Putting Equity at the Center of High School Transformation in Rhode Island XQ+RI EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY AUDIT FINAL REPORT TO THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, APRIL 2020
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Rhode Island Leaders, In February 2019, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Rhode Island Department of Education and XQ, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to reimagining high school education. XQ+RI: Rhode Island’s XQ Challenge was designed to engage Rhode Island communities to create student-centered schools that help prepare all young people to succeed in college, work, and life, no matter their background and wherever they live. When we began our work together, we knew that it would be critically important to make sure every school design or redesign team confronted the ineffective— and often grossly inequitable—school practices that frequently remain hidden from public view. Without an honest reckoning of such practices, many teams would run the risk of replicating them as they redesigned the high school experience for local students. To make certain that equitable access to high-quality educational experiences remained front and center for XQ+RI high school redesign teams, XQ conducted an Educational Opportunity Audit (EOA) for each participating school—including an analysis of high school transcripts; a survey of students, teachers, and parents; and student focus groups. To help ground their work, each team received an EOA report containing both overall school results and results for different groups of their students, shining a bright light on inequitable practices. School-level EOA reports helped XQ+RI teams maintain a tight focus on both equity and rigorous preparation. That focus was especially evident in the proposals from Ponaganset High School and Trinity Academy for the
Performing Arts, newly selected as XQ schools, and from Woonsocket High School and 360 HIgh School, the Accelerator schools. We know from experience, though, that all four of these schools—along with the 16 Momentum schools—will need continuous support from XQ and RIDE to deliver on their goals. As we looked at the data not just within schools but across them, it quickly became clear that most of the problems identified in the school-level EOA reports are not unique to individual schools—or, we assume, to the 20 schools in the planning grant process. Rather, these problems are the product of long-standing practices that don’t prioritize equity, and of a state policy framework that doesn’t demand improvement. If Rhode Island is to lead the country in transforming its high schools to meet the needs of the 21st century, state leaders will undoubtedly want to launch a multi-pronged effort that includes supporting the 20 schools in the XQ+RI cohort as they begin to implement their designs; mounting similar, community-led redesign efforts in other Rhode Island communities; and adopting a revised policy framework to incentivize and support change. What follows is a report on data from the XQ+RI cohort meant to elucidate needed policy changes in three areas: access to rigorous college and career preparatory courses for all Rhode Island students, supports to ensure students complete those courses successfully, and increasing students’ readiness for college success. Our team at XQ stands ready to help in any way we can.
Russlynn Ali, CEO, XQ Institute XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 1
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1. Introduction
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2. O verview of Key Findings
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3. Access to Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
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4. Successful Completion of Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
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5. Readiness for College Success: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
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6. Conclusion
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XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 3
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1
Introduction
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 5
The Educational Opportunity Audit: What’s involved? The Educational Opportunity Audit (EOA) examines the journeys students take through high school, identifying often hidden patterns in readiness for college and careers. The EOA gathers findings across three sources— transcripts, surveys, and focus groups—to shine a spotlight on longstanding inequities in school practices and in educational outcomes for students. Especially now, when leaders in Rhode Island are intensely focused on transforming high schools to do a better job of preparing students for the demands of the 21st century, a clear understanding of current patterns of career and college readiness—and the practices that produce them— is critically important. Just as school-level EOA reports were vital for assuring that school design teams would not inadvertently reinvent inequitable practices in their new designs, this first-in-the-nation statewide EOA report can help state leaders analyze patterns across the state and undertake changes in state policy as necessary to provoke needed changes in local policies and practices.
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SLIDE
1
Educational Opportunity Audit for Rhode Island
What is it?
The Educational Opportunity Audit examines the journeys students take through XQ+RI high schools, identifying often hidden patterns in readiness for college and career. It gathers data from three sources:
2,253 Student Transcripts from RIDE
4,891 EOA Surveys of Students,
Parents, and Teachers
18 EOA Student Focus
Groups
SLIDE 2
Educational Opportunity Audit for Rhode Island
Why is it so important? The Educational Opportunity Audit (EOA) shines a spotlight on longstanding inequities in school practices and educational outcomes. School-level EOA reports helped XQ+RI design teams to better understand current patterns of readiness in their schools and the often inequitable practices that produced those patterns. This helped teams to avoid replicating these barriers as they redesigned the high school experience for their students. This first-in-the nation statewide EOA report will help state leaders strengthen their innovation eorts with a strong policy foundation.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 7
Who Is Included? In Rhode Island as a whole, there were 10,903 seniors in the class of 2018-19. Of those, 2,253—approximately one in five—were included in the XQ+RI sample. The XQ+RI sample closely mirrors the racial and gender demographics of the full class. It is also reasonably representative in other ways, though it included more English learners (9% v. 6% statewide) and fewer students with disabilities (11% v. 16% statewide) than the class as a whole.
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SLIDE 3
Who is included in your EOA audit?
OF THE 10,903 SENIORS IN THE CLASS OF 2018-19
2,253
ROUGHLY 1 IN 5 WERE IN THE XQ+RI SAMPLE
XQ + RI 2019 STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS PLANNING GRANT COHORT
Gender
Race/Ethnicity*
100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
48%
52%
25%
61%
50%
23%
25%
3% Male
Asian
Female
8% Black/ African American
4% Hispanic/ Latinx
Other**
White
*Race percentages may not add up to 100% with exclusions **Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
SLIDE 4
Who is included in your EOA audit? XQ + RI 2019 STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS PLANNING GRANT COHORT
Low Family Income*
English Learners
Students with Disabilities
9%
11%
40% 60% 91%
89%
*Low family income determined by student Free and Reduced Lunch Status
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 9
What Definitions Did We Use? For our analysis of patterns in college eligibility, we asked whether students had successfully completed the 18 courses required of students applying to the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, which are fairly typical of four-year colleges and universities nationwide. We should note that, while these courses are not required of applicants to 2-year colleges, there is considerable research suggesting that successful completion of these same courses prepares students for success in 2-year colleges as well, in particular by enabling students to avoid remedial courses.
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SLIDE 5
How did we define college eligibility in Rhode Island?
COLLEGE AND CAREER PREPARATORY (CCP) COURSEWORK
• 4 units/years of English • 2 units/years of the same foreign language • 3 units/years of mathematics (algebra I, algebra II, and geometry)
Students who successfully complete* the required college and career preparatory (CCP) coursework for application to either the University of Rhode Island (URI) or Rhode Island College (RIC).
• 2 units/years of history or social science • 2 units/years of laboratory science • 5 additional college preparatory units (additional
coursework in any of the above subjects, or other college preparatory elective courses offered by your high school)
*College and career preparatory course completion includes passage of classes with D letter grades.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 11
Readiness for success in college,
however, depends on more than just completing college preparatory courses. We therefore went a step further to conduct analyses of the cohort’s performance on generally accepted metrics of college readiness. These include completing advanced coursework beyond the courses necessary to apply to college, achieving a 3.33 GPA or better, and scoring at a “college ready” level of 1010 or higher on the SAT.
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SLIDE 6
How did we define college ready?
COMPLETING ADVANCED COURSEWORK
+
Studies have consistently shown that success in these three areas combined is more predictive of college readiness than success in any one of these measures alone. Thresholds for academic preparedness have been empirically derived and are highly predictive of students enrolling and succeeding in college.
ACHIEVING 3.33 GRADE POINT AVERAGE
+
SCORING 1010 ON SAT OR 19 ON ACT
Career Readiness
is more challenging to define and measure because there is no national or statewide agreed-upon definition and because the data necessary to craft such a definition are so spotty. Rhode Island has made a significant investment in career and technical education (CTE), so we first investigated how many students in our cohort are participating in CTE courses and how many complete at least three courses in a related field—a measure sometimes used to set a minimum standard for career readiness. We should note that nationally, many employers are dissatisfied with definitions of this sort. Indeed, in its recent report, Career Readiness: A Business-Led Approach for Supporting K-12 Schools, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was crystal clear: “Career readiness is in fact inclusive of college readiness ... This is particularly important to ensure that career readiness is not perceived or implemented as a lesser pathway when compared to college readiness.” So, our 21st century career readiness measure encompasses both CTE course-taking and readiness for college.
SLIDE 7
How did we define career ready? BASIC: Students who successfully complete three or more CTE courses in the same career field* 21ST CENTURY: College Ready Plus Career Prep**
*Source: Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript outcomes of high school students, The Education Trust, retrieved from https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ MeanderingTowardGraduation_EdTrust_April2016.pdf **US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Career Readiness: A Business-Led Approach For Supporting K-12 Schools
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 13
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Overview of Key Findings
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 15
Overview of Key Findings Let’s start with an overview of our top-line findings, beginning with college eligibility, then moving on to college and career readiness.
College Eligibility It is important to note that Rhode Island students want to go to college. In the EOA survey, 8 out of 10 seniors said they hoped to attend a two- or four-year college. But a review of their transcripts reveals that as many as half won’t be able to get in the front door because they have not completed the college preparatory courses necessary to apply. Further, while only about half of all students in the cohort successfully completed (earning D grades or better) the college preparatory course sequence, there were significant differences by gender and race. Boys were less likely to complete these courses than girls; Black and Latinx students less likely than White and Asian students. There were other important differences too, with both lowincome students and English learners less likely than their more advantaged peers. Students with disabilities had the lowest rate of all, completing the necessary courses at only about one-fifth the rate of other students.
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SLIDE 8
College Eligibility
XQ+RI Cohort 8 out of 10 high school seniors say they want to attend a two- or four-year college.
Only 6 out of 10 enrolled in the courses they need to be considered college eligible.
Only 5 out of 10 passed these courses.*
*Completed these courses earning a D or better
SLIDE 9
College Eligibility
While half of all students passed all the courses they need for college eligibility, the numbers vary by gender and race. Completed College Preparatory Coursework: Gender
Race/Ethnicity
100%
100%
75%
50%
68%
75%
46%
58%
46%
48%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
50%
25%
56%
53%
Other*
White
25%
Male
Asian
Female
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
SLIDE 10
College Eligibility
Success in college prep coursework also varies by income, English learner, and disability status. Completed College Preparatory Coursework:
Low Family Income 100%
English Learners 100%
75%
75%
75%
58% 50%
42%
50%
25%
42%
53%
25%
Low Income
Not Low Income
Students with Disabilities 100%
57% 50%
25%
EL
Not EL
12% SWD
Not SWD
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 17
College Readiness The previous slides outline findings regarding basic eligibility to apply to college. But eligibility is not enough. It is important to understand whether students are actually prepared for success once there. When we examine college readiness, the numbers drop even further. While about half of the XQ+RI cohort is eligible to apply to college, only about one-fifth of the cohort is actually ready for college-level work. These numbers, too, vary by student group.
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SLIDE 11
College Readiness
If we go further, asking not just whether RI students meet basic college eligibility requirements, but whether they are ready for college success: COMPLETED THE ADVANCED COURSEWORK PREDICTIVE OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
19%
EARNED THE 3.33 GRADE POINT AVERAGE PREDICTIVE OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
Met all three
ACHIEVED THE SAT PERFORMANCE LEVEL PREDICTIVE OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
SLIDE 12
College Readiness
College ready rates vary for different student subgroups. Completed the Advanced Coursework Predictive of College Success, Earned the 3.33 GPA, Achieved an SAT of 1010:
Gender
Family Income
Race/Ethnicity
100%
100%
100%
75%
75%
75%
50%
50%
50%
25%
14% Male
25%
30% 25%
25%
4% Female
Low Income
27%
25% 3%
Not Low Income
Asian
4%
Black/ Hispanic/ African American Latinx
Other*
White
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 19
Preparation for Careers While nearly all (98%) members of the XQ+RI cohort completed at least one CTE course, and half completed at least three such courses, only about a third completed a three-course pathway of related courses.
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SLIDE 13
Career Readiness
Nearly all XQ+RI students took CTE classes, but fewer than one-third completed a three-course career pathway. XQ + RI COHORT
98%
TOOK A CTE COURSE
50%
TOOK AT LEAST THREE CTE COURSES
30%
COMPLETED A CTE PATHWAY
Even with the weakest possible definition of “career pathway”—completing three CTE courses in the same career field*—few RI students met the threshold.
*Source: Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript outcomes of high school students, The Education Trust, retrieved from https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ MeanderingTowardGraduation_EdTrust_April2016.pdf
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 21
Preparation for College and Career Rhode Island, like virtually every other state, aspires to prepare its students for both college and career—not for one or the other. Indeed, in partnership with other state agencies and organizations, RIDE’s Office of College and Career Readiness has been developing a comprehensive system of pathways and other learning opportunities that are “designed to prepare all learners to be college and career ready.” So, where do you stand? Only 4 in 100 Rhode Island students are prepared for both college and career—and an alarming 55 in 100 are prepared for neither. The numbers are much worse for some student groups, with 78 in 100 Black and 76 in 100 Latinx students leaving high school prepared for no meaningful postsecondary opportunities.
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SLIDE 14
College and Career Readiness
Of every 100 students in the XQ+RI cohort: •
4 READY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER
•
15 READY FOR COLLEGE, BUT NOT CAREER
•
26 READY FOR CAREER BUT NOT FOR COLLEGE
•
55 READY FOR NEITHER COLLEGE NOR CAREER
SLIDE 15
College and Career Readiness
More than half of XQ+RI students—and even more black and brown youth—are not ready for college or career. Ready for Neither College Nor Career:
55%
All students
44%
White students
78%
Black students
76%
Latinx students
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 23
Listening to XQ+RI Students, Families, and Teachers Through stakeholder surveys and student focus groups, XQ+RI students, families, and teachers told us that their experience with school mirrors the findings of the transcript analyses. Only half of students believe their schools help them choose the classes they need to apply to college. Many families don’t know what classes their children need to take to be ready for college, nor do they receive regular updates on their children’s progress. Students and families expressed concerns about the relevance of high school learning to college and career, and signaled that content in high school classrooms is nowhere near rigorous enough. Teachers confirmed that schools don’t do enough to set students on a pathway to college access and success. The challenges that XQ+RI students, families, and teachers articulate paint a heartbreaking picture for students. Students struggle to access rigorous coursework, find learning supports, or connect learning to their own interests and goals. Teachers often questioned whether schools hold high expectations for all students, and students in focus groups confirmed that these low expectations impact their educational experiences. Students in focus groups also emphasized the absence of viable channels through which they can voice concerns or contribute to positive change. This absence of student voice in schools further contributes to students’ sense that high school learning is irrelevant to their long-term goals and aspirations. 24
SLIDE 16
Listening to Students, Parents, and Teachers
Students need better guidance on how to go to college and succeed once they get there. Surveys and focus groups of XQ+RI teachers, students, and families make painfully clear the challenges students face in getting prepared for college. 47% of students surveyed think their schools do a good job of teaching them how to apply to college. In focus groups, students said that they do not feel prepared for postsecondary experiences..
36% of teachers surveyed did not believe that their school ensures students successfully complete college entrance requirements.
SLIDE 17
Listening to Students, Parents, and Teachers
Parents want to know more about how their students are doing in high school and preparing for the future. Parents report a lack of support in helping their students stay on track and take the steps necessary to prepare for college and career.
64% of parents surveyed reported they don’t receive regular updates on the progress their students are making toward college/career goals.
47% of parents surveyed said they are not informed when their students struggle in their classes.
SLIDE 18
Listening to Students, Parents, and Teachers
Students struggle to access rigorous, relevant learning and to connect learning to their own interests and goals. Students understand intuitively that their schools have too few opportunities for them to exercise agency and direct their own learning.
47%
44%
Nearly half of students surveyed worried that they have little opportunity to pursue their passions during their high school journey, and students in focus groups added that they have limited opportunity to voice feedback to this eect.
Nearly half of teachers do not believe that their schools hold all students to high expectations for academic achievement, and students in focus groups consistently noted a lack of rigor in their coursework.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 25
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3 Access to Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 27
Access to Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions Let’s talk about the problems and practices underneath the data, along with possible actions that state leaders can take. We will start with access to the basic college preparatory courses required to apply to RIC and URI. You’ll remember from the summary data that only about 6 in 10 seniors in the XQ+RI cohort had been enrolled in the full set of high school courses needed to enroll in URI, RIC, and most other four-year colleges. As in other areas, there were some important differences by student subgroup. Girls, for example, are considerably more likely (+10 percentage points) to enroll in a body of coursework that would allow them to be college eligible. Asian students, too, are far more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to enroll in college-eligible coursework. Students from low-income families were less likely to be enrolled in college and career prep coursework than their more affluent counterparts. And very few students with disabilities were enrolled in the full course sequence.
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SLIDE 19
Common Eligibility Problems: Enrollment in CCP Coursework
Enrollment in the full range of CCP courses varies 
 by gender and race/ethnicity. Enrolled in All Necessary College and Career Preparatory Coursework:
Gender
Race/Ethnicity 100%
100%
75%
56% 50%
50%
25%
25%
Male
73%
75%
66%
Asian American
Female
59%
61%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
65%
Other*
60%
White
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
SLIDE 20
Common Eligibility Problems: Enrollment in CCP Coursework
Low-income students and students with disabilities were much less likely to be enrolled in the full range of CCP courses. Enrolled in all Necessary College and Career Prep Coursework:
Low Family Income 100%
75%
50%
English Learners 100%
54%
66%
25%
Low Income
Not Low Income
75%
Students with Disabilities 100%
59%
61%
75%
50%
50%
25%
25%
EL
Not EL
66%
18% SWD
Not SWD
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 29
What’s Going On? Why aren’t students being enrolled in the courses they need to apply to a four-year college?
Many Transcripts Showed Worrisome Course-Taking Patterns When we looked closely at student transcripts, we saw a number of problems that got in the way. • The course sequences on many transcripts seemed haphazard. For example, a student who completed Algebra 1, then Geometry, was then placed back in Algebra 1 or some other lower level math course. (We called that pattern “regressive math.”) Or a student who did fine in two laboratory science courses was then enrolled in either no science or a lower level science course. • 9th grade programming sometimes seemed to reflect low or incoherent expectations. We saw some 9th grade students taking no math at all, and many took no science. • World languages were a particular problem, as URI and RIC both require at least two years of study in the same language. Many students take two years of language, but not the same language. Others just take one year of foreign language. • Science course-taking is also out of alignment with college expectations. Colleges demand laboratory sciences, but many transcripts were littered with non-lab science courses.
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As noted earlier, the pattern is also haphazard in CTE. The state might be aiming at coherent pathways, but about two-thirds of CTE course-takers have not followed them.
SLIDE 21
What’s going on? •
Course enrollment is haphazard: students take courses out of sequence (and occasionally follow a high level course with a lower level course)
• • •
Many students do not take two years of the same world language
•
Only about a third of students take the full complement of three linked CTE courses
Students take no math and/or science in 12th grade Students take non-laboratory science courses in place of lab sciences
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 31
SLIDE 23
Common Eligibility Problems: Completion
9th Graders Get OffTrack Early Problems in 9th grade course programming turn out to be critical. If students end 9th grade off-track—or behind in the normal college preparatory course-taking sequence—9 in 10 will never catch up. Students with disabilities are the most likely to be off-track, followed by English learners and low-income students. To improve college eligibility rates, Rhode Island will need to devote energy to the 9th grade year and to the needs of these specific subgroups.
By the end of 9th grade, 14% of students are off track for college eligibility. Of those, 9 out of 10 students never catch up.
SLIDE 24
Common Eligibility Problems: Completion
Percentages of students off track by the end of 9th grade are higher for low income students, English learners, and students with disabilities. Off Track in CCP Course Taking by End of 9th Grade:
Low Family Income
Students with Disabilities
100%
100%
75%
75%
75%
50%
50%
25%
17% Low Income
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English Learners
100%
13% Not Low Income
25%
50%
31%
29% 13% EL
Not EL
25%
12% SWD
Not SWD
Many Students Fall Only One or Two Courses Short Importantly, many students miss college eligibility by only one or two courses. In other words, more than a third of Rhode Island students leave high school just short of what they need to apply to a four-year college, whether right away or at some point in their future. The bottom line here is very clear: the college eligibility rate would be 87%, not 52%, if all those students had both enrolled in and successfully completed only one or two additional courses. It’s impossible to say, of course, how much of current course-taking patterns are a function of student and/or family choices, and how much they are about counselor and/or school preferences and practices. What is clear, however, is this: although Rhode Island’s goal is to prepare all learners for college and career success, the state’s high schools are routinely enrolling large numbers of students in courses that do not advance that goal.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 33
What Can State Leaders Do? Fortunately, at least 21 states have already tackled this problem, so we have some good examples of what effective action looks like. In order to ensure that students are set up to succeed on a college eligible pathway, we see two options.
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SLIDE 26
POLICY OPTIONS
Improve Course Access •
Strongest: Adopt statewide graduation course requirements (at least 7 states are on this path) that match the courses required to apply to Rhode Island College/University of Rhode Island.
•
Less Strong: Adopt courses required by RIC/URI as the default curriculum for all high school students (at least 10 states are on this path)—essentially requiring students and their parents to opt out of those courses rather than opt in.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 35
Option 1: Change requirements for the high school diploma to include college preparatory courses. The strongest—and clearest—path is to align course requirements for the high school diploma with Rhode Island’s stated goal of college and career readiness for all. By acknowledging that all students need to be ready for postsecondary education, whether they go to college immediately or not, state leaders will strengthen the value of the high school diploma. Tennessee took this step starting in the 2009-10 academic year after participating in Achieve’s multi-state American Diploma Project (ADP). Through ADP, policymakers, business leaders, education officials, and postsecondary leaders from participating states worked together to examine the rigor of high school diplomas against the expectations of both college and work. They found that many students were following all the rules in high school, thinking that they would be ready for what comes next. But because high school requirements had not been aligned with postsecondary requirements, those students often ended up falling in the breach.
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Option 2: Make the college preparatory curriculum the default curriculum for all students. For state leaders who want to make progress but can’t (or won’t) align their diploma requirements with college expectations, there is another option: require high schools to make the college prep curriculum the default curriculum for all students, automatically programming all students into those courses unless they and their parents opt out. Indiana is one such example. In 2007, the state adopted the Indiana Core 40—the course sequence required for admission into the state’s public universities—as the default pathway for all students. To reinforce the importance of taking this rigorous pathway, Indiana also made an explicit promise to its low-income students: for low-income students who complete a Core 40 diploma, the state would cover tuition and fees at eligible colleges. Today, 87% of Indiana’s graduates earn at least a Core 40 diploma, including 84% of Black students, 85% of Latinx students, 87% of White students, and 80% of low-income students.
Regardless of which option you choose, some people will push back. They’ll argue that you are interfering with local decision making or that you are unnecessarily constraining student choice. Frankly, it seems only reasonable to ask that, of the 28 courses Rhode Island students typically take during high school, 18 of them be part of a strong academic core. That still leaves a lot of room for student choice. But especially to those who argue that students and their families should be able to choose more freely, other states have responded compellingly with some variation on this argument: This policy change is about real choices for our young people. At the moment, many graduates have no choices at all. This is not about telling them they have to go to college. It’s about telling them that the job of high school is to prepare them well enough to can make the choice themselves, instead of having it made for them.
If you take this route, you will want to think hard about incentives. Like Indiana, some states have focused on the positive side. Others, like Texas, made it hard to opt out of the tougher curriculum by requiring students and parents to do so in writing, including an acknowledgement that the student would not be adequately prepared for college, and/or by putting school-level caps on opt-outs and lowering those caps over time.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 37
Another consideration: How to handle career education coursework? You will also want to give some thought to the career side. If Rhode Island’s goal is universal college and career readiness, do you want to require a 3-course sequence for all students? Does the answer to that question differ for students who opt out of the default college-ready curriculum, if you choose that route? What will you need to do to further strengthen your career pathways? Once again, there are things to be learned from other states. Tennessee, for example, has done an unusually good job of improving its CTE offerings. The state has a lot of authority over CTE coursework and has wielded it aggressively to prune courses that fall outside clear, highquality career pathways. Delaware provides perhaps the best example of a state that has acted to assure readiness for college and career. The state has only one mandatory diploma option for all students. Students must complete a full college preparatory curriculum and a sequence of three linked CTE courses in a career pathway. In fact, Delaware is the only state to require all students to complete a sequence of aligned CTE courses in a single career pathway. Because Delaware is also one of only a handful of states to make a serious effort to improve the rigor, quality, and alignment of CTE courses, such a requirement should position its graduates well, regardless of the path they choose after graduation day.
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SLIDE 27
POLICY OPTIONS
Strengthen CTE • Further strengthen CTE programs, eliminating courses that are not a part of a postsecondary pathway
• Require all students to complete a sequenced, 3-course CTE pathway as part of diploma requirements or default curriculum.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 39
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4 Successful Completion of Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 41
Successful Completion of Required College Preparatory Courses: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions Getting students into courses required for college eligibility, while important, isn’t enough: students have to complete them successfully. What do patterns of success and failure look like? And what actions can state leaders take to spur improvements in current patterns?
Success in College Prep Courses: Who Succeeds and Who Doesn’t? In the cohort as a whole, 14% of students who enrolled in the full sequence of CCP coursework missed college eligibility due to one or more failing grades in these subjects. So who fails?
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SLIDE 29
College Prep Coursework: Successful Completion
Some Student Groups Have Far Higher Course Failure Rates Among boys in the XQ+RI cohort, 45% received a failing grade[ii] in one or more courses necessary for college eligibility. Boys were especially likely to fail more than one course.
Failing grades are more common for boys and students of color. Frequency of Failing Grade(s) in CCP Coursework:
% More than One F
Race/Ethnicity
Gender 100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
50%
15% 25%
30% Male
% One F
13%
15%
18%
36%
34%
29%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
Other*
18%
25%
21%
22%
Asian American
Female
16%
13% 22% White
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
Failure rates differ by race as well. Approximately half of Black and Latinx students had no Fs, but students in those demographic groups were considerably more likely to have one or more Fs than other groups. In fact, more than a third of Black and Latinx students had multiple failures that they did not correct via re-takes, credit recovery, etc. Low-income students, English learners, and students with disabilities were also more likely than their peers to receive one or more Fs.
SLIDE 30
College Prep Coursework: Successful Completion
Failing grades are more common for low income students, English learners, and students with disabilities Frequency of Failing Grade(s) in CCP Coursework:
Low Family Income
% More than One F
% One F
English Learners
Students with Disabilities
100%
100%
100%
75%
75%
75%
50%
25%
50%
16% 37% Low Income
13% 19% Not Low Income
25%
19%
50%
14%
32%
26%
EL
Not EL
25%
17% 38% SWD
14% 25% Not SWD
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 43
Looking across the full college prep sequence, students in the XQ+RI cohort failed and/or received no credit for an average of 1.2 courses. Math and science were the disciplines where students were most likely to earn those Fs. SLIDE 31
College Prep Coursework: Successful Completion
Some Courses Have Much Higher Failure Rates To direct attention to the right courses, you will want to understand which courses have the highest rates of student failure. We recommend looking closely at high enrollment courses where high percentages of students earn Ds and Fs. Most Rhode Island school districts give students credit for any course in which they achieve a D or better. But because colleges look askance at— indeed, many don’t accept—courses completed with a D, our table shows combined rates of Ds and Fs.
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Something to think about: In the XQ + RI cohort …
Students received an average of:
1.2
F Grades
The highest percentage of failing grades:
Math & Science
Ds and Fs in 9th Grade College Prep Courses Lead to Low College Eligibility Students’ performance in 9th grade is tremendously important for predicting if they will ultimately complete and pass the necessary coursework to be eligible for a Rhode Island four-year college.
SLIDE 32
College Prep Coursework: Successful Completion
D and F grades vary by course D and F rates in high enrollment courses*: Course
Total Enrollment
%D’s + %F’s
Physics
354
34%
Chemistry
407
31%
Algebra II
453
30%
Geometry
443
28%
Biology
403
26%
World Lit
438
24%
American Lit
327
22%
Spanish II
286
22%
British Lit
274
17%
*Courses with more than 250 student enrollments across XQ+RI sample
Our analysis shows that a lack of success early on has devastating long-term effects on college eligibility. Less than a third of students who got a D or F in any core subject in 9th grade were on track for college eligibility as seniors. Reducing Ds and Fs in 9th grade by providing students with the necessary assistance—including support in developing the study and organization skills needed to manage high school—could result in much higher percentages of students completing college eligible coursework.
SLIDE 33
College Prep Coursework: Successful Completion
Something to think about: Low grades in core courses in 9th grade negatively impact college and career readiness
Any D or F in a core subject area by the end of 9th grade
Only 32%
complete the necessary CCP coursework
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 45
What Can State Leaders Do? Without changes in current patterns of course failure, many Rhode Island high school graduates will not be prepared for what comes next. Possible state actions fall in three major areas.
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1 Identify and redesign high enrollment/high failure courses, prioritizing those that disproportionately impede the progress of students of color and other student groups.
Rhode Island could take the lead by identifying common high failure classes (including those especially troublesome for certain student subgroups) and sponsoring an initiative—perhaps even a competition— for teachers to work with outside partners to redesign those courses for student success. A good first step might be to open up discussions with your higher education partners to identify local expertise.
Over the past decade, many institutions of higher education have systematically identified the undergraduate courses where D and F grades are most likely to impede students’ progress toward a degree and set about redesigning them in ways that will improve student success while keeping costs down. Some of these institutions— including California State University Fullerton and the City University of New York—prioritized courses where certain subgroups experienced disproportionate failure. Sometimes, college course redesign efforts were part of cross-campus initiatives run by the National Center for Academic Transformation; others were part of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s redesign of remedial math. And in some institutions, faculty members who taught the same class simply worked together to overhaul their courses in ways that might promote student success. Many achieved striking improvements, while also lowering the cost of course delivery. It’s time to bring some of that same energy—and the insights it produced—to high school courses.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 47
2 Help districts implement a comprehensive system of safety net programs designed to get students off to a strong start in 9th grade and ensure they stay on track to college and career readiness. There are several steps the state could take: • Require screening to identify students entering 9th grade who are significantly behind in literacy or numeracy. • Require and fund targeted interventions designed to accelerate the learning of such students, including targeted summer programs (perhaps even before 9th grade). • Require and fund early warning and intervention systems that monitor research-based predictors of on-time graduation (such as attendance, suspensions, grades, and credit accumulation) and college/career readiness, and intervene with targeted supports for students who fall off track. • Consider, for example, Colorado’s 9th Grade Success grant program. Signed into law in May 2019 and managed by the Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement at the Colorado Department of Education, this grant program provides funding to local education agencies and charter schools for programs that help 9th graders develop the skills needed for high school success and graduation.
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• Strengthen student planning supports by providing personalized guidance to help students understand and plan for meeting diploma requirements. • Washington State’s individualized High School and Beyond Plan guides students – beginning in middle school – through a high school course-taking strategy that considers CTE and postsecondary dual enrollment opportunities. Washington provides a comprehensive curriculum called Career Guidance and a digital planning platform for students.
3 Create a clearinghouse and contract with providers to help schools identify and implement best practices around accelerating learning for students who are behind and/or failing—including culturally responsive pedagogies that are effective for different groups of students. To move from preparing “some” to preparing “all” students for college will require broad changes in both attitudes and practices. This won’t happen easily, and it won’t happen overnight. But state leaders can help both by making change an expectation (for example, by adjusting what is in RIDE’s high school report card along the lines discussed below) and by providing supports.
• Leverage relationships with data and research partners (Data Spark, AISR) for rapid cycle identification of “bright spot” schools and/or districts that can serve as exemplars of best practices with different groups of students—and showcase those examples widely.
In all this work, be especially intentional about addressing the needs of students of color and other groups experiencing disproportionate course failure.
• Are there courses where D and F grades for particular student groups are unusually high? Have you prioritized them?
• Do your strategies attend to these students’ specific needs? What other strategies and supports should be put into place?
Among other things, state leaders could: • Provide directly or fund partnerships with best-inclass third-party providers of technical assistance and professional development to support broader implementation of successful research-based programs, with an intentional focus on those students most directly impacted by current inequities.
• For example, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) partners with schools to provide professional development, resources, and other supports that help schools align their practices to the goal of closing opportunity and achievement gaps.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 49
50
5 Readiness for College Success: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 51
Increasing Readiness for College Success: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions In this section, we explore some important dimensions of the larger issue of college readiness, as well as solutions state leaders might embrace. These include how to get more students to complete advanced coursework, attain higher grades, and score well on college exams—three measures that together predict readiness for success in first-year college courses.
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Advanced Coursework: Who Completes and Who Doesn’t? Only 35% of students in the XQ+RI cohort completed the more advanced courses necessary to be truly ready for college success. Another 45% of students were in the “moderate” category. With only a few course changes or upgrades in their schedules, those students could have significantly boosted their readiness for success in college.
SLIDE 36
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
35% of students in the XQ+RI cohort completed advanced coursework.*
65%
Not Academically Ready for College
35%
20% Weak Coursework
45% Moderate Coursework
19% Advanced Coursework
Academically Ready for College
16% Highly Advanced Coursework
*Completion of advanced coursework is defined as successful completion of coursework in three categories: additional years of coursework; advanced courses (e.g. honors, AP, IB, college in the high school, etc.); and specific college preparatory courses (physics, chemistry, precalculus, etc.)
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 53
SLIDE 37
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
Boys, Black, and Latinx students were less likely to complete advanced coursework. Percent Completing an Advanced Course of Study:
Advanced Course Completion Rates Differ by Group Some student groups are far less likely than others to complete a college-ready course of study. Boys, Black and Latinx students, students from low-income families, English learners, and students with disabilities are all far less likely than their counterparts to complete these courses.
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
25%
29%
Male
49%
50%
40%
24%
21%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
25%
Asian American
Female
41%
30%
Other*
White
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
SLIDE 38
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
Low income students, English learners, and students with disabilities were less likely to complete advanced coursework. Percent Completing an Advanced Course of Study:
Low Family Income
Students with Disabilities
100%
100%
75%
75%
75%
45%
50%
25%
19% Low Income
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English Learners
100%
50%
25%
Not Low Income
37%
39%
25%
10% EL
50%
2% Not EL
SWD
Not SWD
SLIDE 39
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
But here’s something to think about, especially when somebody explains low rates among students of color by saying, Well, of course, it’s all about poverty. Poverty alone does not explain these disparities. Black males from middle and high-income families complete a full college-ready course of study at a rate of just over 1 in 10, approximately the same rate as that of low-income White males.
In the XQ+RI cohort, Black males who are not low income are about as likely to complete advanced courses as white males who are low income. Black Males not Designated Low income:
1 in 10
met advanced coursework benchmark
White Males Designated Low Income:
1 in 10
met advanced coursework benchmark
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 55
Especially in Math, Middle School Courses Matter When we examined math coursetaking patterns in Rhode Island, this is what we found: instead of following one typical course-taking path and simply falling off along the way, students took a variety of journeys. The courses students take and complete in middle school matter a lot. Students who complete Algebra 1 in middle school and begin high school in Geometry are likely to take four years of math in high school. And all but 6% of these students complete advanced-level study such as Calculus, Statistics, or other highlevel courses.
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SLIDE 41
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
What happens in middle school matters. Students who start Geometry in 9th grade are more likely to complete a college preparatory math sequence. Higher Level
Geometry
Algebra II
Pre-Calculus
100%
98%
96%
Calculus
94%
Statistics 6% of students did not complete four years of math
SLIDE 42
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
What happens in middle school matters. Students who start Algebra 1 in 9th grade often fail to complete four years of math or are diverted into lower level math courses during high school. The picture is quite different for students who start their high school math sequence in Algebra 1. Roughly a third of these students have not completed four years of math coursework by the end of high school. Or, even when they take four years of math, these students are often enrolled in “other math” courses that fall outside the college preparatory math sequence.
Higher Level
Pre-Algebra
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
100%
98%
87%
Pre-Calculus
68%
Trigonometry 32% of students did not complete four years of math
SLIDE 43
What are these students taking instead? Rhode Island high schools enroll their students in a range of presumably lower-level courses— giving less content, in other words, to the very students who need more.
What are these students taking instead? COLLEGE-READY MATH SEQUENCE Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Pre-Calculus Calculus or Statistics
ALTERNATIVE COURSES IN SOME RI SCHOOLS Mathematics for SAT History of Mathematics Math Test Prep Consumer Finance General Applied Mathematics
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 57
There are three significant ways that Rhode Island could improve student college readiness in mathematics: 1 Increase the number of students successfully completing Algebra 1 in middle school—and thus arriving at high school on an accelerated math pathway. Approximately 1 in 5 students are doing that now.
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2 Require students to take four years of math coursework in high school. Only about 3 in 4 students do so now.
3 Encourage more students to take advanced math coursework and direct schools to reduce or eliminate the large number of “other math” courses that seem to lead nowhere. More than 1 in 5 seniors are taking such courses during their senior year now.
Similar steps could be taken in other disciplines, as well. Only 39% of students in the XQ+RI cohort completed a World Language beyond Level Two; and 12% didn’t even reach Level Two. In Science, students who began 9th grade in an integrated science course seem at a particular disadvantage: most did not take four years of science; low percentages completed biology, chemistry, and physics coursework; and low percentages made it to advanced science courses (AP, IB, dual credit). More than half of students in the XQ+RI cohort took integrated science or “other” as their 9th grade science course.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 59
Advanced Course Taking Bright Spots It is important to note that, underneath these statewide patterns, there are big differences among schools and across subject areas. In math, for example, approximately 58% of students in the cohort completed a capstone math class (Pre-Calculus or Statistics). The high in this subject was 100% at 360 High School; the low was 15% at East Providence High School. In English, 32% of students in the cohort took one or more advanced English courses. The high in this subject was Ponaganset, with 70%; the low was 8% at Woonsocket. For World Languages, 19% of students in the cohort took a World Language through Level Four. The highs in this subject were 41% at Barrington and 42% at East Providence; while the lows were 0% at 360, Highlander, and TAPA.
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SLIDE 44
College Readiness: Access to Advanced Coursework
Something to think about: Advanced course-taking patterns vary significantly across schools in the XQ + RI cohort. Math
English
World Language
Statewide, 58% of students completed capstone math classes (Pre-Calculus/Statistics)
• High was 100% at 360 High School; • Low was 15% at East Providence
Statewide, 32% of students took one or more advanced English courses • High was 70% at Ponaganset; • Low was 8% at Woonsocket.
Statewide average of students taking World Language through Level 4 was 19% • High was 42% at East Providence • Low was 0% at 360, Highlander, TAPA.
There are also bright spots across the entire spectrum of college-ready course-taking. At Ponaganset High School, 63% of students completed a full college-ready sequence, far higher than the rest of the state. Typically, schools that get results like these follow a similar “readiness by design” pattern: • They intentionally narrow their offerings • They adopt a “default” approach, actively enrolling students in the next highest class • They strongly encourage students to enroll in honors, dual credit, AP, and IB courses while removing all barriers to enrollment
SLIDE 45
Bright spot in Rhode Island: Ponaganset High School HOW IS PONAGANSET HIGH SCHOOL PREPARING MORE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS?
• At Ponaganset High School, 63% of students complete four years of coursework predictive of college readiness
• That rate is 28% higher than that of the overall XQ+RI cohort
• Ponaganset High School demonstrates what is possible when schools intentionally reduce course offerings and encourage students to enroll in honors, dual credit, AP, and/or IB courses
Clearly, it is possible to create an academic program where all or most students are encouraged to enroll and succeed in advanced curriculum. But these practices remain rare. All too often, some students end up enrolling in a college-ready curriculum while other students do not. And the students not accessing college-ready curricula are often students growing up in poverty and other historically underserved students.
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 61
Who Gets a CollegeReady GPA? Remember, though, that taking more advanced courses isn’t enough. Grades matter, too. Students who earn a 3.33 GPA or higher generally have a lot more success in college than those with lower high school grades. Unfortunately, only 30% of XQ+RI students completed high school with a GPA at that level. Just as we saw earlier, some groups of students are less likely to get the necessary grades. This is true for male, Black, and Latinx students. It is also true for low-income students, English learners, and students with disabilities.
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SLIDE 47
College Readiness: GPA
30% of students in the XQ+RI cohort had a 
 GPA of 3.33 or higher.
70%
30%
Had GPA Below 3.33
Had GPA of 3.33 or Higher
SLIDE 48
College Readiness: GPA
Boys and students of color were less likely to have a GPA of 3.33 or higher. Percent Earning GPA of 3.33 or Higher:
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
25%
50%
40% 21%
42%
Male
38%
28%
25%
Asian American
Female
14%
14%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
Other*
White
*Other includes two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native
SLIDE 49
College Readiness: GPA
Low income students, English learners, and students with disabilities were less likely to have a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Percent Earning GPA of 3.33 or Higher:
Low Family Income
English Learners
Students with Disabilities
100%
100%
100%
75%
75%
75%
50%
25%
41%
Not Low Income
50%
32% 25%
16% Low Income
50%
9% EL
32% 25%
Not EL
10% SWD
Not SWD
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 63
When we look more closely at grade distribution, the patterns are even more troubling. On the low end, more than 1 in 8 students in the XQ+RI cohort had a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0, calling into question whether some students have actually mastered much of the learning they are meant to acquire in high school. The numbers were even more worrisome for some student groups.
SLIDE 50
College Readiness: GPA
GPA Distribution by Race Less than 2.0
Fully 20% of Black and Latinx students in the XQ+RI cohort had cumulative GPAs of less than 2.0, while only a third as many White students fell below the 2.0 mark. Boys fell below 2.0 at twice the rate of girls. Students from low-income families fell below a GPA of 2.0 at twice the rate of students whose families were higher income. Interestingly, family income did not seem to matter nearly as much for Black and Latinx students: indeed, Black students who were not low income fell below the 2.0 threshold at a higher rate than those who were low income.
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3.5 or Higher
100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
50%
22%
25%
20%
7% Asian American
25%
28%
7% Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
White
Asian American
27% 11%
9%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
White
Meanwhile, at the highest end of the GPA range—3.5 or better—things reversed, with nearly 3 in 10 Asian and White students attaining that level, compared with 1 in 10 Black and Latinx students. We should note that teachers and counselors often worry that students’ grades will go down if they are placed in more challenging courses. But many communities have found that not to be true. In El Paso, Texas, for example, course success actually went up when local school districts required all students to take the college-ready curriculum. And while we can’t show causality, Rhode Island data seem to support that finding. Students who complete more advanced courses also have higher GPAs.
SLIDE 51
College Readiness: GPA
Something to think about: Harder courses don’t necessarily mean lower grades. Students who took tougher courses also had higher GPAs. Students that Meet Adv Course Benchmarks Percentage of Students:
Students that Don't Meet Adv Course Benchmarks
GPA
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0.00
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
2.25
2.50
2.75
3.00
3.25
3.50
3.75
4.00
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 65
Who Performs at a College-Ready Level on the SAT? Approximately 4 in 10 students in the full XQ+RI cohort scored at the college-ready level on the SAT. But the numbers were much different for some groups of students. No English learners scored at the college-ready level, and rates were also low for students with disabilities and lowincome students. Over half of White and nearly half of Asian/Pacific Islander students scored at the college-ready level. Among Latinx students, only 1 in 10 scored at that level, while among Black students, just over 1 in 8 did. Among girls, 44% hit the college ready level, while 36% of boys did.
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SLIDE 53
College Readiness: College Entrance Exams
4 in 10 students in the XQ+RI cohort had an SAT score of 1010 or higher. But some student groups were less likely to achieve that benchmark. Percent Scoring 1010 or Above:
13%
0%
6%
Low Income Students
English Language Learners
Students with Disabilities
SLIDE 54
College Readiness: College Entrance Exams
Performance on the SAT varies by race/ ethnicity. Percent Scoring 1010 or Above: Race/Ethnicity 100%
75%
50%
56%
48%
25%
Asian American
13%
10%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
White
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 67
Combining All Three Elements of College Readiness: Who Is Prepared to Succeed in College and Who Isn’t? These measures, as we noted earlier, have their strongest predictive power when combined. When we combine these three measures, what do we learn about overall levels of readiness for college in Rhode Island? As we saw earlier, approximately 19% of students in the XQ+RI cohort met the threshold for college success. But once again, there were significant differences for different student groups, with White and Asian students six to seven times as likely to meet all three readiness benchmarks. Girls, too, are more likely than boys to meet the benchmarks. And students from low-income families attain readiness at only one seventh the rate of their more affluent counterparts.
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SLIDE 56
College Readiness: Multi-Dimensional Index
Differences in College Readiness by Race Percentage of College-Ready Students: Race/Ethnicity 100%
75%
50%
27%
25%
25%
Asian American
3%
4%
Black/ African American
Hispanic/ Latinx
White
SLIDE 57
College Readiness: Multi-Dimensional Index
Differences in College Readiness by Gender and Family Income Percentage of College-Ready Students:
Gender
Family Income
100%
100%
75%
75%
50%
50%
25%
14% Male
25%
30% 25%
4% Female
Low Income
Not Low Income
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 69
Who Is Ready for Both College and Career? Rhode Island, like almost every other state, aspires for all of its students to be ready for college and career. But here is the bottom line: of every 100 seniors in the XQ+RI cohort, only 4 are ready for both college and career. At the other end of the spectrum are a set of students truly ready for neither. In the cohort as a whole, the proportion of students that met neither our definition of college ready nor even the weakest definition of career ready was 55%. And that number included almost 8 in 10 Black and Latinx students.
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SLIDE 58
College Readiness: Multi-Dimensional Index
College, Career, and College-and-Career Readiness Percentage of Students:
Neither College nor Career Ready College Ready, Not Career Ready
Career Ready, Not College Ready Both College and Career Ready 2%
Black/ African American
78%
Hispanic/ Latinx
White
Overall
19%
76% 44%
20% 29%
55%
21% 26%
2%
1% 1%
1% 3%
1%
6% 15%
4%
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 71
What Can State Leaders Do? In previous sections, we talked about actions state leaders could take to increase the number of students taking the URI/RIC-required college preparatory course sequence and to improve course success. But if Rhode Island is to lead the nation in levels of student readiness for both college and career, there is more to be done.
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Here again, there are efforts in other states to learn from.
Ohio, for example, more than doubled the number of students participating in dual enrollment courses (from 31,000 students to 68,000) in two years through its College Credit Plus program. College Credit Plus established a uniform approach to dual enrollment in place of the previous policy that allowed a patchwork of uneven opportunities across districts. Courses are available free to families when taken through public institutions. The state also requires that all districts hold an information night for parents each year to inform and encourage participation.[iii]
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 73
It may be useful to think about steps to stimulate progress on college and career readiness in two main areas:
1 Provide help in the form of resources and support. Here are some possibilities: • Build on the work of Rhode Island’s Advanced Coursework Network to expand the availability of high-level courses and lead an effort to ensure dual enrollment policies are in place across the state. • Help schools and districts assure the kind of rigor in their courses that leads to higher performance on college-related exams by expanding proven approaches such as lesson study and assignment analysis. • Create statewide initiatives that target the most underserved populations and are designed to close opportunity and outcome gaps. • Create a state clearinghouse and technical assistance center for best practices around serving these populations. • Identify and learn from schools and districts that are achieving strong results, especially for underserved groups. • Continue to provide all students access to a no-cost college entrance exam. A growing body of research indicates that a no-cost SAT or ACT can help more students see themselves as college material and consider enrolling in college.
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SLIDE 60
POLICY OPTIONS
Expand Postsecondary Readiness Supports •
Build on the work of Rhode Island’s Advanced Coursework Network to expand the availability of highlevel courses and lead a statewide effort to ensure dual enrollment agreements are in place across the state
•
Expand implementation of proven approaches - such as lesson study and assignment analysis - to help schools assure the kind of rigor in their courses that leads to higher performance on college-related exams
•
Create statewide initiatives that target the most underserved populations and are designed to close opportunity and achievement gaps
•
Act as a clearinghouse and technical assistance center for best practices around improving outcomes for these populations
•
Identify schools and districts that achieve strong results, learn from them, and shine a bright light on their practices
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 75
2 Send clear signals about the importance of measurable progress—both for all students and for groups of students— by changing state policies and embedding relevant measures in your statewide accountability system. Consider implementing policies such as the following:
• Include college eligibility, advanced course-taking, and readiness rates—overall and by subgroup—in your school report cards. (Alternatively, require schools to report eligibility rates and build from there.) • Require improvements for schools that have low eligibility rates or large gaps between groups.
•R equire districts to offer advanced coursework in the core disciplines.
• Monitor and publicly report on improvements over time.
•R equire districts to remove impediments to entry into AP, IB and dual enrollment classes, institute open enrollment policies, and work intentionally to assure equitable access.
• Establish a state intervention system for schools where overall rates or gaps do not improve.
•R equire districts to eliminate low-level courses in the key academic disciplines that do not advance student readiness for college and careers. •R equire middle schools to increase the number of students successfully completing Algebra 1 (and perhaps also beginning World Language). Consider instituting Algebra 1 as default programming for 8th graders.
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And remember, what gets measured and reported matters. If you want progress, you will need to signal that expectation and ensure that there are clear consequences for schools that fall short. So:
In short, if these numbers are to change, the state must signal with every vehicle at its disposal that business as usual is not acceptable.
SLIDE 59
POLICY OPTIONS
Increase College Readiness • Require all high schools to offer advanced coursework, e.g. AP/IB, dual enrollment, and other advanced/capstone courses within major disciplines
• Require districts to remove impediments to entry into AP/IB and dual enrollment
classes, instituting open enrollment policies and working hard to assure equitable access
• Require districts to eliminate low-level courses in the key academic disciplines that do not advance readiness for college and careers.
• Require middle schools to increase number of students completing Algebra I and beginning World Language
SLIDE 61
POLICY OPTIONS
Build College Eligibility and Readiness Benchmarks into the State Accountability System • Include college eligibility, advanced course taking and readiness rates—overall and by subgroups—in annual high school report card
• Alternatively, begin more simply by reporting eligibility rates and advanced course completion rates, then build from there
• Require improvement for schools that have low eligibility/readiness rates and unacceptable opportunity gaps among subgroups
• Monitor and publicly report on improvements over time • Establish a state intervention system for schools where overall rates or gaps do not improve
XQ+RI EOA Final Report // 77
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6
Conclusion
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Rhode Island can take action to address these priorities statewide. Rhode Island Can Step Into the Lead Among States During the first decade of this century, state leaders all across the country acknowledged that their standards for teaching and learning at the high school level were badly out of line with what their young people would need for success in college and the world of work. Working both together—with support from organizations like Achieve— and alone, they set about adopting new academic standards and, in many cases, changing their high school course requirements to better align with the demands of college and careers. These efforts undoubtedly made a big difference in the lives of many students. But the energy to make the necessary improvements waned far before change actually reached most students—and well before states achieved high-quality, equitable learning for all their students. It’s time for a new leader to emerge: one committed not 80
to many or even to most, but to all students. One where the leaders not only understand the importance of sharply focused policies, but also recognize in a deep way that even the best policies will be thwarted if the basic model of schooling remains unchanged. We think Rhode Island is poised to become that leader. Already, the state has done a lot of work to modernize its career-preparation sector. And our work together to ignite and support community-led redesign of the state’s high schools has begun to surface and put into place new models aligned with the goal of college and career readiness for all. By building on insights from other states and an unparalleled commitment to equity, Rhode Island leaders can adopt a policy framework that will speed and support that transformation effort, instead of getting in the way. Rhode Island can become a leader in demonstrating that it takes both policy changes and changes in schoollevel models and practices to achieve college and career readiness for all learners.
SLIDE 62
STEPPING INTO THE LEAD
Rhode Island can become a national leader by: •
Assisting the 20 XQ+RI high schools to move forward with their plans and stay focused on universal preparation for college and career
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Enabling other high schools to begin community-led redesign efforts
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Adopting a new policy framework aimed at preparing all students for college and careers, and supporting schools and communities in the work of getting that done
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Focusing relentlessly on making sure that every group of students is included
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Endnotes [i] Source: Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript outcomes of high school students, The Education Trust, retreived from https://edtrust.org/wp-content/ uploads/2014/09/MeanderingTowardGraduation_EdTrust_ April2016.pdf [ii] Failing grades are any form of F or where credit earned = 0. Also, this counts any core course on the transcript which include both semester and year long courses.
[iii] Source: High School and the Future of Work: A Guide for State Policymakers, XQ Institute, https:// xqsuperschool.org/future-of-work/intro
Slide deck Slides included in this report are available here.
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