The Impact of the Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative on Postsecondary Outcomes

• In Event: 41.033 - Beyond College Aspirations: Credit Transfers, Advisement, and College Readiness

Abstract

In 2008, the Florida legislature enacted the Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative (FCCRI) in an effort to reduce the need for postsecondary remediation. The FCCRI consisted of testing grade 11 students to determine their college readiness and offering math and English college readiness and success courses in grade 12 for students who did not test college ready the year before. We use statewide data with two statistical methods—regression discontinuity analysis and propensity score matching—to estimate the FCCRI’s effects on postsecondary outcomes. Both analyses find little effect on college outcomes for all students. However, we find stronger results when the sample is narrowed to students who enrolled in college in the semester immediately after high school graduation.

Authors

• Christine Mokher, Florida State University

• Julie Christine Harris, CNA Corporation

• Daniel Marik Leeds, CNA