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
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
Losing the Leading Edge
PISA – 2006
US Performance Relative to 30
Industrialized Countries
Subject
Rank
• Mathematics
25
• Science
21
• Reading
15
• Problem Solving
24
http://www.pisa.oecd.org/
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
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
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
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.
39
61
Core
Non-Core
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.
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.
Mathematics
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)
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)
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)
Sophomores:
Ready or Not:
What to choose?
Professional Pathway
Skilled Pathway
What’s the difference?
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
Sophomores:
Ready or Not:
Graduation Requirements
Career Concentration
Skilled Pathway
Professional Pathway
* 4 Specified
CTE Courses
in career
concentration
** Science courses
may be conceptual
technical sciences
* 2 years of the same Foreign
Language
* 4th Lab Science
* A higher level course in
Career Concentration
Sophomores:
Ready or Not:
Entrance Requirements
Associates
Degree Programs
Bachelors Degree
Programs
HS Diploma – Skilled or
HS Diploma –
Professional Pathway
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.
ACT score of at least 18 or 19
composite. Some Programs require at
least a 24 to 27 minimum composite .
2.0 GPA minimum preferred.
2.5 GPA minimum preferred.
*for most programs
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
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)
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.
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
PLEGGETT@access.k12.wv.us