Impact of the Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative on First-Year College Course-Taking

• In Event: The Impact of State Programs to Improve High School Course-Taking and Decrease Postsecondary Remedial Course-Taking

Abstract

Objectives:
In 2008, the state of Florida launched the Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative (FCCRI) to identify and remediate high school students who needed additional preparation for post-secondary education. During the initial “voluntary phase” of the FCCRI, students locally identified as college-bound were targeted to take college readiness testing in 11th grade and then advised to adjust their coursework in 12th grade pending test results. The FCCRI shifted into the “mandatory phase” in 2011 when the Florida legislature mandated college readiness assessment in 11th grade and enrollment into college readiness and success (CRS) courses in 12th grade for targeted students. The introduction of CRS courses into high schools is designed to prepare students to successfully complete credit-bearing courses during their first year of college; this paper will assess the extent to which this goal has been achieved.
Theoretical Framework:

The theory of action for the FCCRI is that providing college readiness testing and courses in high school may raise students’ awareness of where academic deficiencies exist and motivate them to acquire college-level skills. One of the potential outputs is that students gain skills in grade 12 courses to increase college readiness.
Methods:

This paper examines changes in college course-taking patterns and performance among these the first voluntary and the first mandatory FCCRI cohorts. Students are targeted for participation in the FCCRI if they are in the mid-range of performance on a statewide assessment in grade 10; however lower and higher-performing students are not prohibited from participating in CRS courses. We examine changes in course-taking and performance during the first year of college for three groups of students based on their academic performance: (1) at-risk, students at-risk of dropping out of high school, (2) targeted, students who are the intended participants in the FCCRI, and (3) college-ready, students who are prepared for college. In addition to the course taking results, the analysis examines scores on the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT), Florida’s college readiness assessment exam, for students who retook the exam after taking the CRS course.

Data:
The primary source of data for this study is student-level data files from the Florida K–20 Education Data Warehouse. The data includes the statewide population for two cohorts of Florida 11th graders: 1) students in grade 11 in 2008/09 (first voluntary cohort), and 2) students in grade 11 in2011/12 (first mandatory cohort).

Results:
Preliminary results indicate that in math, 84.6 percent of students who retook the PERT after the CRS course improved their test scores, however, only 27.3 percent scored college-ready. In reading, 81.2 percent of students who retook the PERT after the CRS course improved their test scores and 34.0 percent scored college-ready. The full paper will also look at changes in course taking and performance during the first year of college between the voluntary and mandatory cohorts.

Significance:
Since the FCCRI is the first state-wide attempt to require mandatory enrollment into CRS courses, the findings carry policy implications for other states as they consider or implement similar policy initiatives.

Authors

• Christine Mokher, CNA

• Julie Christine Harris, CNA Corporation