1. Sophomores: Ready or Not: College Readiness for All
Sophomores: Ready or Not: College Readiness for All? The Critical Importance of the Sophomore Year
Sophomore Open House
Point Pleasant Jr Sr High
17 & 18 August 2009

2. Losing the Leading Edge
US was leader in high school graduation rates – 40 years ago
Now it ranks 18th out of 24 industrialized countries
US was tied for first in the proportion of young adults with a college degree in 1995
Now it ranks 14th and is below the average of industrialized countries

3. Losing the Leading Edge
PISA – 2006
US Performance Relative to 30 Industrialized Countries
Subject Rank
Mathematics
Science
Reading
Problem Solving

4. Ready or Not: College Readiness for All?
How we define it
What we know about it

5. College Readiness: Definition
Based on actual success students experience in credit-bearing college entry-level courses
ACT Benchmarks: median ACT score needed for 50% chance of college course grade B or 75% chance of C or better
ACT Benchmarks are directly tied to ACT College Readiness Standards

6. Does College Ready Equal Work Ready?
2006 ACT Study Provides Empirical Evidence (research data) of Comparability:
Level of expectations needed for entry-level college courses is comparable to expectations needed to enter workforce training programs for jobs that:
Offer salaries above poverty line
Can sustain family of four
Have prospects for career advancement

7. Ready or Not: College Readiness for All?
How we define it
What we know about it

8. College Readiness: What We Know
Right number of core courses
Right kinds of core courses
Rigorous courses focused on college readiness outcomes
Progress monitoring and timely interventions

9. College Readiness: What We Know
Percentage of 2008 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Taking Core
Nearly 40% of our nation’s high school graduates are not taking a core curriculum.

10. College Readiness: What We Know
Impact of Core on College Readiness
Students who take a core curriculum are significantly more likely to be college and career ready.

11. The Core: An Unfulfilled Promise
Students who take more than core meet ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks in greater percentages than students who take only core.
This chart shows the benefit additional math courses have on benchmark attainment. Similar results are seen in the other core subjects. In English, the percent of students who meet the benchmark after the core 4 years of English is 67%, but the percentage for those who take 4.5 years is 77%. In Science, 26% of the students who take the core 3 years meet the benchmark, while 38% of the students who take 4 years do. And in Social Studies, the 3 year core yields 50% benchmark attainment, with each additional half-year moving the percentage to 53%, 55%, and 60%.
Mathematics

12. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Post Secondary Training
On the Job
1 month to 10 month certificate programs
Apprenticeships – 1 yr to 5 yr
Associates Degree Programs (3 to 5 semesters)
Bachelors Degree Programs (8 to 10 semesters)

13. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Entrance Requirements
Post Secondary Training
Skilled Pathway Diploma
On the Job Training
1 month to 10 month certificate programs
Apprenticeships
Associates Degree Programs (Community and Technical Colleges, Institutes)

14. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Entrance Requirements
Post Secondary Training
Professional Pathway Diploma
On the Job Training
1 month to 10 month certificate programs
Apprenticeships
Associates Degree Programs
Bachelors Degree Programs (4yr colleges and universities)

15. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
What to choose?
Professional Pathway
Skilled Pathway
What’s the difference?

16. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Graduation Requirements
CORE
4 Language Arts (English)
4 Social Studies (History)
4 Mathematics
3 Sciences
Plus: PE, Health, Comp App, Fine Art

17. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Graduation Requirements
Career Concentration
Skilled Pathway
* 4 Specified CTE Courses in career concentration ** Science courses may be conceptual technical sciences
Professional Pathway
* 2 years of the same Foreign Language
* 4th Lab Science
* A higher level course in Career Concentration

18. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Entrance Requirements
Associates Degree Programs
HS Diploma – Skilled or Professional Pathway
ACT score not required*, but will administer an ACT or ACT like test at their school. Like to see at least a 15 or 16 composite score.
2.0 GPA minimum preferred.
*for most programs
Bachelors Degree Programs
HS Diploma – Professional Pathway
ACT score of at least 18 or 19 composite. Some Programs require at least a 24 to 27 minimum composite .
2.5 GPA minimum preferred.

19. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP as of today
HS Diploma – Professional Pathway
ACT Score of at least 22 composite. Subtests (English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning) scores are to be at least 20
or……..
A combined SAT score of 1020 with at least a minimum sub-score of 490 in the  critical reading section and 480 in the math section
3.0 Core GPA
3.0 GPA overall

20. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Assessment Opportunities – THIS year!
ACT PLAN – the pre-ACT in October (no cost)
PSAT – the pre-SAT in October (about $13) Sophomores must sign up for this test
ASVAB – provides academic and career insights different from ACT PLAN in October (no cost) Sophomores must sign up for this test
WESTEST – writing assessment in winter and academic testing in May (no cost)

21. Sophomores: Ready or Not:
Planning Opportunities – THIS year!
As a result of participating in these assessments, your child will
be provided the interpretation of the results for each assessment.
Beginning in January, in accordance to POLICY 2510, you, your
student and their advisor or school counselor will review their
ACT PLAN results and use the information to declare their
Career Major and Pathway. Then an Individualized Student
Transition Plan (ISTP) will be developed to map out their
Junior and Senior Years of their high school career that best
supports their post secondary training goals.

22. Sophomores: Ready or Not: The Sophomore Year is of critical importance
Sophomore Open House
ACT information was provided by
Cyndi B. Schmeiser
President and Chief Operating Officer, Education Division