. (2007). Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Intervention. National High School Center (NHSC): 7 9 Balfanz, Robert. (2009). Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle School Association 10 Kennelly, Louise, and Monrad, Maggie. (2007). Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Intervention. National High School Center (NHSC). 11 Balfanz, Robert. (2009). Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle School Association: 4 12 Community Center for Education Results (CCER). (2011, June). Road Map for Education Results: From Cradle to College and Career. Presentation given at College Spark Board Meeting, Seattle, WA. 5 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

readiness. Therefore, using academic indicators alone as a tool for building college readiness is not comprehensive enough. Behavior Indicators There is an abundance of research supporting the conclusion that academic indicators are predictive of college readiness in middle school students, yet there is considerably less research on the influence of behavior indicators. Nonetheless, some research suggests a connection between college readiness and behavior: academic performance improves college readiness and behavior has a significant impact on academic performance. The following behavior indicators are most frequently mentioned in the current literature on middle school college readiness: Passing Behavior Grades. Sixth graders who receive an unsatisfactory grade in behavior in a core course have only a 10 to 20 percent chance of graduating high school on time, 13 and more than half of students who receive a poor final grade in behavior from their teacher eventually leave school. 14 Unfortunately, behavior grades are more subjective than objective and the basis for assigning and distributing these grades varies by school or district. Sometimes, behavior grades are not even standard practice at all. However, poor behavior grades are a clear sign of disengagement, which contributes to dwindling academic achievement. So when they are available, these grades can act as an indicator of a student s college readiness. Possessing Academic Discipline. Students who have academic discipline exhibit capacity in three distinct areas: planning and organization, follow-through and action, and sustained effort. A student s academic discipline in eighth grade has a direct impact on his or her GPA in ninth grade. Furthermore, of all typical academic behaviors 15, academic discipline alone accounts for 61 percent of the predictive strength indicating college readiness in middle school youth. 16 Resiliency to Inhibitors of College Success. Students showing improvements in their attitude to or knowledge of alcohol and other drugs, or other common inhibitors of college success, are more likely to resist these behaviors. Resistance to these behaviors increases a student s likelihood that he or she will attend college. 17 Participation in Effectively Implemented Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs. SEL teaching covers five core competencies for improving a student s social and emotional skill set: self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. SEL programs provide sequential and developmentally appropriate instruction in these SEL skills, are implemented in a coordinated manner school wide, and reinforce lessons in the classroom, during out-of-school activities, and 13 Balfanz, Robert. (2009). Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle School Association 14 Kennelly, Louise, and Monrad, Maggie. (2007). Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Intervention. National High School Center (NHSC): 7-8 15 ACT measured a total of ten academically related psychosocial factors. ACT collected data from students in twenty-four US middle schools to examine the role all ten of these indicators play in predicting a student s GPA in ninth grade and likelihood of failing a class in eighth grade. 16 ACT. (2008). The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School 17 Weissberg, Roger, et al. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development: 405-432. 6 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

at home. 18 SEL programs have been shown to significantly decrease the number of suspensions or expulsions, and improve school attendance and student grades. 19 In a longitudinal study of one SEL program, students attending a school with an effective SEL program showed significantly greater school commitment and attachment to school and an 11 percent higher GPA than their peers. 20 This same study showed that SEL programs also increase student engagement, and decrease social inhibitors of college success, such as violent delinquency, heavy alcohol use, and risky sexual behaviors. SEL programs are therefore proven to positively influence both academic achievement and behavior in students. 21 Given the direct connection behavior indicators have to academic success and the fertile territory for new research and practice in this area, College Spark s support of programs working to increase college readiness through program activities that build better behavior in middle school students could contribute significantly to the field of behavior-based programs that work. Using behavior indicators as a measure for college readiness, however, could become complicated by a variety of data-based issues. For example, if a program decides to implement only a portion of SEL requirements due to issues related to cost or time, the effectiveness and reliability of the program is compromised. College Knowledge Indicators At the high school level, there are indicators of college knowledge connected to college readiness, the majority of which tend to focus on the academic and admissions requirements needed to attend college. 22 For instance, a fairly intuitive indicator is a student s familiarity with the test requirements for gaining admission to a college. Obviously, a student who is more familiar with these testing requirements is more likely to study for the tests and, as a result, be more college-ready than a student who is unfamiliar with or unaware of the requirements. Indicators like these do not necessarily need the backing of sound research, and more often than not, they do not have it, especially when trickled down to the middle school level. Furthermore, the research around college knowledge is dominated by assessing the understanding of requirements for college admission and neglects to probe a student s collegegoing mindset or attitude. Given this gap in research, College Spark has the opportunity to be a pioneer in research and practice when it comes to assessing, evaluating, and improving comprehensive college knowledge at the middle school level. Since this path has yet to be paved, direction and data are 18 Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Retrieved on August 23, 2011, from http://casel.org/why-itmatters/what-is-sel/ 19 Weissberg, Roger, et al. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development: 405-432. 20 Weissberg, Roger, et al. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development: 405-432. 21 Weissberg, Roger, et al. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development: 405-432. 22 The majority of this research comes out of the University of Oregon and is published by Dr. David T. Conley, the most popular expert in the field of college knowledge. 7 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

hard to come by. However, these indicators are generally considered intuitive, and existing research on high school college knowledge is a ripe resource for developing tools for middle school students. Family Support Indicators Adult family members want to send their middle school students to college, and they are convinced of the importance of a college education. In a nationwide survey commissioned by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), nearly 9 out of 10 parents said they expect their child to go to college and 75 percent said that a college degree is necessary to get ahead in today s world. 23 However, information gaps about the necessary steps for getting students to go to college exist, especially among adult family members who either did not attend college or did not graduate from high school. To further emphasize the role an adult family member s level of completed education plays, the same survey found that 55 percent of parents with a graduate degree had started saving for their child s postsecondary education, while only 22 percent of parents without a high school degree had done the same. 24 Overall, most of the indicators tying family support to college readiness are based upon common shared beliefs, but have not been examined by reliable research measures. However, some research exists and certain funders are already showing interest in the following support indicators of middle school college readiness: Adult Family Member is a College Graduate. Adult family members who did not graduate from high school are less likely to have the expectation that their student will attend college, and are more likely to say that college enrollment is the decision of the student. 25 Adult Family Member College Buy-In. The Community Center for Education Results (CCER) is currently researching the common belief that if a parent or guardian believes a college degree is important and actively supports their child s education, this student will have stronger likelihood of attending college. 96 percent of parents in South Seattle and South King County think education beyond high school is important. Given the diverse demographics of these communities, this statistic rails against the notion that race, ethnicity, and/or nationality play a significant role in determining college buy-in among diverse families. Adult Family Member Actively Involved in School. Central Texas Education Funders (CTEF) is currently researching the common belief that adult family members maintaining regular contact with a student s schoolteacher, guidance counselor, and the school s administration, are more likely understand how to help their student navigate the college-going process, and thus have students that are college-ready. 23 Cunningham, Alisa, Erisman, Wendy, and Looney, Shannon. (2007, December). From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality. Institute for Higher Education Policy: 4 24 Cunningham, Alisa, Erisman, Wendy, and Looney, Shannon. (2007, December). From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality. Institute for Higher Education Policy: 5 25 Cunningham, Alisa, Erisman, Wendy, and Looney, Shannon. (2007, December). From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality. Institute for Higher Education Policy: 6 8 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

There are other forms of support to which middle school students have access, such as guidance counselors, teachers, peers, and afterschool program staff. However, the research showing the effectiveness of these other support resources is even more piecemeal and inconsistent than the research examining adult family members. Furthermore, in analyses of other support factors alongside family support, adult family members have a much larger influence on a student s expectation of attending college. The early intervention program, Kids to College, surveyed its students and revealed that 91 percent of students felt their parents expect them to go to college, while only 62 percent felt their teachers and 37 percent felt their peers held that same expectation. 26 Institutional Indicators A student s postsecondary opportunities are directly linked to the school he or she attends. The school strongly influences the expectations set on the student, often putting forth a script to which the student is expected to subscribe. Unfortunately, these institutional factors almost always fall outside of the student and his or her family s control. Rather, institutional indicators are indicators that are within the influence and control of a school, district, or state. The following institutional indicators are most frequently mentioned in the current literature on middle school college readiness: Teacher Quality. The key to a student s college readiness in the middle grades is academic achievement; however, the key to a student s academic achievement is that student s teacher. Teachers have the strongest impact on whether or not a student closes or widens achievement gaps during middle school. 27 Improving teacher quality, however, is a complicated issue that requires policy intervention and systematic negotiation with school districts and teachers unions. Access to Advanced Curriculum. Students who have access to an advanced curriculum in middle school and high school are more likely to be college ready. For instance, the only way a student can become more college ready by taking Algebra I by eighth grade is if that student s school offers the course. Schools that offer Advanced Placement, honors, or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses for students in high school are preparing students better for college. Therefore, improving access to advanced courses for all students is important, but would require trained instructional staff, increased financial expenditures for staff and resources, and potential policy intervention at the state level to ensure equity. Some of the schools participating in College Spark s College Readiness Initiative are using Rigor Grant funds to increase their capacity to offer these types of rigorous courses, but this strategy does not address the need to increase access to rigorous curriculum state-wide. Student Mobility. Research shows that there is a relationship between graduating high school and changing schools between grades in middle school. Students who change 26 Cunningham, Alisa, Erisman, Wendy, and Looney, Shannon. (2007, December). From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality. Institute for Higher Education Policy: 28-31. 27 Balfanz, Robert. (2009). Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle School Association: 7 9 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

schools between grades in middle school have considerably lower graduation rates from high school when compared to their peers who did not change middle schools. 28 Promoting a seamless transition across schools in order to facilitate a smoother transition for students who change schools requires statewide or federal curricular policy intervention to implement a uniform curriculum, which likely would involve an intense systemic overhaul. Efforts to improve institutional educational systems require massive financial and human resources, and often call for policy intervention locally, statewide, or nationally. Furthermore, the ability to measure most institutional indicators, such as teacher quality, is extremely difficult and often contested. These facts make it extremely difficult for organizations like College Spark to focus energy on improving the institutional indicators that contribute to college readiness in middle school students. While research shows a link between each of the indicator areas listed above, academic, behavior, and college knowledge indicators are probably the best focus areas for College Spark. These three sets of indicators are the most relevant to our scope of work and funding capabilities. Vast financial and human resources are necessary for implementing, measuring, and sustaining institutional indicators, a demand that College Spark cannot meet. Finally, while it would be possible for College Spark to fund programs that work to build stronger family support systems for middle school students, that may be too indirect an indicator, and very few examples of strategies that increase this type of support currently exist. Any indicator of college readiness College Spark promotes among grantees needs to be measurable with reasonable effort. The measures to assess each of the indicators within a given set are varied, and oftentimes require access to sensitive data. Academic Indicator Measures Academic indicators are the most straightforward to measure; however, gaining access to the necessary data for assessing them can be challenging for some programs. Measuring academic achievement requires access to student achievement data; algebra completion requires access to school enrollment records and student achievement data; attendance requires access to school attendance records; and triggering Early Warning indicators requires access to all of the 28 Rethinam, Vasuki. (2011, May). Grade 9 Indicators Influencing High School Graduation and College Readiness in Montgomery County Public High Schools. Montgomery Public Schools Office of Shared Accountability: 3 10 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

aforementioned records, in addition to documented suspension/expulsion records. School based programs have the greatest access to this kind of data; community-based organizations will need to develop data sharing agreements with schools and districts in order to access this data. The degree to which programs are successful in developing these agreements varies from community to community. Behavior Indicator Measures Behavior indicators are not always as straightforward to measure. Passing behavior grades requires access to school records, which are reliable assuming these behavior grades have been appropriately and consistently documented. Otherwise, measuring academic discipline, resiliency, and the success of SEL programs are all likely dependent on survey data. Homegrown surveys developed by school programs or community-based organizations often lack researchbacked questions, however, and are different according to variables deemed important by a particular program. This general lack of cohesion often leads to poor fidelity in implementation and ultimately unreliable data. There are examples of surveys that measure social-emotional learning, which can be adopted or used as a model by grantees in order to ensure fidelity, reliability, and cohesion. For example, the Development Assets Profile (Attachment A), developed by the Search Institute, is an excellent example of a self-assessment that adequately measures all of the key core competencies of social-emotional learning. 29 College Knowledge Indicator Measures Most assessments currently used to assess college knowledge are piecemeal and, oftentimes, amateur. Many current College Spark middle school grantees have attempted to assess college knowledge using homegrown surveys, but questions are not research-based and suffer from the same limitations to homegrown surveys mentioned above. In its family support research, IHEP created a survey instrument to assess middle school parents postsecondary expectations for their children, college planning, and financial planning. This survey could be adapted to use with students. There are a number of curricula that focus on building a students college knowledge, but the lessons are often generic and the assessments associated with them focus on a broader variety of topics. Finally, those assessments that do focus on college knowledge alone tend to focus on facts and understanding, and neglect to include questions measuring a student s college going mindset. To truly assess a student s college knowledge in terms of being college ready at the middle school level, a comprehensive assessment measuring both understanding and mindset needs to be employed. Measurement tools required for each indicator is provided in Attachment B. 29 The Raikes Foundation outlines the five core competencies for social-emotional learning assessment tools as: self-awareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. 11 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

There are a number of programs and funders with an invested interest in implementing, measuring, and sustaining efforts for improving college readiness in middle school students by focusing on academic and behavior indicators. Given the strong predictive strength of academic indicators, many funders have focused their efforts on developing programs that improve students grades, attendance, and in-class behavior while in middle school. The two lists provided below contain examples of what some funders and programs with interests in middle school college readiness are doing to leverage these common indicators to increase college readiness. Neither of these lists is exhaustive; rather, each is meant to provide insight into the thinking and priorities of organizations relevant to College Spark s own priorities. Funders Funder response to middle school focused college readiness initiatives is growing. There are examples of funders working with all of the aforementioned indicators; however, there are few funders who are concentrating sustained, focused efforts at the middle school level. The following funders are currently working in some capacity to improve outcomes for middle school college readiness: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation s main focus in its College-Ready Education initiative is in improving teacher effectiveness. However, they also work to develop tools that will improve college- and career-ready standards aligned to state curriculum at every grade level. At the middle school level, The Gates Foundation funds Rainier Scholars, an academic and leadership program for promising middle school students of color in the Puget Sound. Central Texas Education Funders (CTEF): CTEF is dedicated to informing local funders about current education issues and grant making in Central Texas. In 2010, CTEF launched the Common Education Outcomes and Indicators Project in order to guide nonprofits, funders and community members toward projects achieving the best possible educational outcomes for Central Texans. College Success Foundation. College Success Foundation in Washington State provides in-school programs that teach students how to prepare for high school and college. For middle school students, two programs HERO and College Bound work to increase college awareness at an early age. CRIMSS (College Readiness Initiative for Middle School Students). CRIMSS, an initiative under the Texas Education Agency, funds school districts and charters that will prepare seventh and eighth grade students to be successful on end of course exams, and provide middle school teachers with professional development designed to increase college readiness for all students. 12 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

Raikes Foundation. The Seattle-based Raikes Foundation focuses on improving outcomes for early adolescents. They currently give grants to programs working to build tenacity in early adolescents or improve youth program quality. The Sallie Mae Fund: The Sallie Mae Fund supports Kids2College, whose programmatic aims are described in the next section. Programs Several programs exist whose aim is to increase college readiness. Programs that focus on sustained, research-backed improvement, however, are harder to come by and, as is typical of many programs supported by community-based organizations, dependent on the support of funders. The following programs all work to improve the college readiness of middle school students and are provided in multiple communities and regions: ACT Education Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). EPAS provides a longitudinal, systematic approach to educational and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation, focusing on students in grades 8-12. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). AVID is designed to increase learning and performance for students who fall in the academic middle. At the middle school level, students are enrolled in their school s toughest classes in addition to the AVID elective, where each day they build skills in organization, studying, and critical thinking, with the support of peers, tutors, and teachers. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). CASEL aims to establish social and emotional learning as an essential part of education. To do this, they work to advance the science of SEL, expand SEL practice, and strengthen the impact of SEL. There are various programs using SEL, which CASEL lists on their website, www.casel.org. Kids to College (K2C). K2C is an early intervention program, supported by the Sallie Mae Fund, that works to expose low-income and minority sixth-grade students to the value and accessibility of a higher education. It is currently the only free, national program that engages local colleges as part of its mission to increase college knowledge among middle school students. KIPP Charter Network. KIPP is a national charter school network dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. They currently research indicators for college readiness as it pertains to their mission. In recent years, KIPP schools have seen large growth in academic achievement. Navigation 101. Navigation 101 is a program adopted by school districts aiming to prepare all students, regardless of income, for college and career. The program educates students in course selection, goal setting, career planning, and postsecondary options, including financial aid. School s Out Washington. School s Out Washington is an intermediary organization that builds community systems to support quality afterschool programs for youth ages 5-18. SpringBoard. SpringBoard is the foundational component for the College Board s College Readiness System, concentrating in pre-ap programmatic activities dedicated to 13 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

increase participation and prepare a greater diversity of students for success in AP, college, and career, without remediation. The program is for students in grades 6-12. College Spark should continue to prioritize programs that collect academic indicators of college readiness, especially those programs serving middle school students. The research is conclusive that these indicators are the most reliable and meaningful measures of college readiness. Our current grantees have demonstrated that is possible to access and utilize the necessary data for measuring these indicators. The research also suggests that increasing college knowledge and improving student behaviors have the potential to positively impact academic performance. Because community-based organizations are especially focused on influencing these indirect indicators of college readiness, we should encourage our grantees to collect and learn from both academic data and reliable measures for college knowledge or behavior indicators. Short Term Steps In the short term, we can build grantees capacity to collect and learn from academic indicators of college readiness by sharing examples of programs that have successfully partnered with schools and districts to access this data and offering strategies for building these partnerships. For example, schools often complain that they share data with programs, but do not hear back from programs about how the data was used or how students from a particular program are performing compared to other students. Increased data sharing from programs to schools and improved transparency in this area may increase schools willingness to provide programs with academic data. We can also build the capacity of grantees to assess college knowledge and behavior indicators by providing grantees with examples of reliable assessment tools they can use in their programs. One grantee suggested, it would be really great if College Spark would develop an assessment tool that measures [these kinds of indicators], because the only surveys I ve found are at least fifty questions long. We don t have time for that kind of survey, but we also don t have the in-staff expertise to develop these kinds of measurement tools on our own. Based on this feedback, and responding to the lack of these tools in the marketplace, we commissioned Merit Research to develop a college knowledge objective assessment (one version for middle school, another for high school) and a college-going mindset assessment. These assessments were created with the help of a content analysis (Attachment C) and are available to current and future grantees. The assessments are provided as Attachment D. In the short term, we can also share what we are learning about middle school indicators of college readiness on our website, in enews, and through our Community Grants Request for Proposals. 14 Board Meeting October 19, 2011

Long Term Steps In the long term, we could commission research in order to learn more in areas where research is extremely limited, such as the impact social and emotional learning programs have on academic performance; the effects of increasing college knowledge on academic indicators; and effective strategies for engaging low-income parents in adequately preparing their children for college. We could also develop a specific middle school funding category within our Community Grants program aimed at assessing the impact of various program models through a coordinated evaluation plan designed to increase knowledge about effective middle school strategies for improving college readiness. Another option would be to learn more about potential policy strategies for increasing middle school college readiness. For example, Michigan s MERIT college readiness legislation aligned middle and high school standardized testing with college entrance exam testing. Washington recently adopted the national Common Core learning standards, which were created to provide a consistent, universal understanding of what students are expected to learn at each grade level. However, there is not a yet a common assessment for measuring these standards. College Spark could advocate for an assessment system that aligns secondary school assessments with college readiness assessments, though this may be beyond our scope of influence. There is no silver bullet for improving college readiness in middle school students. This report, backed by valid research, confirms that the steps to preparing middle school students for college success are varied, complex, and oftentimes, unclear. To further complicate things, none of the indicators mentioned in this report can work alone. In Robert Balfanz s 2009 report, Putting Middle Grade Students on the Graduation Path, he found that everything one might think matters, does so, but modestly at best. Therefore, indicators must work symbiotically in order to truly transform students into being on track for college by the end of eighth grade. It is only when a combination of variables is considered and addressed in a synthesized, high-functioning system that major gains are actually going to be realized. This task, put quite simply, is daunting. However, College Spark s potential to create a positive impact in this field is promising. We are already committed to measuring academic progress, and could become dedicated to expanding funding to programs working in behavior/mindset and college knowledge. By including a focus in our current Community Grants Requests for Proposals on three of the five aforementioned sets of indicators, we may expand our grantee applicant pool, and cast out a wider net for gathering a varied understanding of college readiness at the middle school level. 15 Board Meeting October 19, 2011