For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Contact:Heidi Guarino 781-338-3106 (ESE) or Eileen O'Connor 617-994-6903 (DHE)

Local School-to-College Reports Detail Student Performance After High School

MALDEN - The state's public high schools have received the first-ever reports detailing the performance of graduates attending a Massachusetts public college or university. Individual "School-to-College" reports for 297 high schools were distributed last week, providing details on how graduates from the class of 2005 fared in college, whether they needed remediation when they got there and whether they re-enrolled for a second year. The report contains information on students who graduated from a Massachusetts public high school in spring 2005 and enrolled in a Massachusetts public postsecondary institution in fall 2005. Students who chose to enter the military, not enroll in college, attend college out of state, or attend a private institution in Massachusetts are not represented. "These reports will be critical as we move toward our goal of better aligning the work of our secondary schools with that of our colleges," said Paul Reville, chairman of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Secretary of Education designate. "This information should prompt our secondary schools to re-evaluate whether they are properly preparing their graduates for college." Acting Education Commissioner Jeffrey Nellhaus agreed. "This is data we've never had before, and will be vitally important as we move into this next phase of Education Reform," he said. "Our graduates should enter college well prepared, not in need of remedial help. These local reports will give our schools the information they need to make sure this trend does not continue." "Now more than ever, postsecondary education and training is a necessity in today's new economy. Even entry-level positions demand ever-increasing levels of skill and knowledge," said Patricia F. Plummer, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education. "The School-to-College project will help educators and policy makers develop sound policies and practices for increased college readiness for all students." Data for the School-to-College reports was drawn from a new database that links public K–12 and higher education data, and is a joint initiative of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Higher Education. According to the statewide School-to-College report, which was released in February, more than 19,000 students (33 percent) of the class of 2005 chose to enroll in a state public postsecondary institution in fall 2005, comprising the fall 2005 School-to-College cohort. Of these students, 45 percent enrolled at a community college, 25 percent enrolled at a state college, and 30 percent enrolled at one of the University of Massachusetts campuses. According to the state report:
  • Among public high school graduates in the class of 2005 who attended a public college or university in Massachusetts, 37 percent enrolled in at least one developmental (remedial) course in their first semester in college.
  • Of students enrolled at community colleges, 65 percent of students enrolled in a community college took at least one developmental course, as did 22 percent of students at state colleges and 8 percent of students at state university campuses.
  • Fifty percent of students who scored in needs improvement on the Grade 10 Math MCAS exam enrolled in developmental math in college.
  • More than 80 percent of first-time, full-time degree seeking students reenrolled for a second year of college in fall 2006.
The class of 2006 reports will be released later this year. Future reports will be released each spring, approximately two years after each cohort's high school graduation. The statewide report is posted online at www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0208bhe.doc. Local school reports can be found at www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/s2c.html.



Last Updated: April 15, 2008



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