Measuring Up 2004

1
Measuring Up 2004

• Wyoming

2
Measuring Up The Basics

• Looks at higher education for the entire state,
  not individual colleges and universities.
  
• Focuses on undergraduate education and training
  beyond high school.
  
• Measures performance, not effort.
• Diagnostic rather than prescriptive.
• New this year progress over the past decade.

3
Measuring Up The Basics

• Six categories of performance (five graded).
• Grades benchmarked to best performing states.
• Uses nationally comparable data, available from
  public sources.
  
• Uses the most recent data available.
• In general, data have a two-year time lag.
• Affordability data are one year old.

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Measuring Up Graded Categories
Preparation How adequately are students being
prepared for education and training beyond high
school? Participation Do state residents enroll
in education and training beyond high school?
Affordability How affordable is higher
education for students and their families?
Completion Do students make progress toward and
complete certificates and degrees in a timely
manner? Benefits What benefits does the state r
eceive as a result of having a more
highly-educated population? Learning What is kn
own about student learning as a result of
education and training beyond high school?
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National TrendsOver the Past Decade

• Eight states improved substantially in
  Preparation as well as in Participation.
  
• Thirty-six states, including Wyoming, improved
  substantially in Preparation but failed to
  improve in Participation.
  
• Almost all states, including Wyoming, have lost
  ground in Affordability.

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Over the Past Decade, Wyoming Has Slipped in
Providing College Opportunities
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WYOMING
2004 Report Card
Preparation Participation Affordability Complet
ion
Benefits Learning
C
B
F
B
D
I
8
WYOMING
Improvement Over Past Decade
?
Preparation
Participation
Affordability
Completion
Benefits
Learning
What do the arrows mean?
Improved on more than half of the indicators in
the category.
Improved on some, but no more than half, of the
indicators in the category.
Declined on every indicator in the category.
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Preparation
WYOMING
2004 Grade
Improvement Over Decade
C
10
NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Preparation
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WESTERN REGION
Preparation
Wyoming's performance in Preparation is
in the middle of the Western states.
100
90
77
Grades
80
A A- B B B- C C C- D D D- F
93 and up 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82
77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-6
2
Below 60
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
NM
NV
AZ
OR
ID
CA
HI
WY
AK
WA
SD
ND
MT
CO
UT
Western States
12
Preparation
WYOMING

• STRENGTHS
• Large percentage of high school students enroll
  in upper-level math.
  
• 8th graders perform well on national exams in
  math, science, and reading. Performance on
  reading exams improved over past decade, while
  nation declined.

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Preparation
WYOMING

• STRENGTHS
• Over 70 of secondary school students are taught
  by qualified teachers. Percentage increased
  substantially over past decade, keeping pace with
  national improvements.

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Preparation
WYOMING

• WEAKNESSES
• Small proportion of Wyoming high school students
  enroll in upper-level science.
  
• Performance of 8th graders on national writing
  exams is fairly low.
  
• Small proportions of 11th and 12th graders take
  and score well on Advanced Placement and college
  entrance exams.

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Participation
WYOMING
2004 Grade
Improvement Over Decade
B
16
NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Participation
17
WESTERN REGION
Participation
Wyoming's performance in Participation isin the
middle of the Western states.
100
86
90
Grades
80
A A- B B B- C C C- D D D- F
93 and up 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82
77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-6
2
Below 60
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
ID
AK
WA
MT
NV
UT
OR
HI
CO
WY
SD
AZ
NM
ND
CA
Western States
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Participation
WYOMING

• STRENGTHS
• Compared with other states, large proportion of
  working-age adults enroll in higher education.
  However, Wyoming has had substantial decline on
  this measure over decade larger than nationwide
  decline.

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Participation
WYOMING

• WEAKNESSES
• Likelihood of 9th graders enrolling in college
  within four years is only fair. Small proportion
  of students graduate from high school, and of
  those who do, few enroll in college.

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Affordability
WYOMING
2004 Grade
Improvement Over Decade
F
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NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Affordability
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WESTERN REGION
Affordability
Wyoming's performance in Affordability is
in the middle of the Western states however,
overall performance in the region is poor.
100
90
Grades
80
A A- B B B- C C C- D D D- F
93 and up 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82
77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-6
2
Below 60
70
56
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
MT
OR
SD
ND
AZ
NV
WA
WY
AK
NM
CO
ID
HI
UT
CA
Western States
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Affordability
WYOMING

• WEAKNESSES
• Net college costs for low- and middle-income
  students to attend states two- or four-year
  colleges and university represent about third of
  annual family income. These families earn on
  average 20,867 annually.

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Completion
WYOMING
2004 Grade
Improvement Over Decade
B
25
NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Completion
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WESTERN REGION
Completion
Wyoming's performance in Completion
is among the best in the West.
100
89
90
Grades
80
A A- B B B- C C C- D D D- F
93 and up 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82
77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-6
2
Below 60
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
AK
NV
NM
CA
OR
HI
MT
ID
AZ
CO
UT
ND
SD
WY
WA
Western States
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Completion
WYOMING

• STRENGTHS
• Large proportions of freshmen return for second
  year at two- and four-year colleges and
  university. Wyoming is among top states improving
  on these measures over past decade.

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Completion
WYOMING

• STRENGTHS
• Large proportion of students at four-year
  institutions receive bachelors degree within six
  years. Improvement on this measure is among best
  in nation.

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Benefits
WYOMING
2004 Grade
Improvement Over Decade
D
30
NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Benefits
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WESTERN REGION
Benefits
Wyomings performance in Benefits
is the worst among Western states.
100
90
Grades
80
A A- B B B- C C C- D D D- F
93 and up 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82
77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-6
2
Below 60
66
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
WY
NV
SD
ID
ND
MT
NM
UT
HI
OR
AZ
AK
WA
CA
CO
Western States
32
Benefits
WYOMING

• WEAKNESSES
• Compared with top states, small proportion of
  residents have bachelors degree.

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Benefits
WYOMING

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• If all ethnic groups had same educational
  attainment and earnings as whites, total personal
  income in state would be about 76 million
  higher, and state would realize an estimated 27
  million in additional tax revenues.

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Learning
WYOMING
Forty-five states, including Wyoming, receive an
Incomplete in Learning because no comparable data
exist to allow for meaningful state-by-state
comparisons.
2004 Grade
I
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Learning
NATIONAL SNAPSHOT
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Learning
GRADING LEARNING
States with a plus grade (IL, KY, NV, OK, SC)
participated in a national pilot project on
measuring Learning led by the National Forum on
College-Level Learning.
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Learning
GRADING LEARNING
The pilot project measured the states in terms
of Literacy levels of the states residents Wh
at are the abilities of the college-educated?
Graduates readiness for advanced practice How
well do colleges and universities enable students
to contribute to the workforce?
Performance of college graduates How
effectively can college graduates communicate and
solve problems?
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WYOMING

• Policy Questions

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Policy Questions
WYOMING

• Can Wyoming increase the number of students who
  finish high school within four years?
  
• Given Wyomings improving performance in
  preparing students for higher education, can the
  state develop policies to increase participation
  in college?

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Policy Questions
WYOMING

• Can Wyoming develop a financial aid policy
  focused on financial need for college-qualified
  students?
  
• Can the state improve its finance policies (for
  example, by linking appropriations, tuition, and
  financial aid) to make higher education more
  affordable?

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For More Information

• Full State Report
• Measuring Up 2004 http//measuringup.highereducati
  on.org
  
• About the Center
• The National Center for Public Policy and Higher
  Education http//www.highereducation.org