The Benefits of Early Engagement in the College-Preparation Process: Implications for Practitioners. Research Report 2014-1
Author: Wyatt, Jeff
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: College Preparation,College Readiness,Career Readiness,High School Graduates,College Bound Students,Outcomes of Education,Success,Academic Achievement,Enrollment,Academic Persistence,Graduation,Learner Engagement,Student Evaluation,College Entrance Examinations,High School Students,Benchmarking,Higher Education,Ethnicity

The ability of the United States to remain competitive in the expanding global economy will require a more knowledgeable and skilled workforce than ever before. Most of the jobs in the fastest-growing industries will require individuals with some postsecondary education. As such, there is a need to engage students in an effective college- and career-preparation process early to increase their likelihood of readiness and success in college and careers. A system that allows students to exhibit their knowledge, skills, and abilities as they relate to college and career readiness and monitor whether they are on target and stay on target for postsecondary success is an integral component of this process. The College Board offers a set of psychometrically sound assessments called the Pathway that provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate whether they are successfully engaging in the college-preparation process. ReadiStep™, the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), the SAT®, and their associated tools, also create a trajectory that assists students with getting and staying on target for success in college and careers. Using the College Board Pathway, the research presented in this report examines the relationship between student engagement in the college-preparation process and success in postsecondary outcomes for a sample of students who graduated from high school in 2006. Results from analyses of these data indicated that: (1) Students who entered the College Board Pathway and exhibited being on target to college and career readiness earlier tended to have higher rates of postsecondary success in terms of four-year college enrollment, retention, and graduation. (2) Students who exhibited being on target for college and career readiness early in high school and continuously monitored their readiness throughout the Pathway system tended to have higher rates of postsecondary success than students who did not continue in the Pathway sequence. (3) The postsecondary benefits of entering the Pathway in 10th grade, and getting and staying on target to college and career readiness early accrue to all students, regardless of race or ethnicity. Engagement in the college-preparation process is an important component in a student's college and career readiness. In addition, getting on target early and staying on target is positively related to a student's likelihood of succeeding in postsecondary education. This is meaningful, given the importance of students acquiring the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to achieve postsecondary success and engage in careers that will support the nation's competitiveness in the growing global economy.