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

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium presents findings on the evaluations of three state programs aimed at improving high school students’ preparation for college through such methods as testing to identify their readiness for college, identifying coursework to prepare them for college, and/or mandating to take specific remedial courses or to take a college-preparatory curriculum. The three programs include: California’s Early Assessment Program, Florida’s College and Career Readiness Initiative, and Michigan’s Merit Curriculum. The three evaluations examine the implementation of the policies and their impacts on students’ high school coursetaking and college remedial coursetaking.

Sub Unit

• Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools / Division H - Section 2: Program Evaluation in Schools

Chair

• Allen Ruby, Institute of Education Sciences

Papers

• Ready or Not? California's Early Assessment Program and the Transition to College - Michal Kurlaender, University of California - Davis

• Impact of the Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative on First-Year College Course-Taking - Christine Mokher, CNA; Julie Christine Harris, CNA Corporation

• The Impact of the Michigan Merit Curriculum on High School Math Course-Taking - Soobin Kim, Michigan State University; Gregory Wallsworth, Michigan State University; Ran Xu, Michigan State University; Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University; Kenneth A. Frank, Michigan State University

Discussant

• Dylan P. Conger, The George Washington University