Indicators of College Readiness: Moving Beyond Benchmarks

• In Event: 52.050 - The Challenge of College and Career Readiness: Definitions, Policies, and Implications for Underrepresented Students

Abstract

One of the central challenges to increasing postsecondary opportunity for underrepresented students pertains to how college and career readiness is measured (Porter & Polikoff, 2012). Developing meaningful indicators is essential to identify which students are underprepared and provide support to help them reach their goals. The use of benchmarks, such as minimum GPAs or ACT scores at or above which a student is said to be ‘college ready,’ is one of the most common approaches to assessing college readiness. For example, prior research has shown a GPA of at least 3.0 gives students at least a 50% chance of graduating from college (Bowen, Chingos, & McPherson, 2009). Likewise an ACT score of at least 21 gives students at least a 50% chance of earning a B or better in a college course of the same subject (Noble & Sawyer, 2002). Although benchmarks give some sense of how many students meet minimum thresholds for college access, they provide little insight into whether qualifications are malleable and none about how to improve them.

Drawing on our ongoing research on the college outcomes of graduates from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), we challenge the very idea of college readiness benchmarks and their appropriateness as tools of policy and practice. In a study of six cohorts of CPS graduates (comprising more than 60,000 students) we find that GPA is a strong predictor of college success, but find no evidence of a GPA or ACT threshold that predicts a student’s ultimate college graduation. This research further points to the overwhelming influence of college choice on student outcomes. Students with similar qualifications have dramatically different probabilities of graduating at different colleges, highlighting that there is no benchmark in either standardized test score or GPA at which a student becomes immune from the negative effects that their college can have on their outcomes. This research suggests that shifting the focus from college readiness benchmarks toward holistic approaches to improving students’ qualifications and college choices will be more effective in increasing degree attainment. Findings have particular implications for underrepresented student populations, who are overrepresented at less-selective institutions where they face lower likelihood of graduation (Long & Kurlaender, 2009).

Authors

• Matthew Holsapple, Spencer Foundation

• Melissa R. Roderick, University of Chicago