The Lone Star Foundation Conference
Public Education Reform in Texas: Comprehensive Progress Report
Austin, Texas - December 7-8, 2000

Student College Participation and Success

December 2000

INTRODUCTION

This paper provides an update to a major study that examined the relationship of the Texas high school curriculum to college readiness.

Undertaken by Dr. Omar S. Lopez, Program Director at the Center for College Readiness at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the original study began in summer of 1998 and was completed by early fall of that same year. The purpose of the research was to better understand how the Texas high school curriculum prepares students in skill areas needed to do freshmen college-level work. Among the findings, the study found that higher levels of college readiness are related to three factors:

Diploma type earned in high school. Differences in college readiness do not seem to be related directly to race/ethnicity or gender per se, but are the result of choosing high school diploma programs not designed for college preparation rather than a high school diploma program that is designed to prepare a student for college work. The Advanced diploma programs were found to provide students with higher levels of college-readiness when compared to the Regular diploma program-even when the same Advanced core courses were taken but in a Regular diploma program. The implication is that high school diploma types differ in providing readiness for college at the course-level.

Completion of math and science core areas which were found to relate the most to college readiness in all three areas of the TASP Test (math, reading, and writing).

Completion of English and social studies non-core courses. Such courses were found to relate more to college readiness in reading and writing than the English core courses.

Dr. Lopez updated the original data collection in spring 2000 to examine the relationship of high school preparation to student college participation, college aspiration, first-year college GPA, first-year college retention, and second-year college persistence. These relationships are important because they focus on the initial impact of high school preparation on students after entering Texas public institutions of higher education that in turn may affect outcomes like college completion.

This study will present the findings from these investigations, but it will also highlight several issues of concern regarding Texas high school programs that were identified in the original study and revisited with the updated data.

The goal of this paper is to provide insight and support for educational reform that can increase participation and success for all Texas public high school students in Texas public institutions of higher education. The result is that the paper will conclude with recommendations for educational policy based on the findings.

STUDENT DATA COLLECTED FOR THIS STUDY

The data used in this study came from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s data collection on college students, and student information for the high school graduating class of 1997 from the Texas Education Agency’s Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). The PEIMS data consisted primarily of the student’s diploma type earned in high school:

Regular diploma. This high school diploma program is designed to fulfill the requirements for a high school diploma, but not specifically to prepare students for college-level work. Students pursuing this diploma program may pursue the high school core courses, but their classes typically do not have the academic rigor of college-preparatory courses.

Advanced diploma consists of the Advanced diploma program and the Recommended diploma program. These diploma programs are designed to prepare students for college-level work based on completion of high school core courses.

Advanced with Honors diploma consists of Advanced with Honors diploma program and the Distinguished diploma program. These diploma programs are designed to prepare students for college-level work based on completion of high school core courses, advanced core courses, and advanced placement (AP) courses.

A description of the core areas and advanced courses can be found in the appendix of this study.

Limitations and Assumptions of the Study

As in most research, there are limitations and assumptions underlying this study.

The study assumes that the high school graduates were enrolled during all four years in the Texas public school system. High school course grades are also not included for analysis in the study and therefore the findings should be carefully considered for educational policy. Texas high school students who attend private or out-of-state institutions of higher education are not included in the research because the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board does not collect such data. The result is that any significant findings among the diploma programs examined in this study will be underestimated. Lastly, special education students who earned an Individual Education Program (IEP) diploma are not included in this study and therefore the findings are accurate but may be incomplete.

Given these assumptions and limitations, the following are the findings of this research that updates the insights derived from the original study on the relationship of the Texas high school curriculum to college readiness.

The 1997 Texas High School Graduate Population

Chart 1 below shows the number and distribution of 1997 Texas high school graduates who earned a Regular, Advanced, or Advanced with Honors Diploma.

Of the 176,099 1997 Texas high school graduates shown above, over half (58%) earned a Regular high school diploma which is not designed to prepare high school students for college work. The remaining diplomas were about evenly distributed between Advanced (22%) and Advanced with Honors (20%). These high school diploma programs are designed to prepare students for college course work.

The implication of this finding is that there is a limited pool of qualified Texas high school graduates preparing for college-as reflected by the smaller number of students earning the Advanced and Advanced with Honors diplomas as compared to those earning a Regular diploma.

College Participation Rate

Is college participation related to high school preparation as defined by the diploma types?

Chart 2 below shows the college participation rate for the 1997 Texas high school graduates who enrolled in a Texas public institution of higher education between the fall 1996 and the summer 1998 semesters by diploma type.

The data indicate that college participation is related to high school preparation.

The high school graduates who completed a Regular diploma program had the lowest college participation rate (44.4%) at Texas public institutions of higher education. This finding is remarkable when one considers that the diploma program is not designed to prepare students for college. Yet, many high school students who completed such a diploma program enrolled in Texas public institutions of higher education. In comparison, the high school graduates who completed an Advanced diploma program had a college participation rate of 69.2 percent while those who completed an Advanced with Honors diploma program had the highest college participation rate: 74.8 percent.

The implication of these findings is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase student participation in Texas public institutions of higher education.

The original study clearly showed differences in college readiness as measured by the TASP Test between the Regular and Advanced-type diploma programs. Using the updated data, this study examined the relationship of high school preparation to student college aspiration, first-year college GPA, first-year college retention, and second-year college persistence. These relationships are important because they focus on the initial impact of high school preparation on students after entering Texas public institutions of higher education that in turn may affect outcomes like college completion.

Unless otherwise noted, the research population used to explore these relationships is defined by the 1997 Texas high school graduates who enrolled for the first-time in a Texas public institution of higher education between fall 1996 and summer 1998, as shown in Chart 3 below.

Essentially, the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort used for the following analysis consisted of 45,659 with a Regular diploma, 26,371 with an Advanced diploma, and 26,266 who earned an Advanced with Honors diploma.

Student College Aspiration

Is a student's college aspiration related to high school preparation as defined by the diploma types?

Upon first-time entry into a Texas public institution of higher education, students are asked to identify their educational goal: none, certificate, associate degree, or bachelors degree. Of the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier, Chart 4 below shows the percentage of students who were seeking a bachelors degree from a Texas public institution of higher education by diploma type.

The data indicate that college aspiration is related to high school preparation.

Fewer Texas high school students who completed a Regular diploma program had the aspiration to earn a bachelors degree while more students who completed an Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program aspired to a four-year degree, 51.6 percent and 65.2 percent, respectively.

The implication of this finding is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase the number of students whose aspiration is to pursue a bachelors degree from a Texas public institution of higher education.

First-Year College GPA

Is a student's first-year college grade point average (GPA) related to high school preparation as defined by the diploma types?

Of the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier, Chart 5 below shows the GPA earned by students from their first year of college course work by diploma type.

The data indicate that college GPA is related to high school preparation.

Texas high school students earning a Regular diploma had a lower GPA (2.31) than students with an Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma, 2.47 and 2.84, respectively.

The implication of this finding is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase the likelihood that students succeed-as reflected by higher GPAs-in their initial year of college coursework at a Texas public institution of higher education.

First-Year College Retention

Is first-year college retention related to high school preparation as defined by the diploma types?

First-year college retention is defined by the percentage of students who enrolled in a given fall semester of the total students who enrolled for the first time in the previous year in the summer or fall semester. Of the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier who enrolled in the summer or fall 1997 semesters, Chart 6 below shows the percentage that returned in fall 1998.

The data indicate that first-year college retention is related to high school preparation.

Texas high school students who completed a Regular diploma program had the lowest first-year college retention rate (64.3%). Students completing an Advanced diploma program had a higher first-year retention rate of 77 percent while students with Advanced with Honors diplomas had the highest first-year college retention rate: 86.4 percent.

The implication of this finding is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase the likelihood that students retain after the first year of college at a Texas public institution of higher education.

Second-Year College Persistence

Is second-year college persistence related to high school preparation as defined by the diploma types?

Second-year college persistence is defined by the percentage of students who enrolled in a given fall semester of the total students who enrolled for the first-time two years prior in the summer or fall semester. Of the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier who enrolled in the summer or fall 1997 semesters, Chart 7 below shows the percentage that returned in fall 1999.

The data indicate that second-year college persistence is related to high school preparation.

Texas high school students who completed a Regular diploma program had the lowest second-year college persistence rate (52.4%). Students completing an Advanced diploma program had a higher second-year persistence rate of 66.9 percent while students with Advanced with Honors diplomas had the highest second-year college persistence rate: 79.6 percent.

The implication of this finding is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase the likelihood that students persist after the second-year of college at a Texas public institution of higher education.

AREAS OF CONCERN

The findings in this updated study strongly encourage that more Texas high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase student participation and success at Texas public institution of higher education. However, having high school students complete the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program may not be enough to ensure that they are adequately prepared for college work.

The original study brought into question the quality of the Advanced diploma programs based on the percentage of high school graduates who were TASP-exempt based on TAAS, SAT, or ACT performance. Chart 9 below shows the TASP-exempt rate by diploma type for the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier.

The data show that only 6.3 percent of the Texas high school graduate cohort who completed a Regular diploma program were TASP-exempt based on TAAS, SAT, or ACT performance. This finding is expected. The Regular diploma program is not designed to prepare students for college-level work so few students would be expected to exempt from the TASP Test.

In comparison, of the Texas high school graduate cohort who completed an Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program only 7.8 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively, were TASP-exempt. This finding was not expected. More of these high school students who completed an Advanced diploma program should have meet the TASP-exempt standards based on TAAS, SAT, or ACT performance.

The quality of the Advanced diploma programs is further questioned when the overall college readiness rate is examined. The college-readiness rate is defined as the percentage of students in a cohort who were either TASP-exempt or who passed the

TASP Test on the first-attempt upon entering college. Chart 9 below shows the overall college readiness rate by diploma type for the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier.

The data show that only 26.0 percent of the Texas high school graduate cohort who completed a Regular diploma program were college-ready as measured by either meeting the TASP-exempt standard or from passing the TASP Test on the first-attempt. This finding is expected. As cited earlier, the Regular diploma program is not designed to prepare students for college-level work so few students would be expected to demonstrate college-readiness.

In comparison, of the Texas high school graduate cohort who completed an Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program only 42.5 percent and 48.2 percent, respectively, were college-ready. This finding was not expected. More of these high school students who completed an Advanced diploma program should have demonstrated college-readiness by either meeting the TASP-exempt standards or by passing the TASP Test.

The implications of the findings on college-readiness is that Advanced diploma programs are not equal across Texas public high schools or that some areas of the high school programs are not adequate for providing college-readiness.

In the original study, for example, the English and social studies core areas did not contribute to reading or writing college readiness, as measured by the TASP Test. This finding implies that there may be a misalignment of the English and social studies core curriculum to the TASP Test-but not necessarily that the curriculum in these core courses is of no value or importance to a student’s education. The possibility exists that the knowledge, skills, and abilities gained in these core areas are simply not measurable on the TASP reading and writing test sections.

Meanwhile, meeting the TASP-exempt standards-which may be viewed as a hallmark of whether or not a diploma program is truly rigorous-is still no guarantee that students will be successful in college. Chart 10 below shows the distribution of first-year GPAs among the 1997 Texas high school graduate cohort defined earlier who were TASP-exempt (n=9,023) based on TAAS, SAT, or ACT.

Although 22 percent of the TASP-exempt students earned a GPA of 3.5 or above, the data show that 23 percent of these students earned a GPA of 2.0 or below.

TASP-exempt standards have been lowered on more than one occasion to meet the state legislature's expectation for exempting more students from the TASP Test. In so doing, the state may have done Texas high school graduates a favor by allowing an additional number of students into college without having to TASP-test. However, in retrospect the state may have done these additional students a disservice by denying them access to the benefits of developmental education that is provided when a student fails one or more areas of the TASP Test. Instead, these additional students more likely came to college with deficiencies in skill areas critical for success in freshmen college-level work. The GPA data suggest that this is the case.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings in this study indicated that high school preparation is related to student participation and success in Texas public institutions of higher education.

Texas high school graduates who complete the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program are more likely to enroll in college, aspire to a bachelors degree, and earn a higher first-year GPA than graduates who complete the Regular diploma program. Moreover, high school graduates who complete the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma program are also more likely to retain after the initial year of college and persist beyond the second year than high school students who complete the Regular diploma program.

The implication of these findings is that more high school students need to complete either the Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma programs if the goal is to increase student participation and success in at a Texas public institution of higher education.

However, caution must be exercised in promoting the Advanced diploma programs across Texas public schools. The TASP-exempt data showed lower exemption rates for high school graduates who complete an Advanced diploma program than what might be expected. Likewise, the overall college readiness rate for these high school graduates was also lower than what should be expected given the emphasis in the design of these diploma programs: to prepare high school students for college-level work.

Long-term, the most prudent course of educational policy would be to continue to motivate high school students to complete an Advanced diploma program or an Advanced with Honors diploma program rather than a Regular diploma program-as supported by the findings in this study.

Short-term, educational policy should require that Texas high school students TASP-test as early as the beginning of their 11th-grade year to allow enough time for students who fail the test to "college-prep", retest, and complete all areas of the TASP Test before they graduate from high school. Upon successful completion of the TASP Test, the student could dual enroll in high school and in a Texas public institution of higher education. In so doing, one could envision students walking across the stage on graduation night to receive their high school diploma knowing that each one is not only college-ready, but also college bound having already earned college credit while finishing high school.

Given these policy recommendations, more Texas high school students could participate and succeed in Texas public institutions of higher education.

1997 TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The 1997 Texas high school graduates pursuing either the Regular or Advanced diplomas were required to complete four courses in English, three courses in social studies, three courses in math, and three courses in science, but not necessarily the courses that define the core areas as shown below.

For example, 1997 high school graduates earning a Regular diploma could have fulfilled their math requirements with non-core courses that are pre-requisites to Algebra I, which is the lowest-level course in the math core area. In comparison, students seeking an Advanced or Advanced with Honors diploma could have also completed their graduation requirements with non-core courses. However, these non-core courses typically require students to have completed some or all of a core area. Table 2 below outlines these non-core courses that typically require completion or partial completion of core courses as pre-requisites.

Dr. Omar Lopez
Just for the Kids
512-320-4150
301 Congress, Ste. 575
Austin, TX 78701

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Paper presented at the Lone Star Conference on
PUBLIC EDUCATION REFORM IN TEXAS - COMPREHENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT December 7th and 8th, Austin, Texas. Contact information for the Lone Star Foundation 10711 Burnet, Suite 333, Austin, Texas 78758 (Telephone 512-339-9771).

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