IMPROVING ACHIEVEMENT IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND BEYOND

1
IMPROVING ACHIEVEMENT IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND BEYOND

• Prepared for OVAE by
• The Education Trust 2003

2
What Do We Know About Student Achievement?
3
12th Grade Achievement In Math and Science is Up
Somewhat
4
High School Achievement Math and Science
Source NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress.
5
In Reading, 12th Grade Achievement is Headed
Downward
6
HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT READING AND WRITING
7
After Earlier Progress in Narrowing Gaps, Gaps
in the 90s Largely Unchanged
8
Gaps Narrow, Then Fairly Flat NAEP Reading
Scores, 17 Year-Olds
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 107) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
9
Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady or Widen NAEP
Math Scores, 17 Year-Olds
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 108) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
10
Students Make More Growth Grade 4 to 8 than
Grade 8 to 12
11
Academic GrowthGrades 4-8, 8-12
12
Value Added in High School Declined During the
Nineties
13
Value Added Declining in High School Math
Age 13-17 Growth
Source NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress
14
Value Added Declining in High School Science
Age 13-17 Growth
Source NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress
15
Reading Students Entering Better Prepared, But
Leaving Worse
Source NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress
16
Hormones?
17
Students in Other Countries Gain far More in High
School
18
TIMSS
19
Source NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
20
Source NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
21
PISA
22
US 15 Year-Olds Rank Near Middle Of The Pack
Among 32 Participating Countries
23
One measure on which we rank high?Inequality!
24
Performance Of U.S.15 Year-Olds Highly Variable
Of 27 OECD countries
Source OECD, Knowledge and Skills for Life
First Results From PISA 2000, 2001.
25
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AT END OF HIGH SCHOOL
26
Too Few 17 Year-Olds Demonstrate Strong Reading
Skills
Source USDOE, NCES, 1999 NAEP Summary Data Tables
27
Too Few 17 Year-Olds Demonstrate Strong Math
Skills
Source USDOE, NCES, 1999 NAEP Summary Data Tables
28
African American and Latino 17 Year Olds Do Math
at Same Levels As White 13 Year Olds
Source NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables
(online)
29
African American and Latino 17 Year Olds Read at
Same Levels as White 13 Year Olds
Source Source NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends
Summary Tables (online)
30

• And these numbers are for those who make it
  through
• High School!

31
Each Year, One of Every Twenty High School
Students Leaves School
32
One Year Dropout Rates by Race, Grades 10-12
Source NCES Drop-out Rates in U.S. 1998 (1999)
33
One Year Drop-out Rates by Family Income, Grades
10-12
Source NCES Drop-out Rates in U.S. 1998 (1999)
34
Students Graduate From High School At Different
Rates, 1998
Source US Bureau of Census, Current Population
Reports, Educational Attainment in the United
States March 1998 (p. 20-513), Detailed Tables
No. 2
35
Despite Poor Preparation, Most Graduates Will Go
Immediately On To College
36
IMMEDIATE COLLEGE-GOING GROWING
37
Within 2 Years of HS Graduation?
38
Most High School Grads Go On To Postsecondary
Within 2 Years
Source NELS 88, Second (1992) and Third (1994)
Follow up in, USDOE, NCES, Access to
Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School
Graduates, 1998, Table 2.
39
Unfortunately, About Half of these Students Must
Take Remedial Coursework and Many Do Not Even
Make it to the Sophomore Year
40
College Freshmen Not Returning for Sophomore Year
Source Tom Mortensen, Postsecondary Opportunity,
No. 89, November 1999
41
GAINS IN COLLEGE COMPLETION ARE NOT
PROPORTIONATE WITH GAINS IN COLLEGE ATTENDANCE
42
Most High School Grads Go On To Postsecondary
Within 2 Years
19
10
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Census, October Current Population Surveys,
1972-2000, in US DOE, NCES, The Condition of
Education 2002, p.166 and 174.
43
College Going vs. Completion of BA or Higher,
Blacks
21
7
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Census, October Current Population Surveys,
1972-2000, in US DOE, NCES, The Condition of
Education 2002, p.166 and 174.
44
College Going vs. Completion of BA or Higher,
Hispanics
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Census, October Current Population Surveys,
1972-2000, in US DOE, NCES, The Condition of
Education 2002, p.166 and 174.
45
ADD IT ALL UP...
46
Of Every 100 White Kindergartners
(24 Year-Olds)
Source US Bureau of Census, Current Population
Reports, Educational Attainment in the United
States March 2000, Detailed Tables No. 2
47
Of Every 100 African American Kindergartners
(24 Year-Olds)
Source US Bureau of Census, Current Population
Reports, Educational Attainment in the United
States March 2000, Detailed Tables No. 2
48
Of Every 100 Latino Kindergartners
(24 Year-Olds)
Source US Bureau of Census, Current Population
Reports, Educational Attainment in the United
States March 2000, Detailed Tables No. 2
49
College Graduates by Age 24
Source Tom Mortenson, Research Seminar on Public
Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Post
Secondary, 1997.
50
To Make Matters Worse, Many College Grads--Of
All Groups--Lack The Knowledge And Skills We
Would Normally Associate With Degree
51
Many College Graduates Demonstrate Weak Prose
Literacy Skills
Source USDOE, OERI, Adult Literacy in America A
First Look at the Results of the National Adult
Literacy Survey (NALS), 1992, September 1993, p.
26.
52
DescriptionProse Literacy Level 2

• CANT Write a brief letter explaining error on
  credit card bill
• CANT Interpret instructions from an appliance
  warranty
• CANT Read a news article and identify a sentence
  that provides interpretation of a situation

• CAN Underline sentence explaining action stated
  in short article
• CAN Locate two features of information in sports
  article

Source USDOE, NCES, National Adult Literacy
Survey, 1992, in Literacy in the Labor Force
Results from the NALS, September 1999, p. 15.
53
DescriptionProse Literacy Level 3

• CAN Write brief letter explaining error on credit
  card bill
• CAN Read news article and identify sentence that
  provides interpretation of situation

• CANT State in writing argument made in a lengthy
  newspaper article
• CANT Contrast views in two editorials on
  technologies available to make fuel-effective
  cars
• CANT Compare two metaphors used in a poem

Source USDOE, NCES, National Adult Literacy
Survey, 1992, in Literacy in the Labor Force
Results from the NALS, September 1999, p. 15.
54
Many College Graduates Demonstrate Weak
Quantitative Literacy Skills
Source USDOE, OERI, Adult Literacy in America A
First Look at the Results of the National Adult
Literacy Survey (NALS), 1992, September 1993, p.
26.
55
DescriptionQuantitative Literacy Level 2

• CANT Calculate difference between regular and
  sale price from an advertisement using a
  calculator
• CANT Plan travel arrangements for meeting using
  flight schedule

• CAN Calculate postage and fees for certified
  mail
• CAN Determine difference in price between tickets
  for two shows

Source USDOE, NCES, National Adult Literacy
Survey, 1992, in Literacy in the Labor Force
Results from the NALS, September 1999, p. 15.
56
DescriptionQuantitative Literacy Level 3

• CAN Determine correct change using information on
  a menu
• CAN Use information stated in news article to
  calculate amount of money it takes to raise a
  child

• CANT Determine shipping and total costs on an
  order form for items in a catalog
• CANT Use information in news article to
  calculate difference in time for completing a race

Source USDOE, NCES, National Adult Literacy
Survey, 1992, in Literacy in the Labor Force
Results from the NALS, September 1999, p. 15.
57
Gaps in Mean Literacy Proficiency Scores, by
Educational Attainment
The Gap Widest At Highest Levels of Educational
Attainment
Source USDOE, OERI, Adult Literacy in America A
First Look at the Results of the National Adult
Literacy Survey (NALS), 1992, September 1993, p.
36.
58
Higher Education in an International Context?
59
U.S. Ranks First in Percentage of Population That
Has Attained Higher Ed Degrees, 1999 (Ages 25-64)
Source Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), Education at a Glance OECD
Indicators 2001 Edition, data available at
http//www.oecd.org/els/education/ei/index.htm
60
A Decade Ago, U.S. Ranked At the Top Among
Nations in Proportion of Students Going Onto
Colleges and Universities
Net Entry Rates into Tertiary Education (Type
A), 1991
Source SourceOrganisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at
a Glance, OECD Indicators, 1993 Edition
61
By 1999, U.S. Ranked Thirteenth
Net Entry Rates into Tertiary Education (Type
A), 1999
Source SourceOrganisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at
a Glance, OECD Indicators, 2001 Edition
62
A Decade Ago, U.S. Ranked At the Top Among
Nations in Proportion of Students Going Onto
Postsecondary
Net Entry Rates into Tertiary Education (Type A
B), 1991
Source SourceOrganisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at
a Glance, OECD Indicators, 1993 Edition
63
By 1999, U.S. Ranked Thirteenth
Net Entry Rates into Tertiary Education (Type A
B), 1999
Source SourceOrganisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at
a Glance, OECD Indicators, 2001 Edition
64
How Do Our Skills Compare?
65
Almost Half of U.S. Adults Perform at Lowest
Literacy Levels in All Areas


(score range in parenthesis)
Source Andrew Sum, Irwin Kirsch, and Robert
Taggart. The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and
Inequality Literacy in the U.S. from an
International Perspective. Policy Information
Center, Educational Testing Service. (2002)
66
While few of the adults in Levels 1 and 2 would
be considered illiteratefew have the skills
believed to be needed to succeed in todays more
technologically sophisticated economy, to gain
access to high wage jobs, or to actively
participate in civic and political life.
Source Andrew Sum, Irwin Kirsch, and Robert
Taggart. The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and
Inequality Literacy in the U.S. from an
International Perspective. Policy Information
Center, Educational Testing Service. (2002)
67
High Variability in U.S. Between Those At Highest
and Lowest Levels Largest Gap in Literacy Among
Nations
Source Andrew Sum, Irwin Kirsch, and Robert
Taggart. The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and
Inequality Literacy in the U.S. from an
International Perspective. Policy Information
Center, Educational Testing Service. (2002)
68
Percentage of the population scoring at IALS
literacy level 3 or higher on the document scale,
1994-95
U.S. Older Adults Have Stronger Skills Than Young
Adults We Rank 3rd For Older Adults and 12th
For Young Adults
Source Centre for Educational Research and
Innovation, Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development, Education at a Glance OECD
Indicators 1998
69
College Degrees Dont Fix the Problem U.S.
Adults Rank Poorly Among 20 High-Income Countries
Source Andrew Sum, Irwin Kirsch, and Robert
Taggart. The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and
Inequality Literacy in the U.S. from an
International Perspective. Policy Information
Center, Educational Testing Service. (2002)
70
Bottom Line

• At every level, our top 5-10 is relatively
  competitive
• At every level, we tolerate greater inequality of
  outcomes than almost anyplace else
• Its not just our bottom 10 that is so very
  bad--our bottom half is, too
• Over past decade, weve been fairly stuck, while
  a shocking array of countries have run right past
  us.

71
WHY?
72
What We Hear Adults Say

• Theyre poor
• Their parents dont care
• They come to schools without breakfast
• Not enough books
• Not enough parents . . .

73
But if theyre right, then why are poor and
minority children performing so high in...
74
Some schools...
75
Wrigley Elementary

• 78 Low-Income
• 3rd Highest Performing in State in Reading
• 6th Highest Performing in State in Writing

KENTUCKY
76
Mount Royal Elementary/Middle, Baltimore, MD

• 99 African American
• 73 Low-Income
• Highest Performing in State on states 5th grade
  Math test.
• Top 10 of state in 5th grade reading.

MARYLAND
77
Pimlico Elementary, Baltimore, MD

• 100 African American
• 94 Low-Income
• Top 1 in improvement on the states 5th grade
  Math test.

Maryland
78
Hambrick Middle School,Aldine, TX

• 94 African American and Latino (state 56)
• 85 low-income (state 50)
• Has performed in the top fifth of all Texas
  middle schools in both reading and math in both
  7th and 8th grades over a 3-year period.

79
Hambrick Middle School, Aldine, TX
Source New York State Department of Education.
Analyses by Student Subgroup of School
Performance in English Language Arts and
Mathematics for Lincoln School in Mount Vernon
City School District. March 7, 2002.
80
Prince Edward County High, Farmville VA
(715 students 55 African American and Latino)
Sources Virginia Department of Education Web
site, http//www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/200
2SOLpassrates.html.
81
Norview High School, Norfolk, VA
(1,560 students 70 African American and Latino)
Sources Virginia Department of Education Web
site, http//www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/200
2SOLpassrates.html.
82
Dispelling the Myth
83
Dispelling the Myth
84
Dispelling the Myth
85
Some districts...
86
(No Transcript)
87
(No Transcript)
88
Aldine, TX Raising Achievement for All While
Narrowing Gaps
Source Texas Education Agency-Academic
Excellence Indicator System Report 1994 through
2001.
89
Aldine, TX Raising Achievement for All While
Narrowing Gaps
Source Texas Education Agency-Academic
Excellence Indicator System Report 1994 through
2001.
90
And some entire states...
91
4th Grade Math African American Gains Between
1992 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
92
4th Grade Math Latino Gains Between 1992 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
93
North Carolina Gains in Grade 4 Reading
Outpace the Nation, 1992-1998
Source NCES, National Assessment of Educational
Progress
94
Connecticut Gains in Grade 4 Reading Outpace the
Nation, 1994-98
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
95
Differences among states so large that minority
and/or poor students in some states outperforming
white and/or non-poor students in others.
96
8th Grade Writing African Americans in Texas
Perform as Well or Better Than Whites in 7 States
Source NCES, National Assessment of Educational
Progress
97
What We Hear Students SayWe CAN Learn, But

• some teachers dont know their subjects
• counselors underestimate our potential
• principals dismiss concerns
• curriculum and expectations are low

98
SO, WHAT DO WE DO?
99
Small and personal for both students and teachers
will help. Indeed, given the clarity of the
research, it is unthinkable NOT to act.
100
But real change also requires at least five
critical elements

• Get the goals right
• Get all students in a curriculum lined up with
  those goals
• Make certain that all students are genuinely
  STRETCHED
• Provide extra instruction for students who arrive
  behind
• TEACHER QUALITY MATTERS.

101
Element 1 Goals
102
Education PaysAnnual Earnings of 25-34 yr-olds
by Attainment, 2001
Source US bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau
of the Census, Current Population Survey, March
2002
103
Its Not Just Degrees, But Also Skills That
Matter--for All Groups Prose
Source Andrew Sum, Literacy in the Labor
Force, NCES, September 1999
104
Students seem to get all this, but
105
How Expectations Differ Plans For Students After
High School
SourceMetropolitan Life, Survey of the American
Teacher 2000 Are We Preparing Students for the
21st Century?, September 2000.
106
To break through these old attitudes, cannot
equivocate.

• ALL students must graduate from high school ready
  for postsecondary education.

107
Element 2 All Students in Curriculum Lined Up
With Those Goals
108
Immediate college-going increasing
109
Most High School Grads Go On To Postsecondary
Within 2 Years
Source NELS 88, Second (1992) and Third (1994)
Follow up in, USDOE, NCES, Access to
Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School
Graduates, 1998, Table 2.
110
College Freshmen Not Returning for Sophomore Year
Source Tom Mortensen, Postsecondary Opportunity,
No. 89, November 1999
111
Transcript Study single biggest predictor of
college success isQUALITY AND INTENSITY OF HIGH
SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S.
  Department of Education.

112
But college prep curriculum has benefits far
beyond college.
113
Students of all sorts will learn more...
114
A Rigorous Math Curriculum Improves Scores For
All Students
Source National Assessment of Educational
Progress, 1992 Mathematics Trend Assessment,
National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP
1992 Trends in Academic Progress (p 113).
Washington, DC US Department of Education. 1994
115
Vocational Students Taking High-Level English
Courses Score Higher
Source Bottoms, Gene. Report of the SREB, High
Schools That Work 1998 Secondary Teacher Survey,
SREB, 1998, NAEP Scores.
116
Low Quartile Students Gain More From College Prep
Courses
Grade 8-grade 12 test score gains based on 8th
grade achievement.
Source USDOE, NCES, Vocational Education in the
United States Toward the Year 2000, in Issue
Brief Students Who Prepare for College and
Vocation
117
They will also fail less often...
118
Challenging Curriculum Results in Lower Failure
Rates, Even for Lowest Achievers
Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low
level course, and eighth-grade reading
achievement quartiles
Source SREB, Middle Grades to High School
Mending a Weak Link. Unpublished Draft, 2002.
119
Students of All Abilities Are Generally More
Likely to Fail Low-Level Mathematics
Courses9th-graders earning Ds or Fs by 8th grade
achievement course assignment
Source Sondra Cooney Gene Bottoms, Middle
Grades to High School Mending a Weak Link,
SREB, 2002
120
And theyll be better prepared for the workplace.
121
Take Manufacturing, for example
122
Requirements forTool and Die Makers

• Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
  postsecondary training
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics
• Average earnings 40,000 per year.

123
Requirements forSheet Metal Workers

• Four or five years of apprenticeship
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and technical
  reading

124
Requirements for Avionics Technicians

• postsecondary training
• Physics, chemistry, advanced mathematics,
  computers, electronics
• Average earnings 40,000 per year.

125
American Diploma Project Interviews with
Employers

• Mostly want same as what higher education wants!

126
Why not make college prep curriculum the default
curriculum for all students?

• The Experience in Houston, San Jose

127
Element 3 Working on the Rigor Part
128
What Teenagers Say About School Rigor

• Fewer Than 3 in 10 Think Their School is Very
  Academically Rigorous

Source 1998 Annual Survey from Whos Who Among
American High School Students 2000 by The
Education Trust, Inc.
129
There remains a troubling gap between course
names and gradesand results on assessments.
130
Quality of Mathematical Content of 8th Grade
Lessons
Source TIMSS unpublished tabulations,
Videotape Classroom Study, UCLA, 1996, in
Pursuing Excellence A Study of US Eigth-Grade
Mathematics and Science Teaching, Learning,
Curriculum and Achievement in International
Context, 1997.
131
Algebra in 8th Grade Text Books of space
devoted to algebra in 8th grade mathematics
textbooks
Source NCES, Pursuing Excellence A Study of
U.S. Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science
Teaching, Learning, Curriculum, and Achievement
in International Context, 1997.
132

• A full one-third of American Algebra 1 courses
  use textbooks with very little Algebra in them.
• Willam Schmidtt

133
Students can do no better than the assignments
they are given...
134
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
A frequent theme in literature is the conflict
between the individual and society. From
literature you have read, select a character who
struggled with society. In a well-developed
essay, identify the character and explain why
this characters conflict with society is
important.
135
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
Write a composition of at least 4 paragraphs on
Martin Luther Kings most important contribution
to this society. Illustrate your work with a
neat cover page. Neatness counts.
136
14 SC High Schools CalibratedGaps Between
Standards and Assignments Largest in Upper Grades
137
A Work in Poor Schools Would Earn Cs in
Affluent Schools
Source Prospects (ABT Associates, 1993), in
Prospects Final Report on Student Outcomes,
PES, DOE, 1997.
138
End of Course Exams Can Help, but teachers need

• Help in designing powerful lessons, units
• Help in developing consistent understanding of
  what quality work looks like
• Help with more regular assessments (e.g., 9
  weeks) of student progress.

139
Element Four Provide extra instruction for
students who arrive behind
140
When Kids Are Behind, Schools Must Provide More
Instruction and Support

• Kentucky provides extra time for struggling
  students in high-poverty schools
• Maryland offers extra dollars for 7th and 8th
  graders who need more support

141
And if you dont live in a smart state?

• Many schools, districts finding ways to double,
  even triple, amount of time spent on literacy,
  math.

142
Element Five Teachers Matter Big Time
143
Too Many High School Teachers Dont Have
Background in Subject They are Teaching
Source Ingersoll, Richard. American Educational
Researcher, The Problem of Underqualified
Teacher in American Secondary Schools, vol. 28,
no. 2, March 1999, p. 29.
144
Classes in High Poverty High Schools More Often
Taught by Underqualified Teachers
Teachers who lack a major or minor in the
field Source National Commission on Teaching and
Americas Future, What Matters Most Teaching for
Americas Future (p.16) 1996.
145
Math Science Classes With a High Percentage of
Minority Students Are More Often Taught by
Underqualified Teachers
Source Jeannie Oakes. Multiplying Inequalities
The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking
on Opportunities to Learn Mathematics and Science
(Rand 1990)
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
146
Poor and Minority Students Get More
Inexperienced Teachers
Teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience.
High and low refer to top and bottom
quartiles. Source National Center for Education
Statistics, Monitoring Quality An Indicators
Report, December 2000.
147
High-Poverty Schools Get More Low-Scoring
Teachers
Teachers scoring in the bottom quartile on on
SAT/ACT. High-poverty schools have 2/3 or more
students eligible for reduced-price
lunch. Source Education Week, Quality Counts
2001, January 2001.
148
Even Within Schools, Often Big
Differences
149
Students in Low Track Classes Are More Often
Taught by Underqualified Teachers
Source Ingersoll, The Problem of Underqualified
Teachers in American Secondary Schools
Educational Researcher, Vol. 28, No 2 (March
1999) pp. 26-37
150
Impact?
151
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
152
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
153
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
154
If we had the courage and creativity to change
these patterns?
155
By our estimates from Texas schools, having an
above average teacher for five years running can
completely close the average gap between
low-income students and others. John Kain and
Eric Hanushek
156
Teachers Matter Big Time!
157
The Education Trust

• For More Information . . .
• www.edtrust.org
• DC 202-293-1217
• Oakland 510-465-6444