The California Community Colleges serves approximately 2.1 million students each year and is the largest system of higher education in the nation. The state's 112 community colleges are charged with providing workforce training, basic skills education and preparing students to transfer to four-year universities. Currently, 78 of our 112 community…

This project considers the common practice of using a single measure of school value-added as a sufficient characterization of the effectiveness of public high schools. By making the definition of a school's "causal effect" more explicit--and then modifying that definition--the author explores whether a single value-added measure is…

This report is a sequel to "Profile of the California Partnership Academies, 2009-2010." The "Profile" gave an overview of California Partnerships Academies (CPAs), and included some comparisons between CPA students and all high school students in California. This report provides, for the first time, comparisons between…

College readiness is measured by the number and percentage of 12th grade graduates who complete all the courses required for entrance to the University of California (UC) and/or California State University (CSU) with a grade of "C" or better. Course completion represents only a portion of the entrance requirements for UC or CSU; not all…

An important goal for California is that public high schools continue to make progress in closing the achievement gap between demographic groups and that students are prepared for postsecondary education. In early 2008 Commission staff started developing a composite measure of academic preparation based on standardized test scores in nine college…

American students are failing to demonstrate expected competency on basic skills taught in schools. The educational system needs a major overhaul to address declines in scholarly engagement. The State Board of Education (SBE) designed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to give some merit to the high school diploma. Minorities and…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report for the…

The Commission is preparing to collect data for the 2007 University Eligibility Study. This study is the latest in a series of studies that began in 1966 to estimate the percentage of California public high school graduates who meet the admission requirements of the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). CEC…

This paper profiles California's test score trends through 2008-09. In 2004, the mean scale score on the state 4th grade reading test was 341 for non-Title I students and 315 for Title I students. In 2008, the mean scale score in 4th grade reading was 379 for non-Title I students and 340 for Title I students. Between 2004 and 2008, the mean scale…

The Commission has started collecting data for the 2007 University Eligibility Study. This study is the latest in a series that began in 1966 to estimate the percentage of California public high school graduates who meet the admission requirements of the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). California Education…

This report examines the preparation of California public high school graduates to do college-level work, based on high school coursework and state and national testing. A companion report examines the proficiency of adults enrolled in basic skills education programs operated by California's public schools and the state's community colleges. This…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…