Measuring Up 2004: The State Report Card on Higher Education. Oklahoma
Author: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Preparation,Enrollment,Access to Education,Paying for College,Student Costs,Academic Persistence,Time to Degree,Graduation Rate,Educational Attainment,Outcomes of Education,Education Work Relationship,Economic Impact,Academic Achievement,Achievement Rating,Educational Indicators,Educational Assessment,Higher Education,Postsecondary Education,Comparative Analysis,Performance Factors,Educational Improvement,Educational Change

This state report card is derived from &quot;Measuring Up 2004,&quot; the national report card for higher education. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve postsecondary education in each state. &quot;Measuring Up 2004&quot; is the third in a series of biennial report cards. The report card grades states in six overall performance categories: (1) Preparation: How adequately are students in each state being prepared for education and training beyond high school?; (2) Participation: Do state residents have sufficient opportunities to enroll in education and training beyond high school?; (3) Affordability: How affordable is higher education for students and their families?; (4) Completion: Do students make progress toward and complete their certificates and degrees in a timely manner?; (5) Benefits: What benefits does the state receive as a result of having a highly educated population?; and (6) Learning: What is known about student learning as a result of education and training beyond high school? This state report card begins by summarizing the state's performance today compared with ten years ago, and by presenting key policy questions that these results suggest for the state. Next, the state's performance in each category is described in greater detail, followed by additional contextual information. Findings for Oklahoma include: (1) Despite substantial improvement over the past decade, Oklahoma continues to lag behind many other states in preparing high school students to succeed in college. This year Oklahoma receives a C- in preparation; (2) Over the past decade, Oklahoma's performance in enrolling students in higher education has declined. Oklahoma receives a C in participation this year; (3) Over the past decade, Oklahoma, like most states, has made no notable progress in providing affordable higher education opportunities. This year Oklahoma is one of many states to receive an F in affordability; (4) In Oklahoma, over the past decade, a substantially larger proportion of students earned a certificate or degree in a timely manner. Despite that progress, Oklahoma receives a C- in completion this year; (5) Over the past decade, Oklahoma has seen an increase in the benefits accruing to the state from having a more highly educated population. This year, however, Oklahoma receives only a C+ in benefits because other states performed better; and (6) Oklahoma residents perform slightly below the national average on literacy measures, reflecting moderate levels of educational attainment. Higher-than-average proportions of college graduates appear to be prepared to enter licensed technical careers, while lower-than-average proportions are prepared for traditional graduate study. College graduates demonstrate average performance in problem-solving skills but below-average performance in written communication. [For &quot;Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education,&quot; see ED508096.]