Cynthia B. Schmeiser More than Elementary: A Summit on Literacy Instruction in Ohio’s Secondary Schools March 2007 Impact of Literacy on College Readiness and Success ®

ACT Research What do we know about students’ literacy skills? How do these skills impact college/work readiness and success? What can we do to improve readiness?

Data Sources 640,000 8 th - and 9 th - grade students who took ACT’s EXPLORE program in % female 50% male 35% minority students 2006 high school graduates who took the ACT 1.2 million

How Do We Define College Readiness in Reading? Based on actual success students experience in credit- bearing college social science courses Directly tied to ACT College Readiness Standards Define the knowledge and skills students need to attain to be college ready

ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks in Reading EXPLORE PLAN ACT (8-9 th ) (10 th )(11-12 th ) Reading

Current State of College Readiness in Literacy: Middle School Students Not enough middle school students are on target to be college ready in reading when they leave high school. Only 43 percent of our nation’s 8 th -9 th grade EXPLORE-tested students are on target to be ready for college-level reading.

Current State of College Readiness in Literacy: Middle School Students For some groups, substantially fewer students are on target to be ready for college-level reading. Julie: Please insert graph from national report on page 3. Ask Dan Vitale for this.

Current State of College Readiness in Literacy: 2006 High School Grads Only 53 percent of the 1.2 million 2006 ACT-tested high school graduates are ready for college-level reading.

Current State of College Readiness in Literacy: 2006 High School Grads College readiness in reading is declining: 1994: 52 percent 1999: 55 percent (peak) 2006: 53 percent

What Happens When We Track Same Students Over Time? More eighth- and tenth-grade students nationally are on target to be college ready in reading than are actually ready when they graduate from high school.

What Happens When We Track Same Students Over Time? A decline in the percentage of students who are actually ready for college- level reading occurs between the 10 th and 12 th grades.

What Happens When We Track Same Students Over Time? Four Cohorts

Literacy: Does it Matter? Middle school students who are on target in reading are significantly more likely to be on target to be ready in other subject matter areas.

Literacy: Does it Matter? Students who are on target in reading are most likely to be on target in English, math, and science.

Literacy: Does it Matter? Students who are NOT on target in reading in middle school are significantly more likely NOT to be on target in English, math, and science. Of those 2006 EXPLORE students who did NOT meet the EXPLORE Reading Benchmark: Only 40% are on target in English Only 15% are on target in Math Only 1% are on target in Science

Literacy: Does it Matter? College readiness in literacy has a direct impact on college success. Students who are college-ready in reading are more likely to : Enroll in college (74% vs 59%) Earn college course grades of B or better (63% vs 36%) Earn college GPAs of 3.0 or higher (54% vs 33%) Return for the second year at the same college (78% vs 67%) Reading Between the Lines, ACT 2006

Better Reading Skills Lead to Higher College Course Grades

Better Reading Skills Lead to Higher College GPAs

One Last Reality … Middle school students who are NOT on target are at significant risk: additional coursework in high school is not likely to overcome these deficits. Our Latest Research Suggests: IF students are not on target to becoming college ready in middle school… The courses they take and the grades they achieve in high school are not likely to help. More intensive interventions are needed and much earlier.

Why are Students Losing Momentum in High School? Students are not being asked to meet rigorous reading standards within the content areas in high school. Not enough students are being exposed to complex text materials like those they will encounter after high school.

Why are Students Losing Momentum in High School? Only 28 of the 49 states with standards fully define grade- level standards in reading only through the eighth grade. Overall, nearly 60 percent of states do not have grade- specific standards that define the expectations for reading achievement in high school.

So What Can be Done? Recommendations: Incorporate increasingly complex reading materials in middle and high school courses so that students have ample exposure and experience with these types of materials.

So What Can be Done? Recommendations: Revise state standards to specify grade-level reading expectations that: Are aligned with college readiness benchmarks Define the type of complex texts to be incorporated into all courses

So What Can be Done? Recommendations: Make targeted interventions to help students who are having difficulties – preferably earlier than middle school.

So What Can be Done? Recommendations: Provide middle and high school teachers with guidance and support to incorporate and teach to the kinds of complex texts that are most likely to increase students’ readiness for college-level reading.

So What Can be Done? Recommendations: Align middle and high school assessments with college readiness standards and monitor student readiness for college beginning in the eighth grade.

Cynthia B. Schmeiser More than Elementary: A Summit on Literacy Instruction in Ohio’s Secondary Schools March 2007 Impact of Literacy on College Readiness and Success ®