Addressing College and Work Readiness in North Dakota

Table of Contents

1. Why are North Dakota agencies concerned?
   Only 25 percent of North Dakota high school graduates are prepared for college.
   
   1. Description of the problem (NDUS)
   2. Retention rates/Graduation rates (NDUS)
   3. Remedial enrollments (NDUS)
   4. Loan default rates (BND)
   5. K-12 data (ACT Class of 2005)
   6. Crisis at the Core (ACT)
      • Executive Summary
      • ND Summary
      • Action Plan
   7. EPAS - State Standards Alignment (K-12 standards do not align with college prep) (ACT)
      • ACT's summary explanation of EPAS
   8. ND Profile (Achieve, Inc)
   9. Measuring Up (Public Policy and Higher Education)
      • Measuring Up 2006
   10. The High-School-to-College Pipeline
   11. Standards and Student Performance Measurements (ACT)
   12. The Quiet Crisis
   13. Educational Needs Index
   
   

2. Is there a perception that North Dakota has a problem?
   1. Smette letter
      • Dr. Potts response
   2. Education Study Council Notes
   
   
   

3. What are NDUS admission requirements?
   1. SBHE Policy 402.2
   2. Core curriculum
   3. Campus policy
      
   4. The Effects of using ACT Composite Score and High School Average on College Admission (ACT)
   5. College Admissions & the Homeschooling Challenge (AACRAO)
   
   
   

4. Is the required core curriculum enough?
   1. New Core Curriculum for All - Ed Trust
   2. ACT - core is not enough
      
      • ND Summary (ACT)
   3. Several States Make College-prep the Default Curriculum (Edweek)
   4. Rethinking Retention
   
   
   

5. Are students prepared for college and work?
   1. Courses Count, Preparing Students for Postsecondary Success (ACT)
   2. Redesigning High Schools to Prepare Students for the Future (CEEP)
   3. Call for Stronger High School Preparation for College and Work (ACT)
   4. Inadequate Preparation (Achieve, Inc)
   5. Ready for the Real World? Americans Speak on High School Reform (ETS)
   6. Preparing All Students for College and Work (ACT)
   7. What to do about Senioritis. (College Board)
   8. Declining by Degrees
   9. Before It's Too Late
   
   
   

6. Are students being challenged in high school?
   1. Education - High School Rigor? (CNN)
   2. Education - High School Rigor? Bring it on Students say. (USA Today)
      
   3. High Schools with High Expectations for All (Dept of Education)
   4. High School Coursework (Perspectives, AASCU)
   5. College Readiness Crisis Spurs for Change by ACT in Nation's Core High School Curriculum (ACT Newsroom)
   6. Benefits of Rigorous College/Work Preparatory Sequence (EdTrust)
   7. Policy Matters: Preparing Students for Success in College (AASCU)
   8. American Say High Schools Aren't Challenging Our Students (ETS)
   9. Students Graduate from High School Ready or Not. (ACT Newsroom)
   
   
   

7. Is high school GPA a good measure of readiness?
   1. Clear Evidence of High School Grade Inflation (NCPA)
   2. Differential Grading Standards Among High School (ACT)
   3. Examining Predictors of Coll. Remediation, The Effect of HS Grade Inflation
      
   4. Grade Inflation Cheats Students As Employers Get Wise to Scam (Detroit News)
      
   5. Grade Inflation, It's Time to Face the Facts (The Chronicle Review)
      
   6. Grade Inflation, What's Really Behind All Those A's (Harvard Ed Letter)
   7. High School Grade Inflation From 1991 to 2003 (ACT)
   8. Students are better today (Faculty of Education)
      
   9. Whose Grades are Inflated (College Board)
      
   10. Grade Inflation - The Current Fraud (Thomas & Bainbridge)
   11. The Initiative to End Grade Inflation
   
   
   

8. Is there a "gap"?
   1. Gaps in Expectation (Achieve, Inc)
   2. Skills for Success (Achieve, Inc)
   3. Action Agenda for Improving America's High Schools (Achieve, Inc)
   4. Restore Value to the High School Diploma (Achieve, Inc)
   5. The Expectation Gap, A 50-state Review of High School Grad Reqmts (Achieve)
   6. Study finds "Expectation Gap" between high school course requirements & Real-world demands of college and workplace (Achieve news release)
   7. Cracks in the Education Pipeline (Committee for Economic Development)
   8. Income of U.S. Workforce Projected to Decline if Education Doesn't Improve (PPHE)
   
   
   

9. How do we measure readiness?
   1. ACT PLAN Benefits
      
   2. Why take the ACT/SAT
      
   3. Bridges
      1) Choices
      2) College Entrance Exams
      3) High School Projects
      
   4. Answers in the Tool Box, Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor degree attainment (Dept of Ed)
   5. Short Web-based Version of Answers in the Tool Box (Dept of Ed)
   
   
   

10. Do we need to align K-12 and higher education?
    1. Improving Alignment, Advancing Students (Perspectives)
    2. Bridging the Great Divide Between Secondary Schools and Postsecondary Ed (EdTrust)
    3. Quality, Affordability and Access (ETS)
    4. The School to College Transition (ACE)
    5. Student Success in Colleges and Universities (AASU)
    6. Pathways to College: Access and Success (DOE)
    7. Working Together to Improve Student Achievement, Pre-K through College (EdTrust)
    8. Reinventing the American High School for the 12st Century (ACTE)
    
    
    

11. How are other states responding?
    1. Oklahoma (ACT)
    2. Kentucky (ACT)
    3. The Governance Divide - A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success (ACT)
    4. Other states are making progress
    5. Graduation Rate Outcomes Study
    6. Helping Colorado Students: A summary of Bell's 2005 Education White Papers
    7. Indiana's P-16 Initiative (ACT)
    
    
    

12. What are ‘best practices' for states?
    1. NGA - #1 Governor's leadership
    2. Hearing on Providing Quality Postsecondary Ed: Access & Accountability (Kati Haycock Trust.org)
    3. Linking workforce and college prep expectations (Quality of Voc Ed, June 1998)
    4. American Diploma Project (Achieve)
    5. The Investment Payoff (Institute for Higher Ed Policy)
    6. What have we learned from other statewide planning activities?
    
    
    

13. Who are potential partners?
    1. NDWDC (fund PLAN?)
       
    2. NEI - It is important for ND's economic future - highly educated and skilled workforce - both high school and college graduates
       
    3. BND (funded Bridges)
       
    4. State Chamber of Commerce
       
    5. Higher Education Roundtable
       
    6. MHEC Education to Work initiative
    7. Joint Boards
       
       • DPI (JPA's)
         
       • ESPB
         
       • CTE
    8. School Districts (students will be motivated)
       
    9. Americans Believe High Schools Cannot Improve Without Community Partnerships
    
    
    

14. What are our next steps?
    1. Ten Steps to Action
    2. CT Gear-up
       
    3. It's Time to Act on High School Reform (ETS)