The High School – College Disconnect

1. The High School – College Disconnect G. Donald Allen Department of Mathematics Texas A&M University presented to: The Coastal Bend Mathematics Collaborative, 11/14/05

2. Why are we here? • To consider the connections and disconnections between secondary and postsecondary institutions. • To develop an awareness of K-12 issues. • To develop an awareness of college realities for our students. • To find common ground across the bridge between high school and college.

3. Where do we stand? • Enrollment in college has remained steady at 44% of the graduating class. • Texas sends fewer students to college than other states (33% of 9th graders) • 72% of growth in college enrollment is in two year colleges. (565k vs 483k) • College readiness is a focus area by the THECB • Texas now has an Educator Quality and P-16 Initiatives division of TEA Two-year colleges had 88,007 additional students, 2000 to 2003 Universities increased by 58,192 from 2000 to 2003

4. Where do we stand? • Value Added in High School Declined During the Nineties • Too Few 17 Year-Olds Demonstrate Strong Math Skills.

5. Low-Income Students More Likely to End Up in 2-Year Colleges and Proprietary Institutions: 1995-96 Source: American Council on Education, Center for Policy Analysis, Crucial Choices: How Students’ Financial Decisions Affect Their Academic Success using The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 1995-96 (NPSAS) & Beginning Postsecondary Students 1996/98 (BPS)

6. College Freshmen Not Returning for Sophomore Year • 4 yr colleges 26% • 2 yr colleges 45% Retention is a priority on most campuses

7. Graduating… • The statewide six-year graduation rate is 52 percent, while the national rate is about 55 percent. • Nationwide, only half (52%) of full-time, first-time freshmen at four-year institutions earn a bachelor’s degree within five years

8. Comparisons Of every 100 kindergarten children… BUT… About 40% of white students, 23% of African-American students, and 20% of Hispanic students who started public high school graduated college-ready in 2002.

9. What is College Readiness? • Dual credit courses • Texas Success Initiative (TSI) (formerly TASP) • THEA, ASSET, COMPASS and ACCUPLACER • Standards for test exemption: SAT – 1070 combined; ACT – 23 composite; TAKS – 2200 in math

10. Texas Success Initiative • Effective September 1, 2003, the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) ceased to exist, • Texas Success Initiative (TSI) was implemented for all public colleges and universities. • TSI is focused on using a statewide standard for assessing college level readiness skills of all entering undergraduate students at public colleges and universities. • New students are assessed on their reading, writing and math skills, then academically advised and placed in developmental level courses if necessary.

11. Why higher education? • 70% of the 30 fastest-growing jobs will require an education beyond high school. • 40% of all new jobs will require at least an associate’s degree. Bureau of Census & Education Trust,1999

12. More Data… • 2.5 million students graduate from high school annually • 70% go on to post-secondary education within two years • 50% of those take remedial courses – often in several subjects

13. College is important for life… • With a high school diploma, $24,267 • With an associate’s degree, $26,693 • With a bachelor’s degree, $40,314 Salaries for adults aged 25 U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001

14. Today’s topics • Assessment in high school vs. college • computational vs. analytical questions • calculators, yes or no? • test taking strategizing • Placement exams vs. TAKS vs. College Exams • Scoring correction awareness • Critical transition points

15. Today’s topics • College readiness • Local college-high school liaisons • Forming P-16 initiatives • Workshop deliverables

16. Scoring Correction – a little math • Assume multiple choice test of n questions with four distractors. • The student gets m correct, w wrong: m + w = n. Grade = m - or is it? • g = number guessed at. w=3/4 g. (g = 4/3 w). • True score = n – g = n - 4/3w = m - w/3. • Example n=100. m = 75. True score is 75 – 25/3 ~ 67 Ex. On any such multiple choice test, a grade of 85% is required to be equivalent to a corrected score of 80%. A grade of 77% ~ corrected score of 78%.

17. What sort of placement instruments do we use? • High school grades? TAKS raw score. • High school rank? • SAT, THEA, Accuplacer, Compass, ACT? • Internal placement exam? Is there any consistency?

18. Accuplacer – an adaptive test • This means that the computer automatically determines which questions are presented based on prior responses. • This technique selects just the right questions to ask without being too easy or too difficult. • The test is not timed. • After you answer each question, the computer calculates a score based on all ofthe answers given and uses this score to select the next question. • Questions must be answered in the order given.

19. Critical transition points • When do students get turned on to mathematics (and why)? • Applications? • Teacher? • Career day? • Love of subject? • When do students get turned off to mathematics (and why)? • Fear or anxiety of subject? • Teacher?

20. Placement Exams • Test for reliability and validity • Tracking students • ACCUPLACER is the computer adaptive testing system approved by the Texas State Legislature as an alternative assessment tool for initial THEA testing.

21. Test equivalencies (for TSI) Minimum passing standards for WTAMU admission Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

22. Test equivalencies (for TSI) Minimum passing standards for Del Mar admission Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

23. Minimum passing scores for College Algebra at UH