The Nation's Report Card[TM]: America's High School Graduates. Results of the 2009 NAEP High School Transcript Study. NCES 2011-462
Author: Nord, C.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Academic Records,Advanced Placement,Advanced Placement Programs,African American Students,Asian American Students,College Bound Students,Comparative Analysis,Content Analysis,Educational Attainment,Educational Improvement,Ethnic Groups,Ethnicity,Evaluation,Gender Differences,Grade Point Average,High School Graduates,High School Seniors,Hispanic American Students,Mathematics Achievement,Pacific Islanders,Parent Background,Public Schools,Private Schools,Race,Racial Differences,Science Achievement,Scores,Statistical Significance,STEM Education,Time Perspective,White Students

This report presents information about the types of courses that high school graduates in the class of 2009 took during high school, how many credits they earned, and the grades they received. Information on the relationships between high school coursetaking records and performance in mathematics and science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also included. Transcripts were collected from about 610 public schools and 130 private schools for the 2009 High School Transcript Study (HSTS). These transcripts constituted a nationally representative sample of 37,700 high school graduates, representing approximately 3 million 2009 high school graduates. The 2009 results are compared to the results of earlier transcript studies dating back to 1990, and differences among graduates by race/ethnicity, gender, and parent education are examined. Because the study is restricted to high school graduates, it contains no information about dropouts, who may differ from graduates. Graduates who receive a special education diploma or certificate of completion are also excluded from analyses in this report unless noted otherwise. Some of the findings include: 2009 graduates earned over three credits more than their 1990 counterparts, or about 420 additional hours of instruction during their high school careers. Graduates who completed an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) mathematics or science course, a higher level mathematics or science course in ninth grade, or a rigorous curriculum had average NAEP scores at the &quot;Proficient&quot; level in both mathematics and science. Graduates who completed a midlevel or a standard curriculum had average NAEP scores at the &quot;Basic&quot; level. Since 2005, male graduates have narrowed the gap with female graduates in credits earned in mathematics and science. Since 1990 more graduates from each racial/ethnic group completed a rigorous curriculum. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander graduates completing a rigorous curriculum in 2009, 29 percent, was greater than that of White, Black, or Hispanic graduates (14 percent, 6 percent, and 8 percent respectively). All four racial/ethnic groups on average earned more credits and higher grade point averages (GPAs) in 2009 than they did in 1990. The GPAs of White and Asian/Pacific Islander graduates increased between 2005 and 2009. (Contains 42 figures and 10 tables.)