Middle Grades Research Series: College Awareness & Preparation Activities

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MIDDLE GRADES RESEARCH SERIESMIDDLE GRADES RESEARCH SERIES

April 2015 www.careerandcollegeclubs.org

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The Need for College Awareness/Preparation Activities in the Middle Grades

Most middle school students do not have a plan for what they need to do to be college ready when they graduate from high school.

While 78% of middle school students develop an interest in going to college as early as 7th grade, only 22% have begun planning for how they will get there (Wimberly & Noeth, 2005). Students who start planning early for college are much more likely to attend that those who do not, regardless of barriers they may face (Cabrera, La Nasa, & Burkum, 2001).

Students who expect to take a college preparatory program and who receive assistance from a counselor with selecting high school courses are more likely to actually do so than students who are unaware of what they have to do to prepare for college (Bedsworth, Colby, & Doctor, 2006).

Some middle school students make course selection decisions with little guidance from school counselors (Leitman, Binns, & Unni, 1995 ).

Many middle school students are not well-equipped to take academically rigorous college preparatory courses in high school.

Students’ level of academic attainment in 8th grade has a greater impact on college and career readiness by the time they complete high school than anything they do academically in high school (ACT, 2008). They need at least a 3.0 GPA in middle school to be college bound because only those students are likely to earn a 3.0 GPA in high school (Allensworth, Gwynne, Moore, & de la Torre, 2014).

Some teachers and guidance counselors have low expectations for students from low-income or minority backgrounds (Camblin, 2003; George & Aronson, 2003 ).

Only 51% of low-income students taking the ACT in 2013 achieved test scores that met college readiness benchmarks, including many students who expressed interest in computer information specialties, management, and other high growth occupations (ACT, 2014).

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Students need to develop social-emotional skills, including self-management skills, to make the most of a rigorous high school program.

Meeting benchmark scores on assessments that measure attributes such as focus, commitment, and follow through increase the likelihood that students will successfully achieve their goals in spite of risk of failure, uncertainty, or feelings of frustration (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009).

Self-management skills such as problem-solving, knowing how to seek and use support, and sharing feelings with others are predictors of school success (Fedorowicz, 1995). Developing planning and follow through skills, and the ability to sustain effort also is important to students’ academic success (ACT, 2008).

Social-emotional support helps students develop the confidence they need to take risks, seek help, learn from mistakes, and continue pursuing their goals in spite of setbacks (Savitz-Romer, Jager-Hyman, & Coles, 2009).

Students need to develop a college-going identity, that is, to believe that college will enable them to achieve future goals and to envision themselves as successful college students.

Students need opportunities to explore their identities with peers and adults and how their identities connect with their future aspirations (Savitz-Romer & Bouffard, 2012).

Students who expect they will need a bachelor’s degree for the career in which they are interested are six times more likely to finish college than students who do not have such an expectation (Bedsworth, Colby, & Doctor, 2006; McDonough, 1997).

Students are four times more likely to go to college if most of their friends are planning to go than if their friends do not have college plans (Choy, 2002 ). Having friends who plan to go to college also increases students’ likelihood of completing college (Bedsworth, Colby, & Doctor, 2006).

Students whose parents have not completed college lack information about the college exploration process, managing college costs, and how to apply for admission and financial aid.

Students from low-income families have limited access to college planning and career information compared to those from higher income families (Brand & Valent, 2014). The little college and financial

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aid information they receive is often presented sporadically and in confusing ways (Luna de la Rosa, 2006).

Many low-income and minority students attend high schools where the guidance counselors have little experience with college planning (McDonough, 2001). As a consequence such students are less likely to explore an array of college options or complete the admissions process, even if they are college-qualified (Hossler, Schmidt, and Vesper, 1999).

Schools serving low-income students do not have the resources to take students to visit college campuses and workplaces, or organize community service learning projects through which students can learn about careers (Brand & Valent, 2014).

Escalating college costs have made college affordability a formidable challenge for many families.

College tuition and fees have increased by 300% at four-year public colleges and universities over the past 30 years, 250% at community colleges, and 246% at four-year private institutions (College Board, 2014).

In 2012 the average net price of college was 84% of the average family income in the bottom income quartile and 35% of family income in the second income quartile (Cahalan & Perna, 2015).

The maximum Pell Grant covered 79% of average public four-year tuition and fees in 2004-05, but only 63% in 2014-15 (Cahalan & Perna, 2015).

One-third of middle school students and their families have not considered how they are going to pay for college (Wimberly & Noeth, 2005). Many students and parents overestimate college costs and are unaware of the availability of financial aid (Wimberly & Noeth, 2005; Longanecker & Blanco, 2003).

50-75% of high school students do not attend financial aid information sessions. Students who attend such sessions are more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than those who do not participate (Bedsworth, Colby, & Doctor, 2006).

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Impact of College Awareness/Preparation Activities in the Middle Grades

Student engagement in school is key to increasing the positive impact of middle school on high school graduation rates.

Practices that promote student engagement include providing opportunities for short-term success, activities that build on students’ interest in group projects and experiences, and teaching organiza-tional and self-management skills (Balfanz, Bridgeland, Bruce, & Fox 2014).

Participating in hands-on, life-related activities and cooperative learning groups increases the likelihood of students making make successful transitions to high school (Mizelle, 1995).

Activities that increase students’ aspirations, expose them to college at an early age, and provide support to help them improve their academic achievement are key to students from low-income back-grounds completing high school ready for college (Gullatt & Jan, 2002).

In middle schools rated highly effective, teachers focus on educating every child well and overcoming differences in resources and outcomes based on race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and ability (Camblin, 2003).

Involving middle school students in experiences that help them focus on the future, develop college knowledge, and map pathways for attaining their goals improves their school performance.

Because of high student/counselor ratios in middle schools, teachers in effective schools often advise and assist students with exploring future options, setting educational goals, and selecting high school courses (Wimberly, 2005).

Two-thirds of students who participated in pre-college awareness and preparation programs rated them as very helpful (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2001).

GEAR UP, a federally funded college preparation program, improved middle school students’ and parents’ knowledge of the college admission process and increased parents’ expectations for and involvement in their children’s education compared to peers at non-GEAR UP schools. The program also increased the percentage of African American students taking high-level middle school courses (U.S. Department of Education, 2008).

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Social and emotional learning on the middle school level improves students’ attitudes about themselves and others, strengthens their connections to school, and increases their resiliency and academic achievement.

Students who participate in social-emotional learning programs demonstrate increased self-control and problem-solving skills, improved decision-making and self-esteem, lower levels of emotional stress, and significantly better school grades and test scores compared with students who do not participate (Payton, Weissberg, Durklak, Dymnicki, Taylog, Schellinger, & Pachan, 2008).

The most effective social-emotional learning programs involve a school-wide approach with teachers and staff modelling the language and behaviors students learn in the classroom and structured opportunities for students to practice and apply their new skills in real-life situations (Domitrovich, Durlak, Goren, & Weissberg, 2012).

Middle school social-emotional development programming improves students’ high school academic performance (Fleming, Haggerty, Cadtalano, Hadrachi, Mazza, & Gruman, 2005).

Caring adults and peers help students develop a college going identity and nurture their college aspirations.

Effective college preparation programs emphasize supportive peer relationships that promote the development of an academic identity for participants (Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis, 2006).

Strong peer networks improve the academic and social development of students of color who are the first in their families to go to college (Dennis & Chuateco, 2005).

Middle school students participating in experiential learning projects led by adult volunteer mentors are more likely than non-participants to attend a high school with a rigorous curriculum, had better attendance rates, and higher rates of on-time promotion to 10th grade (Vile, Arcaiara, & Reisner, 2009).

At-risk students who have a volunteer mentor from 9th grade through high school graduation achieve higher GPAs in high school and enroll in college at higher rates than students without a mentor (Johnson, 1999). Mentors are most effective when they communicate frequently with students and get to know their families.

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Career & College Clubs

We published the Middle Grades Research Series to help spread the word on the middle grades’ importance, and to document Career & College Clubs’ basis in research.

Career & College Clubs believes—and research confirms—the middle school space, that critical time when young people begin forming the attitudes, thought patterns, and work habits that they will carry through the rest of their lives, is a key leverage point: reaching students in the middle grades will have a positive impact for high school, college, and beyond.

Career & College Clubs is a comprehensive, standards-aligned program that explores academic and social-emotional concepts critical for success in high school, college, and life. In addition to professional development for staff, the program includes a curriculum with up to two years’ worth of activities covering college and career readiness, the college admissions process, personal financial literacy, job readiness skills, leadership skills, and community improvement.

The program uses a peer-to-peer learning model to engage students in the material and influence their friends, resulting in a school-wide improvement in culture.

Reviews of the program by ACT, Inc. have found that Career & College Clubs has a significant impact on students and their peers, improving student aspirations and college enrollment rates.

For more information:

Career & College Clubs www.careerandcollegeclubs.org 310-242-8860 [email protected]

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References

ACT. 2008. The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School. Iowa City, IA: ACT.

ACT. 2014. Condition of College and Career Readiness 2013: Students from Low-Income Families. Iowa City, IA: ACT & Washington, DC: National Council for Community and Education Partnerships.

Allensworth, E., Gwynne, J., Moore, P. & de la Torre, M. 2014. Looking Forward to High School and College: Middle Grade Indicators of Readiness in Chicago Public Schools. The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Balfanz, R., Bridgeland, J., Bruce, M. & Fox, J. 2009. Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path. Johns Hopkins University, Center for Social Organization of Schools. Baltimore, MD: Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University.

Bedsworth, W., Colby, S., & Doctor, J. 2006. Reclaiming the American Dream. San Francisco, CA: The Bridgespan Group.

Brand, B. & Valent, A. 2014. Career and College Exploration in Afterschool Programs. Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum.

Cabrera, A., La Nasa, S., & Burkum, K. 2001. Pathways to a Four-Year Degree: The Higher Education Story of One Generation. Retrieved April 8, 2015 from www.education.umd.edu/Academics/Faculty/Bios/facData/CHSE/cabrera/Pathwaystoafouryeardegree2012.pdf

Cahalan, M. & Perna, L. 2015. Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 45 Year Trends. Washington, DC: The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, Council for Opportuni-ty in Education and Philadelphia, PA: The university of Pennsylvania Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy

Camblin, S. 2003. The Middle Grades: Putting All Students on Track for College. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning.

Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis. 2006. The Impact of Peers on College Preparation: A Review of the Literature. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education.

Choy, S. 2002. Access & Persistence: Findings from 10 Years of Longitudinal Research on Students. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

College Board. 2014. Trends in College Pricing 2014. New York, NY: The College Board.

Dennis, J., Phonney, J., & Chuateco, L. 2005. “The Role of Motivation, Parental Support, and Peer Support in College Students.” Journal of College Student Development, 46, 3, 223-235.

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Domitrovich, C., Durlak, J., Goren, P. & Weissberg, R. 2013. Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs: Preschool and Elementary School Edition. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, University of Illinois Chicago.

Duckworth, A. & Quinn., P. 2009. “Development and Validation of the Short Grit Scale.” Journal of Person-ality Assessment. 91. 2, 166-174.

Durlak, J., Weissberg, R., Dymnicki, A., Schellinger, K., & Taylor, R. 2011. “The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions.” Child Development, 82, 1, 405-432.

Fedorowicz, A. 1995. Children’s Coping questionnaire: Development and Factor Structure. Doctoral Dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

Fleming, C., Haggerty, K., Catalano, r., Harachi, T., Mazza, J. & Gruman, D. 2005. “Do Social and Behavioral Characteristics Targeted by Preventive Interventions Predict Standardized Test Scores and Grades?.” Journal of School Health, 75, 9, 342-9.

George, P., & Aronson, R. 2003. How do Educators’ Cultural Belief Systems Affect Underserved Students’ Pursuit of Postsecondary Education? Honolulu, IH: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning.

Gullatt, Y. & Jan, W. 2002. How Do Pre-collegiate Academic Outreach Programs Impact College-going Among Underrepresented Students. Boston, MA: Pathways to College Network, TERI.

Hossler, D., Schmit, J., & Vesper, N. 1999. Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Institute for Higher Education Policy. 2001. Getting Through College: Voices of Low-Income and Minority Students in New England. Braintree, MA: Nellie Mae Foundation.

Johnson, A. 1999. Sponsor-a-Scholar: Long Term Impact of a Youth Mentoring Program on Student Performance. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Leitman, R., Binns, K., & Unni, A. 1995. “Uninformed Decisions: A Survey of Children and Parents about Math and Science.” National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Research Letter, 5, 1, 1-9.

Longanecker, D. & Blanco, C. 2003. “Student Financial Assistance.” Student Success: Statewide P-16 Systems. Boulder, CO: State Higher Education Executive Officers.

Luna de la Rosa, M. 2006. “Is Opportunity Knocking? Low-Income Students’ Perceptions of College and Financial Aid.” American Behavior Scientist, 49, 12, 1670-1686.

McDonough, P. 1997. Choosing Colleges: How Social Class and Schools Structure Opportunity. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

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Mizelle, N. 1995. Transition from Middle School into High School: The Student Perspective. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April.

Payton, J., Weissberg, R., Durlak, J., Dymnacki, A., Taylor, R., Schellinger, K. & Pachan, M. 2008. The Positive Impact of Social and Emotional Learning for Kindergarten to Eighth-Grade Students: Findings from Three Scientific Reviews. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, University of Illinois Chicago.

Pearson, L., Vile, J., & Reisner, E. 2008. Establishing a Foundation for Progress Toward High School Graduation: Findings from Phase V of the Citizen Schools Evaluation. Washington, DC: Policy Studies Associates.

Savitz-Romer, M., Jager-Hyman, J., & Coles, A. 2009. Removing Roadblocks to Rigor: Linking Academic and Social Supports to Ensure College Readiness and Success. Washington, DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy, Pathways to College Network.

Savitz-Romer, M. & Bouffard, S. 2012. Ready, Willing, and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

U.S. Department of Education. 2008. Early Outcomes of the GEAR UP Program: Final Report. Rockville, MD: Policy and program studies Services, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

Wimberly, G., & Noeth, R. 2005. College Readiness Begins in Middle School. Iowa City, IA: ACT.

Documents

Middle Grades Research Series: College Awareness & Preparation Activities