Assessments

This study examines a pre-college academic enrichment program, the Skills Enhancement Approach. This program included the participation of 117 high school students from 10 schools who took sessions focused on topics related to the American College Test (ACT). Some of the preliminary results included: high parental support, improved overall student test performance on the simulated ACT, strong correlation between reading and science scores on the simulated tests, and improved student attitudes.

This study addresses if the high school exit exam influences educational attainment and employment outcomes through analysis of data from the 2000 Census and the National Center for Education Statistics’ Common Core of data. The results revealed that this exam has the capacity to improve student and school performance and college enrollment and employment outcomes, but appears to exacerbate the inequality in educational attainment.

This study evaluates a sample of test questions used by institutions for placement into entry-level, credit-bearing courses in English and mathematics. The report summarizes the nature of the tests currently in use, discusses what states and institutes of higher education can do to adequately measure college readiness and align their tests with the state high school standards.

This study examines if Advanced Placement (AP) programs increase a student’s probability of completing high school and enrolling in college. Student coursework and academic achievement in secondary education were analyzed, and results showed that AP program participants complete high school and begin college at a significantly higher rate than nonparticipants.

This study examines the impact of the Texas Advanced Placement Incentive Program, which pays students and teachers for passing grades on advanced placement (AP) exams. Student outcomes were compared from before and after the adoption of the program to a selection of comparison schools. Results showed that participating students had a 30 percent increase in the number if students scoring above 1100 on the SAT or 24 on the ACT, and an 8 percent increase in students enrolling in college.

This study examines the impact of the Early Assessment Program (EAP), which is designed to give high school juniors information regarding their academic readiness for college-level work, on college-going behavior and remediation in college. Administrative records from California State University, Sacramento, and high school information were analyzed. The study revealed that students participating in EAP were on average less likely to need remediation in college, and this program tends to encourage high school students to increase their academic preparation

This study examines the long-term impact of Advanced Placement (AP) programs on measures of student success in college. Student performance data was collected of both AP students and a non-AP comparison group from 1998-2002 through their fourth year of college. Results revealed significant evidence of benefits of students that participated in AP courses and exams in regards to credit hours earned, four-year college graduation rates, and stronger GPAs.

This document extends the National High School Center’s Eight Elements of High School Improvement: A Mapping Framework and offers specific school-level benchmarks that provide a deeper level of detail for each indicator of effectiveness and describe school-level practices that can be implemented to support high school improvement at the local level. High school improvement teams will find this tool useful once they have already identified areas of strengths and concerns through the use of the Center’s self-assessment tool.

This brief from Achieve identifies the key areas that state policymakers should consider in order to implement the new Common Core State Standards with fidelity. The brief provides suggestions for aligning these new standards with their existing standards and course requirements, as well as aligning assessments for collecting data and measuring achievement. The brief lists steps each state can take to ensure they are implementing the standards effectively.