High School Course Progressions in Tennessee Laura Booker Office of Research & Strategy
Agenda 1. Why course taking matters? 2. What courses do students have access to? 3. What courses are students taking? 4. Does access and enrollment vary by student demographics? All courses students take in high school should add value to their educational experience.
Why course taking matters?
We need to more successfully steer students along the valuable course taking pipeline. PREPARATION ACCESS ENROLLMENT SUCCESS
What does the research say? Previous research has shown that taking a more rigorous set of coursework in high school is associated with less need for college remediation, increased persistence in college, and higher earnings later in life.
The Department has identified three primary goals. 1 2 3 Tennessee will continue rapid improvement and rank in the top half of states on the Report Card. MEASUREMENT Tennessee will rank in top half of states on 4 th and 8 th grade NAEP in 2019. The average ACT score in Tennessee will be a 21, allowing more students to earn HOPE scholarships. MEASUREMENT Tennessee will have an average public ACT composite score of 21 by 2020. The majority of Tennessee high school graduates will earn a certificate, diploma, or degree. MEASUREMENT The class of 2020 will be on track to achieve 55% postsecondary completion in six years.
To achieve these goals, we are focused on five priority areas.
Students who take Algebra in 8 th grade have higher ACT scores than their top quartile peers. 30 28 26 25.1 MATH SCORE 24 22 20 18 16 18.9 18.0 22.6 20.6 22.9 8th Math 8th Algebra 14 12 10 EXPLORE (8th) PLAN (10th) ACT (11th)
Students who were not proficient in 8 th grade who took two FL courses scored about one point higher on the ACT. 35 30 29 29 Composite ACT Score 25 20 15 10 14 13 18 17 23 23 2 or More Courses Less than 2 Courses 5 0 Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced 8th Grade TCAP
What courses do students have access to?
What courses do students have access to? Math Less than half of districts offer Algebra I in 8 th grade. About half of districts offer AP or IB math courses. Science Most districts offer between 6-10 science courses. The most common courses include Physical Science, Biology, Biology 2, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, and some type of Earth/Environmental Science. About half of districts offer AP sciences courses.
What courses do students have access to? English A little more than half of districts offer AP or IB English. Foreign Language About half of districts just offer one language option Spanish. About 40% of districts offer more than two levels of a foreign language.
Reflection Questions What about this data is surprising/not surprising? How does your district or school decide what courses to offer? What challenges do you face in offering rigorous courses and what strategies have you used to overcome these challenges?
What courses are students taking?
What courses are students taking? Math 92% of students take four years of math The most frequent pattern was Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Bridge Math Science About 50% of students take four years of science The most frequent course taking patterns for twelfth graders is Physical Science, Biology I, Chemistry I, No Science Course
What courses are students taking? English 81% of students take English I, English II, English III, English IV 13% take an AP or IB at some point Foreign Language 20% of twelfth graders in 2013-14 took fewer than two foreign language courses.
So what courses is the average student taking? 9 th Grade: English I, Algebra, Physical Science 10th Grade: English II, Geometry, Biology, Spanish I 11 th Grade: English III, Algebra II, Chemistry, Spanish II 12 th Grade: English IV, Bridge Math
Does access and enrollment vary by student demographics?
Many Algebra I Ready students do not have access or are not being enrolled. 100% 100% 80% 77% 76% 60% 40% 70% 60% 51% Non-ED ED 35% 20% 0% Algebra I Ready District Access School Access Enroll
About 10% of students took AP or IB science course during high school, but just under 25% were ED. 70% 60% 58% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 24% 24% 14% 14% 6% 9% 4% ED SWD Black Hispanic TN AP Science
Students with disabilities were much less likely to take two foreign language courses. 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Two or More Foreign Language Courses 80% 76% 79% 41% Average ED SPED SWD Black
Reflection What about this data is surprising/not surprising? How are students placed into courses? Are checks run to determine if students are enrolling in appropriate courses?
Final Thoughts We should work to make sure current course placement policies and procedures are prioritizing students best interests Increasing number of students enrolled in rigorous courses involves many factors that have to be overcome Mapping a strategy for overcoming these factors will help more students become career and college ready