Measuring Up 2006: The Nation and Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum Capital Breakfast Series November 15, 2006

2 Preparation for Education Beyond High School Students are better prepared to enter some form of education and training beyond high school than they were fifteen years ago. And, most states are making incremental improvements every two years―as measured in Measuring Up 2006―in preparation.

3 Preparation for Education Beyond High School  More eighth graders are scoring at or above proficient on national exams in math since the early 1990s. Massachusetts: 23% to 43% North Carolina: 12% to 32% Illinois: 29% to 38% Pennsylvania21% to 31% (low income 8th graders 12% proficient or above in Pennsylvania)

4 Preparation for Education Beyond High School  20 states report that fewer than one-third of their eighth graders score at proficient or higher in national exams in math. Only two states (MA and MN) report that 40% or more of eighth graders reach basic proficiency levels.

5 Preparation for Education Beyond High School  Same trend in science 22 states report that fewer than one-third of eighth graders are proficient or above on national exams in science. Only four states report that over 40% of eighth graders are scoring proficient or above in science.

6 Preparation for Education Beyond High School  Advanced Placement Since the early 1990s, more than 30 states (including Pennsylvania), doubled the number of students taking an AP class and scoring a “3” or above (college-level work).

7 Student Access and Participation in Higher Education The nation is making slow and steady progress in preparing young people for educational opportunities beyond high school, but student access and participation in education/training programs beyond high school has been flat since the early 1990s.

8 Student Access and Participation in Higher Education  Nationally, a smaller percentage of ninth graders enroll in college within four years of graduating from high school than did so nearly 15 years ago. Half of all states have declined on this measure; Pennsylvania has made no improvement.

9 Student Access and Participation in Higher Education  Many of these states also have growing disparities in educational participation by income. In Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania (among others), high-income residents are at least twice as likely to enroll in college than low-income residents. Young adults in Pennsylvania are twice as likely as young adults from other ethnic groups to be enrolled in higher education.

10 The Affordability of Higher Education 43 states, including Pennsylvania, receive a failing grade on providing an affordable higher education.

11 The Affordability of Higher Education  The National Center measures affordability based primarily on the percent of family income, after all financial aid, required to attend a public, private two- or four-year college or university.

12 The Affordability of Higher Education  Nationally, it costs the average family nearly a quarter of their annual income to pay total educational costs―after financial aid―for a year of community college; for those families paying for a public four-year institution, it costs slightly more than one-third of annual family income to pay for educational costs. For Pennsylvania those figures are 26% and 39% respectively.

13 The Affordability of Higher Education  Federal and state financial aid has increased, but tuition has increased faster. Student borrowing has also increased.

The Affordability of Higher Education AFFORDABILITY PENNSYLVANIA Top States in Early 1990s 1992*2006 Family Ability to Pay (50%) Percent of income (average of all income groups) needed to pay for college expenses minus financial aid: at community colleges23%26%15% at public 4-year colleges/universities30%39%16% at private 4-year colleges/universities61%75%32% Strategies for Affordability (40%) State investment in need-based financial aid as compared to the federal investment 70%83%89% At lowest-priced colleges, the share of income that the poorest families need to pay for tuition 21%23%7% Reliance on Loans (10%) Average loan amount that undergraduate students borrow each year $2,991$3,827$2,619 *The indicators report data beginning in 1992 or the closest year for which reliable data are available. See the Technical Guide for Measuring Up Note: In the affordability category, the lower the figures the better the performance for all indicators except for “State investment in need-based financial aid.”

15 College Completion The nation’s performance in certificate and degree completion has improved since the early 1990s, with most of the improvement in non- degree certificates earned. In contrast, Pennsylvania was one of four states to decline in the proportion of students completing certificates/degrees relative to the number enrolled, with most of the decline in certificates awarded.

16 College Completion  35 states improved on most measures of completion, yet only 55% of first-time students earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.

17 Benefits The nation continues to reap the economic and civic benefits from educating its people. If all ethnic groups in Pennsylvania had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total personal income in the state would be $2.3 billion higher.

18 Learning This year, nine states receive a “plus” grade: Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. These nine reported data in more than one of the indicator groups in Learning.

How Does Pennsylvania Measure Up Internationally? Figure 1. Percent of Young Adults (Ages 25-34) with an Associate’s Degree or Higher, 2004 Figure 2. Total Degrees/Certificates Awarded Per 100 Students Enrolled, 2004