# Presentation: 192969

## Archived Information

## More and more students going on to college

**Source:** *The Condition of Education 2003.*

## 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.

## That’s good, because education pays:Annual earnings of 25-34 year-olds by attainment, 2001

**That’s good, because education pays:****Annual earnings of 25-34 year-olds ****by attainment, 2001**

## Unfortunately, when these new freshmen arrive in college, many must take remedial (high-school) level courses

## Not surprisingly,many of those college freshmendo not return for sophomore year

**Source:** Tom Mortensen, *Postsecondary Opportunity,* No. 89, November 1999.

## Even among freshmen in selective colleges, large numbers don’t complete degrees 

**Source: ***1999 NCAA Division I Graduation Rates Report,* p. 636.

## Clearly, we’ve got a problem

- Students are following all the rules;
- Meeting all of the requirements for the diploma; and
- Falling in the cracks between high school and the expectations of postsecondary institutions.

## Big gap between what students, teachers think is necessary and what colleges and employers need

- While parents, students and teachers continue to believe in the diploma’s value, those who judge the quality of high school graduates most closely — first-year college professors and employers — express strong skepticism.

## Both professors and employers have similar worries

- Most employers and professors question whether high school graduates have the knowledge and skills required on the job or in the college classroom.

**Percentage of employers and professors rating graduates’ skills as “fair” or “poor”**

## Consequences of poor alignment are serious both for students and for taxpayers

- In a single state, employers and postsecondary education institutions spend an estimated $134.3 million a year on remedial education.

**Estimated annual spending on remedial education in Michigan**

## Better alignment has major benefits

## Better alignment has major benefits:A strong h.s. curriculum* improves college completion and narrows gaps

**Better alignment has major benefits:****A strong h.s. curriculum* improves college completion and narrows gaps**

***Completing at least “Algebra II” plus other courses.**
**Source: **Adapted from Adelman, Clifford, U.S. Department of Education, *Answers in the Toolbox,* 1999.

**28%**

**11%**

## Important for workplace, too.

## Take manufacturing, for example ...

## Requirements fortool and die makers

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

## Requirements forsheet metal workers

-  Four or five years of apprenticeship;
-  Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and technical reading.

## Moving forward:Kids and parents are clear, but their teachers have other ideas

**Moving forward:****Kids and parents are clear, but their teachers have other ideas**

**Response From**

## To break through those attitudes,we cannot equivocate:

-      **ALL students must be educated as if they are bound for college AND work.**

## Slide 20

## Defining workplace expectations

- Highly Paid Professional Jobs Earnings: $40,000+ Projected Job Growth Rate: 20%
- Well-Paid, Skilled Jobs  Earnings: $25,000–$40,000 Projected Job Growth Rate: 12%
- Low-Paid or Low-Skilled Jobs Earnings: Less than $25,000 Projected Job Growth Rate: 15%

**25%**

**37%**

**38%**

**Share of Jobs**

## ADP Workplace Study: Key findings

**Algebra II is the threshold math course for most workers in good jobs.**
**In English, most workers at all levels of employment had completed four years of English at grade level or above in high school.**
- Taking below-average English or functional/basic English increased the likelihood of being employed in a low-paid or low-skilled job.

## Defining postsecondary expectations

- Convened focus groups with wide range of arts and sciences faculty in two- and four-year institutions
- Elicited “must have” math and English competencies as they relate to freshman coursework

## Identifying gaps

- Analyzed state standards and high school assessments
- Analyzed postsecondary admissions and placement exams
- Compared with “must have” competencies defined by faculty

## English

- Write an extended research essay...building on primary and secondary sources that:
- Marshals evidence in support of clear thesis...
- Paraphrase and summarizes...and supporting or refuting thesis...
- Cites sources correctly...using standard format.

## Math

- Recognize and solve problems that can be modeled using a finite geometric series, such as home mortgage problems and other compound interest problems.

## Slide 27

## States should:

- Anchor academic standards in the real world.
- Require all students to take a college- and workplace readiness curriculum.
- Measure what matters and make it count.

## Postsecondary institutions should:

- Use high school assessments for college admissions and placement.
- Provide information to high schools on the academic performance of their graduates in college.
- Be held accountable for the academic success of the students they admit.

## The federal government should:

- Provide incentives for students to meet college- and workplace readiness expectations.
- Offer resources for states to align college- and workplace readiness expectations.
- Require that postsecondary institutions report annually to students, parents and the public evidence of student achievement, as well as remediation, persistence and degree completion.
- Align the 12th grade NAEP with the ADP benchmarks and require states to administer it.

## Business leaders should:

- Consider evidence such as high school assessment results and transcripts when making hiring decisions.
- Encourage states to align standards, assessments and high school graduation requirements with college- and workplace readiness expectations.

## Slide 32