In this paper the author investigates how the one-year math throughput rate of community college students varies according to the highest level of math completed in high school, with a particular focus on the implications of successfully completing Algebra 2 while in high school. Community college math throughput rates for students with different…

Despite increases in college enrollment, college completion rates have not kept up, at both 2-year and 4-year institutions. In California specifically, the 6-year graduation or transfer rate for students at 2-year institutions was only 48%. In response to the idea that students arrive at college unprepared, driving these low college success rates,…

In 2004, California launched the Early Assessment Program (EAP), developed jointly by the California Department of Education (CDE), the State Board of Education, and the California State University (CSU), to help bridge the gap between preparation for college in high school and the knowledge and skills necessary for success in postsecondary…

For as much as we know about the economic benefits of a college degree, California policymakers and educators have little information about the college destinations of high school graduates. To fill this information gap, we assembled a unique data set of three recent cohorts of public high school students matched with college enrollment data from…

This is the appendix for "Where California High School Students Attend College." The full report provides information on first-time college enrollment for the census of California public high school 11th grade students expected to graduate high school in the spring of 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. This Appendix provides tables of…

In community colleges, English Language Learners (ELL) comprise several subgroups of students, each of which has a distinct background and data profile. Among these subgroups, three clearly emerge, each of which interact with placement systems and curriculum in distinct ways based on their prior educational experiences and contexts. These three…

This study examined a linkage program between a secondary school and a community college in Ontario, Canada. The study sought to identify (a) appropriate success criteria to evaluate a high school-community college program and (b) the attributes that promote or ensure a program's sustainability. Though initially successful, the investigated…

This article focuses on California's efforts to improve the alignment between K-12 and postsecondary schooling through the Early Assessment Program (EAP). Implemented in 2004, the EAP was designed to give high school students information about their academic preparedness for postsecondary education and to encourage teachers to teach for college…

In this paper we focus on California high school students' transition to community colleges. Our unique dataset tracks five cohorts of California high school juniors into their freshmen year at in-state community colleges. We evaluate the extent to which high school achievement tests (currently not utilized by community colleges in course…

For years, colleges have used placement exams to determine whether to deem incoming students "college ready" or assign them to developmental education. But emerging information reveals the tests have little correlation to students' future success, casting doubt on their use even as the high stakes for students of taking remedial courses…

This report examines the extent to which California high school students fail to meet the high school course requirements for admission to California's four-year public universities. It investigates students' course-taking patterns and whether the courses they take meet the universities' entrance requirements. Because students from a variety of…

While California community colleges are open to all students eligible and able to benefit, most students must demonstrate that they are ready for college-level academic work by passing the college's placement exam once they enroll. Because California does not explicitly define college readiness standards for high school students, the placement…