High Schools That Work FollowUp Study of 2002 High School Graduates Implications for Improving the T

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High Schools That Work Follow-Up Study of
2002High School GraduatesImplications for
Improving the Transition from High School to
College and Careers Gene BottomsSenior Vice
Presidentgene.bottoms_at_sreb.org
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Major Questions Answered

• Who participated in the study?
• What have graduates been doing since high school?
• How well were graduates prepared for college,
  careers or both?
• What do graduates say their high schools should
  have done differently?
• What actions can schools take to better prepare
  future graduates?

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Who was more likely to participate in the
follow-up study?

• Female students, non-minority students and
  students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds
• Completed a career/technical concentration
• Completed the HSTW-recommended academic core
• Met the HSTW performance goals in reading,
  mathematics and science
• Planned to pursue postsecondary studies after
  high school.

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Academic Profile of 2002 Graduates
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What have 2002 graduates been doing since high
school?

• 78 had taken courses at some kind of
  postsecondary institution, and 59 were currently
  enrolled
• 90 had worked in some type of job, and 66 were
  currently employed and
• 3 had entered military service.

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Post-high School Activities for All Graduates and
CT Graduates - 2002
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Post-high School Activities Differ Between Male
and Female Graduates

• 83 of females have taken courses at some type of
  postsecondary institution, compared to 74 of
  males.
• 64 of females are presently enrolled in further
  study, compared to 53 of males.
• 59 of females have taken courses at college and
  universities, compared to 53 of males.
• 31 of females have worked full-time since
  graduation, compared to 50 of males.

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Comparison of Post-high School Activities by
Completing and Not Completing HSTW Curriculum

• 90 of completers have taken postsecondary
  courses, compared to 75 of non-completers.
• 77 of completers are presently enrolled in
  further study, compared to 52 of non-completers.
• 68 of completers have taken courses at colleges
  and universities, compared to 51 of
  non-completers.
• 30 of completers who have worked since
  graduation work full-time, compared to 43 of
  non-completers.

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Graduates Current and Past Activities by Gender
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Graduates Current and Past Activities by
HSTW-recommended Academic Core
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Graduates Who Went on for Further Study

• 58 were enrolled at four-year institutions 29
  were at two-year institutions.
• 82 were currently enrolled at the same
  institution they entered after high school.
• 87 were full-time students.

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Of Those Who Were Employed Since High School

• 77 were currently working.
• 39 worked full-time, and 19 more male graduates
  than female graduates worked full-time.
• 65 have had two or more jobs, and 28 have had
  three or more since high school.
• 11 have participated in an apprenticeship or
  formal job-training program.

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Of Those Who Were Employed Since High School

• 34 were employed in business, marketing and
  information technology-related fields, and 10 in
  health services.
• 39 were working and going to school, 25 were
  only working and 19 were only going to school,
  and the remaining percentage either had entered
  the military or their current activities were
  unknown.

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Career Fields Studies in High School for Work and
Study Since Graduation
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CT Areas in High School and Work and Study Since
Graduation
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How well were graduates prepared for college,
careers or both?

• 31 needed remedial course work.
• 43 took remedial courses in more than one
  content area.
• Of those enrolled in developmental courses, 83
  took a remedial course in mathematics and half as
  many took one in English.
• 34 of students who did not complete the
  HSTW-recommended academic core took remedial
  courses, compared to 24 of completers.

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High School Course-taking Patterns Affect
Students Success at the Postsecondary Level

• Of students who completed four or more credits of
  college-preparatory mathematics, 81 did not need
  a remedial mathematics course.
• Of students who completed four credits in
  college-preparatory English, 90 did not need a
  remedial English course.
• 13 more graduates who failed to complete the
  HSTW-recommended academic core were employed
  full-time than were completers.

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Remediation in Postsecondary Studies Comparison
of All Graduates to CT Graduates
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Relationship of High School Academic Rigor to
Remedial Course Work in Postsecondary Studies
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Mathematics Courses Taken in High School and
Remedial Mathematics Study

• 81 of graduates who had completed four or more
  credits of college-preparatory mathematics in
  high school did not need to take remedial course
  work in mathematics upon entering college.
• 80 of graduates who had taken a semester or more
  of Algebra I in middle grades did not need
  courses in remedial mathematics.
• 77 of graduates who had completed four years of
  mathematics in high school did not need remedial
  course work in mathematics.
• 76 of students who had completed the 2002
  HSTW-recommended curriculum in mathematics did
  not need to take remedial course work in their
  mathematics studies.

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Relationship of High School English Experiences
to Remedial Course Work

• 90 of graduates who completed four credits in
  college-preparatory English did not require
  remedial course work in English.
• 90 of graduates who prepared short papers each
  week in their high school English/language arts
  classes did not require remedial course work in
  English.

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Graduates Say Their High Schools Should Have

• Placed more emphasis on mathematics
• Provided them with information and counseling
  that would have helped them continue their
  education
• Placed more emphasis on verbal communication
  skills
• Placed more emphasis on career/technical
  programs and
• Assisted them in meeting high academic standards.

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Graduates Say Their High School Should Have
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CT Students Thought Their CT Teachers Should Have
Placed More Emphasis On

• Using mathematics in specific career/technical
  areas
• Reading and interpreting technical books and
  manuals
• Writing technical and service reports and
  business letters
• Meeting high expectations and
• Showing how science is used in specific
  career/technical areas.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates

• Improve students academic preparation for
  postsecondary studies and a good job.
• Emphasize instructional practices in mathematics
  that connect mathematics concepts to real-life
  situations and workplace settings and that
  require students to complete challenging
  mathematics assignments.
• Have all students complete four years of
  college-preparatory English courses that involve
  students reading 10 or more books annually,
  writing short papers weekly, and completing at
  least one major research paper annually. Have all
  students read and write for learning in all
  courses.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates

• Use the senior year to get students ready for
  postsecondary studies and a good job.
• Require college-ready seniors to earn
  college-level credits in academic and
  career/technical courses.
• Require students who are not college-ready to
  take catch-up courses in mathematics and/or
  English.
• Have students who have decided not to go on to
  further study complete courses in a high-quality
  career/technical program that can lead to an
  employer certification, a postsecondary
  certificate or an associates degree.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates

• Involve students and their parents in planning
  for future career and educational opportunities.
• Provide information to students and parents
  throughout high school that helps them understand
  what is required for future career and
  educational opportunities and how to best prepare
  for them.
• Develop a six-year program of study starting no
  later than the end of the ninth grade that
  integrates rigorous academic curriculum with
  opportunities to complete AP courses in
  mathematics, science or humanities or to complete
  high-quality career/technical courses in a broad
  career field.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates

• Improve the quality of high school
  career/technical studies.
• Place more emphasis on providing students access
  to high-quality career/technical programs in high
  school and with employers and postsecondary
  institutions that lead to a recognized
  credential.
• Provide opportunities for career/technical
  teachers to revise their assignments and
  assessments so that their classes become places
  where students use mathematics, literacy and
  science concepts to perform real-world tasks.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates

• Improve the quality of mathematics instruction.
• Provide mathematics teachers instruction and
  coaching on how to teach in ways that improve
  mathematics reasoning skills and the
  understanding of mathematics concepts.
• Provide time for science, mathematics and
  career/technical teachers to align their
  curriculum and instruction in ways that enable
  students to apply what they are learning in
  mathematics classes to solve problems in science
  and career/technical labs.

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Actions Schools Can Take to Better Prepare Future
Graduates (contd)

• Improve the quality of mathematics instruction
  (contd).
• Assist mathematics teachers to align their
  curriculum to essential standards of readiness
  for college and careers and to develop multi-day
  units aimed at aligning teacher assignments,
  student work and classroom assessments to
  standards.