"Clear and compelling evidence shows that the level of the courses students take in high school is one of the best predictors of their success in college and the workplace. This is particularly true in mathematics: Data show a strong correlation between taking higher-level mathematics courses in high school and achieving success in college and employment in high-growth, high-performance jobs. Rigorous course-taking matters for all students, but it is particularly important for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Taking a challenging high school curriculum — including but not limited to content typically taught in Algebra II — cuts in half the gap in college completion rates between white students and black and Latino students."

February 2008 - Closing the Expectations Gap - An Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Careers,
Achieve, Inc.

WAYS TO MEASURE

• Distribution of Advanced Placement Examinations Compared with the Distribution of the High School Population by Ethnicity
• Percent of students taking challenge courses, ALL core courses v. 1 or 2 courses (core courses: English, math, science and social studies)

WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

October 2005 - Advanced Placement Report, Saint Paul Public Schools Office of Research, Evaluation & Assessment.

August 2005 - ACT Scores Reveal Much About College Readiness, Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

May 2007 - Advanced Placement And International Baccalaureate Programs FY 2006: Report to the Legislature, Minnesota Department of Education.

March 2006 - ACT’s Recommended Core Curriculum - Taking additional years of social studies coursework alone does not have a large differential impact on the readiness of ACT tested students to handle the level of reading required in college social sciences courses.

February 2006 - Advanced Placement Report to the Nation 2006, College Board. Minnesota Shows an:

• 8.4% increase in number of students participating
• 8.7% increase in number of exams taken
• 8.8% increase in the number of exams scoring 3+

But equity gap remains; minority students remain significantly underrepresented in AP classrooms. - Full Report -

February 2006 - The Relationship between Advanced Placement and College Graduation - This paper uses a variety of approaches to examine the relationship between Advanced Placement and college graduation. The authors find that passing AP exams is the only AP indicator that shows a strong and consistent relationship to college graduation across all analyses, National Center for Educational Accountability.

February 2006 - Orange Juice or Orange Drink? Ensuring that “Advanced Courses” Live Up to Their Labels - This paper examines evidence that as enrollment in “advanced courses” expands, many students, particularly low-income and minority students, are receiving credit for the courses without having learned the content implied by the course titles. The authors discuss ways to address this situation that promote the goal of more students actually learning advanced content, National Center for Educational Accountability.

January 2006 - Minnesota ranks 27th (well below the national average) for number of students taking Advanced Placement Exams: 2004 (Excel) and in the Share of public high school students scoring 3 or higher on at least one Advanced Placement Exam: 2004 (Excel), From Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 (select items from the drop down box). Prepared by the National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) for the National Science Foundation.

February 2005 - On Course for Success: A Close Look at Selected Courses That Prepare All Students for College - Looks at the specific ACADEMIC SKILLS that need to be taught in English, math and science courses for high school graduates to be ready for college and work, ACT and the Education Trust.

NACAC 2003 –2004 State of College Admission Report - Assisting students and involving parents in course selection decisions is part of the work of secondary guidance counselors.  Minnesota Ranks 7th in the nation in a state ranking of Students Per Counselor (secondary schools), but 49th in the nation when the data is sorted by Students Per Counselor (All Schools).  Makes one wonder about the level of service being provided at the elementary level.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling recommends a Student-to-Counselor Ratio of 100:1.  Minnesota's Secondary Student-to-Counselor Ratio is 259:1.  - Excel File - (sortable)

November 2004 - State's schools fall far short in counselors per student  - Minnesotans pride themselves on living in a state at the top of the school rankings.... But in the area of school counselors, Minnesota is near the bottom, Star Tribune.

Summer 2001 - Race and the Achievement Gap, Rethinking Schools Online.

"A statistical study by Professor Samuel Meyers Jr. at the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota sought to determine whether poverty was a primary cause of the poor performance of Black students on the Minnesota Basic Standards Test. ... For both white students and students of color, success on the tests was positively correlated to how an individual had been tracked,"