American Diploma Project

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American Diploma Project

• How well prepared are our students for the world
  after high school?
• What does it mean to be prepared for college and
  work?
• Do we expect all of our students to be prepared?
• Closing the expectations gap what will it take?

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American Diploma Project

• How well prepared are our
• students?

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How Well Prepared Are Our Students?

• 70 high school graduation rate significantly
  lower for Black and Hispanic students
• 34 college-ready graduation rate
• 30 of 1st year students required to take
  remedial courses
• 40 45 of recent high school graduates report
  significant skill gaps for college and for work
• Faculty and Employers report that 40 - 45 of
  high school graduates are unprepared

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A high school diploma is not the last educational
stop required
Share of new jobs, 200010

• Jobs that require at least some postsecondary
  education will make up more than two-thirds of
  new jobs.

Source Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M.
Desrochers, Standards for What? The Economic
Roots of K16 Reform, Educational Testing
Service, 2003.
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Too many U.S. students drop out of the education
pipeline
Source National Center for Public Policy
Higher Education, Policy Alert, April 2004. Data
are estimates of pipeline progress rather than
actual cohort.
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Only about half of African American and Latino
students graduate from high school in four years
On-time high school graduation, 2002
Source Manhattan Institute, Public High School
Graduation and College-Readiness Rates
19912002, February 2005, http//www.manhattan-ins
titute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
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U.S. high school graduation rates have dropped
over past 20 years
Public high school graduation rates, 19812000
Source Mortenson, T., Chance for College by Age
19 by State in 2000, Postsecondary Education
Opportunity The Environmental Scanning Research
Letter of Opportunity for Postsecondary
Education, No. 123, The Mortenson Research Center
on Public Policy, September 2002.
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High school graduation rate United States
trails most countries
Source Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development, Education at a Glance 2004, 2004.
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Very few high school graduates are college ready
Source Manhattan Institute, Public High School
Graduation and College-Readiness Rates
19912002, February 2005, http//www.manhattan-ins
titute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
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Too few minority students in U.S. graduate from
high school college ready
Source Manhattan Institute, Public High School
Graduation and College-Readiness Rates
19912002, February 2005, http//www.manhattan-ins
titute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
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College bound does not necessarily mean college
ready
Percentage of U.S. first-year students in
two-year and four-year institutions requiring
remediation

• Nearly three in 10 first-year students are placed
  immediately into a remedial college course.

Source National Center for Education Statistics,
Remedial Education at Degree-Granting
Postsecondary Institutions in Fall 2000, 2003.
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Most U.S. college students who take remedial
courses fail to earn degrees
Percentage not earning degree by type of remedial
coursework

• Many college students who need remediation,
  especially in reading and math, do not earn
  either an associates or a bachelors degree.

Source National Center for Education Statistics,
The Condition of Education, 2004.
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Many high school graduates cite gaps in
preparation
How well did your high school education prepare
you for college or the work/jobs you hope to get
in the future?

• Very well generally able to do whats expected

• Somewhat well some gaps

• Not well large gaps/struggling

• Extremely well prepared for everything

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High school graduates who went to college
High school graduates who did not go to college
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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College instructors/employers confirm high school
graduates lack of preparation
Average estimated proportions of recent high
school graduates who are not prepared
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High school graduates not prepared for
college-level classes
High school graduates not prepared to advance
beyond entry-level jobs
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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American Diploma Project

• What does it take to be
• prepared for postsecondary
• education and work?

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American Diploma Project

• Partnership of Achieve, Inc. The Education
  Trust and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
• Partnered with Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts,
  Nevada and Texas.
• Involved wide variety of K12, higher education
  and business representatives.
• Created end-of-high-school benchmarks to convey
  the knowledge and skills graduates will need to
  be successful in college and the workplace.
• Key finding Unprecedented convergence of skills
  required for success in college and work.

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Todays graduates need more knowledge and skills

• Highly Paid Professional Jobs Earnings 40,000
  Projected Job Growth Rate 20
• Well-Paid, Skilled Jobs Earnings
  25,00040,000 Projected Job Growth Rate 12
• Low-Paid or Low-Skilled Jobs Earnings Less than
  25,000 Projected Job Growth Rate 15

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37
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Share of Jobs
Source American Diploma Project, 2002.
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What does it take to succeed in good jobs?

• ADP research found that
• 84 percent of highly paid professionals (top tier
  of pyramid) took Algebra II or higher in high
  school.
• Employees in vast majority of good jobs took four
  years of grade-level English.
• Employers emphasize importance of workers being
  able to think creatively and logically and to
  identify and solve problems.
• Fastest growing occupations require some
  education beyond high school (e.g., certificate,
  bachelors degree, associate degree, on-the-job
  training).

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Even blue-collar jobs require high-level skills

• Requirements for tool and die makers
• Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
  postsecondary training
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics
• Requirements for sheet metal workers
• Four or five years of apprenticeship
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and technical
  reading

Source American Diploma Project, 2002.
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ADP expectations ensure high school graduates are
prepared to succeed

• In English, the benchmarks cover
• Language
• Communication
• Writing
• Research
• Logic
• Informational text
• Media
• Literature

• In math, the benchmarks cover
• Number sense and numerical operations
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Data interpretations, statistics and probability
• Math reasoning skills

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Whether graduates are going to college or work,
they need the same skills

• CollegeAlgebra
• Required Skills
• Add, subtract, multiply, divide and simplify
  rational expressions
• Understand functional notation
• Solve systems of two linear equations in two
  variables
• Solve quadratic equations in one variable
• Graph a linear equation and quadratic function
• Determine the perimeter and the circumference of
  geometric shapes
• Represent geometric objects and figures
  algebraically

• Machine Operator
• Eastman Chemical Company
• Required Skills
• Add, subtract, multiply, divide and simplify
  rational expressions
• Calculate and apply ratios, proportions and
  percentages to solve problems
• Recognize and solve problems using a linear
  equation and one variable
• Apply units correctly in expressions involving
  measurements
• Determine the perimeter and the circumference of
  geometric shapes

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To be college and work ready, students need to
complete a rigorous sequence of courses
To cover the content in the ADP benchmarks, high
school graduates need

• In math
• Four courses
• Content equivalent to Algebra I and II, Geometry,
  and a fourth course such as Statistics or
  Precalculus

• In English
• Four courses
• Content equivalent to four years of grade-level
  English or higher (i.e., honors or AP English)

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American Diploma Project

• What do we expect of our
• high school graduates?
• Standards
• Course-taking requirements
• Assessments

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State high school standards not always anchored
in real-world expectations

• In most states, standards reflect a consensus
  among discipline-based experts about what would
  be important for young people to learn not a
  reflection of what would be essential to know to
  succeed at the next level.
• Few states postsecondary faculty and employers
  have verified that state high school standards
  reflect their expectations.

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Do state graduation requirements reflect
college- and work-ready content?

• To answer this question, Achieve
• Reviewed minimum high school course requirements
  in all 50 states.
• Compared each states requirements to what
  students need to be successful in college and the
  workplace.

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42 states require students to take certain
courses to graduate from high school
Source Achieve, Inc., The Expectations Gap A
50-State Review of High School Graduation
Requirements, 2004.
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20 states require Algebra I
Source Achieve, Inc., The Expectations Gap A
50-State Review of High School Graduation
Requirements, 2004.
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13 states require Geometry
Source Achieve, Inc., The Expectations Gap A
50-State Review of High School Graduation
Requirements, 2004.
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Only 3 states require Algebra II
Source Achieve, Inc., The Expectations Gap A
50-State Review of High School Graduation
Requirements, 2004.
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A strong high school curriculum improves college
completion and narrows gaps
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Completing at least Algebra II plus other
courses. Source Adapted from Adelman, Clifford,
U.S. Department of Education, Answers in the
Toolbox, 1999.
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Only four in 10 high school students complete a
college- and work-ready math curriculum
Taking a math course beyond Algebra II by
graduation (2002)
Trigonometry or Precalculus. Source Council of
Chief State School Officers, State Indicators of
Science and Mathematics Education 2002, 2003, p.
27.
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Do assessments measure college-ready skills?

• Half the states require students to pass one or
  more exams to earn a high school diploma.
• What does it take to pass these tests?

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The tests Achieve analyzed
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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Good news States are measuring algebra and
geometry
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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Bad news States tend to measure lower-level
content
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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Students can pass state math tests knowing
content typically taught in 7th and 8th grade
internationally
Grade when most international students cover
content required to pass state math tests
FL MD MA
NJ OH TX
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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Reading tests downplay higher-level skills
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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Students can pass state English tests with skills
ACT expects of 8th and 9th graders
ACT (11th/12th)
ACT PLAN (10th)
ACT EXPLORE (8th/9th)
FL
MD
MA
NJ
OH
TX
Source Achieve, Inc., Do Graduation Tests
Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School
Exit Exams, 2004.
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American Diploma Project

• What do recent high school graduates tell us
  about the expectations they faced?

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Most high school graduates were moderately
challenged
All high school graduates
College students
Students who did not go to college
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Graduates who faced high expectations in high
school twice as likely to feel prepared for future
Percentage saying they were extremely/very well
prepared
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Algebra II critical for college and work
High school graduates extremely or very well
prepared for expectations of college/work
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Writing critical for college and work
High school graduates extremely or very well
prepared for expectations of college/work
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Knowing what they know today, high school
graduates would have worked harder
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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If high school had demanded more, graduates would
have worked harder

• Would have worked harder

• Strongly feel I would have worked harder

• Wouldnt have worked harder

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High school graduates who did not go to college
High school graduates who went to college
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Majority of graduates would have taken harder
courses
Knowing what you know today about the
expectations of college/work
Would have taken more challenging courses in at
least one area Math Science English
Would have taken more challenging courses in
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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American Diploma Project

• What will it take to close the expectations gap?

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Closing the expectations gap requires states to
take action

• Align high school standards and assessments with
  the knowledge and skills required for success in
  postsecondary education and work.
• Administer a college- and work-ready assessment,
  aligned to state standards, to high school
  students so they get clear and timely information
  and are able to address critical skill
  deficiencies while still in high school.
• Require all students to take a college- and
  work-ready curriculum to earn a high school
  diploma.
• Hold high schools accountable for graduating
  students who are college ready, and hold
  postsecondary institutions accountable for their
  success once enrolled.

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Postsecondary must be involved
What does it take to align high school standards
with college-ready standards?

• A clear, consistent definition of college ready
  from state postsecondary institutions.

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Some states are using high school assessments for
postsecondary purposes

• California State University system augmented the
  states high school test and now uses it for
  placement purposes.
• City University of New York uses scores on the
  states Regents exam for admissions and placement
  purposes.
• Texas students who earn a certain score on the
  state TAKS exam can be placed in college-level
  courses.
• Some states are considering incorporating the SAT
  or ACT into their high school assessment systems.

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High schools must be held accountable for student
preparation
To ensure high schools are graduating students
who are college and work ready, states need

• A data system based on individual student unit
  records that permits an honest count of
  graduation and dropout rates
• Measures of college and work readiness aligned to
  state standards

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Postsecondary institutions must be held
accountable for student success
Holding postsecondary institutions accountable
for the success of the students they admit
requires

• Focused goals for each institution, including
  persistence and graduation rates
• Data systems linked to K12
• Appropriate incentives

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ADP Network 18 states committed to improving
student achievement
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For more information, please visit Achieve, Inc.,
on the Web at http//www.achieve.org