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 is…

This report provides information about the performance of Indiana's 2012 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2012 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the…

Research suggests that low-income high school students may opt out of preparing for college, because they believe a postsecondary education is more than they or their parents can afford. At the same time, federal agencies and some state agencies have indicated that every year available student aid goes unused. In response to these misconceptions…

Low-income students and students whose parents have not attended college typically are less likely than middle- and upper-income students to complete high school and attend college, and are thus less likely to reap the benefits of attending college. Lack of information, resources, and exposure to others who have navigated the college process may…

This report provides information about the performance of 2009 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2009 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the context of…

The term "student swirl" was coined by Alfredo de los Santos and Irene Wright in 1990, along with the term "double-dipping" (concurrent enrollment at two institutions), to characterize the back-and-forth, multi-institutional attendance pattern common among students attending community colleges. However, traditional…

This exploratory study sought to compare the characteristics, attitudes and postsecondary knowledge of two groups of Indiana ninth grade students, those who plan to continue their education after high school and those who indicate that they are undecided about their post secondary plans. The study used data from a longitudinal study of college…

In the spring of 1975, a manpower survey was conducted to determine the educational, occupational, and career plans of college students in Indiana who were about to complete the requirements for an associate degree. Fifty percent (1,467) of the expected associate degree recipients from public institutions, and all 623 of the expected reciPients…

Selected data from three of the latest summary reports of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program (ATP) are presented. They are: College Bound Seniors, 1980-National, Midwestern, and Indiana. Data including Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) scores, and information from the Student Descriptive…

This paper presents and discusses longitudinal data collected through surveys completed by students (n=1,545) in the 9th and 11th grades to determine what factors influence a student's change in plans for postsecondary education. Twenty-one Indiana high schools were selected to ensure that the sample proportionally represented students from all…

The personal, academic, financial, and vocational/educational characteristics of over 6,800 students attending 32 private colleges and universities in Indiana were studied, as part of a larger study. At the time of applying to college, 49.4 percent of the students lived in Indiana. About 88 percent were 18-24 years old, and nearly 80 percent began…

The objectives of the study were to help high school seniors make occupational choices, develop their employment and educational plans, and to provide data for school personnel and for the planning of postsecondary vocational training activities. Approximately 50,000 Indiana high school seniors were surveyed as to their educational and employment…

The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program is an early-intervention program intended to improve college enrollment among low-income students in Indiana. The Scholars program provides support services--plus a guarantee of grant aid equivalent to public college tuition--to students who pledge in eighth grade to meet five criteria: (1) complete high…

This study examined a longitudinal data set (9th through 12th grade students from Indiana) to pose questions about the importance students place on certain college and university attributes as part of their college choice process. Using factor analysis, analysis of variance, and discriminant analysis on data about a representative sample of 110…

Educational and vocational plans and changing characteristics of Indiana high school seniors from 1966 to 1980 were studied. In 1966, 1969, 1972, and 1975, questionnaires were mailed to all public and private high schools in the state, while in 1980, a stratefied random sample was used. The response rate of the first four surveys was 54 percent or…