washoe k-16 data profile · washoe county to produce the washoe k-16 data profile, formerly called...

WASHOE KWASHOE K--1616DATA PROFILEDATA PROFILE

TRUCKEE MEADOWS COMMUNITY COLLEGEUNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO

WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Prepared By:Education Collaborative of Washoe CountyJoint Data Profile Committee

November 2003

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DATA PROFILE COMMITTEEDATA PROFILE COMMITTEEMembers:Washoe County School District

Anne Loring, WCSD Board of Trustees

Dotty Merrill, Senior Director, Public Policy, Accountability & Assessment

University of Nevada, Reno Bill Cathey, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Melisa Choroszy, Assist. VP for Records/Enrollment

Serge Herzog, Director of Institutional Analysis

John Mahaffy, Director of Assessment

Truckee Meadows Community CollegeElena Bubnova, Director of Institutional Research

University & Community College System of NevadaTyler Trevor, Assistant Vice Chancellor

State Department of EducationDenise Quon, Evaluation Consultant

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DATA PROFILE COMMITTEEDATA PROFILE COMMITTEEAcknowledgment for Special Assistance in Preparing the 2003 Data Profile:

Washoe County School DistrictJennifer Crow, Program Services Coordinator

Jim Grace, Reporting Specialist

University of Nevada, RenoVirginia Moore, Management Analyst III

Filip Wiecko, Graduate Research Assistant, Enrollment Services

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SummarySummaryIntroduction

For the past six years, the University of Nevada Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College, and the Washoe County School District have collaborated through the Education Collaborative of Washoe County to produce the Washoe K-16 Data Profile, formerly called the High School Data Profile. The Nevada Department of Education and the University and Community College System of Nevada have supported this effort. The Data Profile is a collection and presentation of data about Washoe County School District high school students and the continuation of those graduates into the University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College. Through this effort we hope to identify factors that can increase the success of our students as they proceed from high school to post-secondary education.

The Data Profile has expanded in scope each year. The 2002 edition reported a two-year increasing trend in the percentage of Washoe County School District graduates enrolled in remedial English and/or mathematics courses at both UNR and TMCC. Concern about this trend and its potential impact on students led to an increased focus on the remediation issue for the 2003 edition of the Data Profile. An analysis of the transcripts of 773 new freshman from Washoe County high schools at the University of Nevada, Reno (Wiecko and Choroszy, 2003) expands our understanding of students who need college-level remediation at the university level.

The Education Collaborative of Washoe County hopes that this and future issues of the Data Profile will continue to help educators, parents, students, and our community better prepare our graduates for a successful transition into higher education and for continued success throughout their college careers.

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SummarySummarySummary of Data TrendsWCSD Graduates including the Class of 2002• WCSD dropout rate continued its decline to 3.4%, compared to 7.3% in 1999. This is significantly

lower than the statewide dropout rate in 2002 of 6.3%. Compared to the previous year, the dropout rate for all ethnic groups except Hispanic declined in 2002, with the dropout rate for Hispanic students increasing only slightly over the previous year. Caucasian students constitute the largest number and percentage of dropouts.

• In 2002, the percentage of students passing all portions of the High School Proficiency Exam was unchanged in Writing at 99.9%, dropped from 99.9% to 99.7% in Reading, and dropped from 97.7% to 96.5% in Mathematics compared to the previous year.

• SAT verbal scores have increased 19 points, and math scores have increased 33 points since 1997; both increased from 2001 to 2002, and both exceeded state and national averages.

• ACT English and math scores also increased from 2001 to 2002 and also exceeded state and national averages.

• The ACT participation rate dropped six percentage points from 2001 to 2002 and is eight percentage points lower than it was for the Class of 1998; the SAT participation rate remained unchanged from 2001 to 2002 but is five percentage points lower than it was for the Class of 1998.

• The percentage of juniors and seniors enrolled in Advanced Placement courses increased significantly from 2001 to 2002 both district-wide and in 7 of the 8 high schools that have a history of AP participation. In the 2002 school year, all Washoe County students had access to Advanced Placement courses at their home high schools, including Gerlach High School.

• Enrollment in advanced science courses increased for the third consecutive year.

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SummarySummaryCollege Data: Washoe County School District Graduating Cohorts• The percentage of WCSD graduates attending UNR and TMCC the following Fall has increased

from 41% to 51% since 1998. In 1998, 846 WCSD graduates attended UNR and TMCC the following Fall compared to 1309 in 2002.

• The percentage of WCSD graduates enrolled in a remedial course the following Fall dropped by one percentage point at UNR but increased six percentage points at TMCC. The increase at TMCC is attributed to a larger number of entering students taking math and English their first semester, which positively influences the persistence rate of those students.

• At UNR, the percentage of WCSD graduates returning after one semester rose from 88% in 2001 to 91% in 2002; the percentage returning after two semesters rose from 78% to 84%, which is a five-year high.

• At TMCC, the percentage of WCSD graduates returning after one semester rose from 71% in 2001 to 74% in 2002; the percentage returning after two semesters rose to a 5-year high of 62%.

• The persistence rates of WCSD graduates at both TMCC and UNR exceed the national averages for 2- and 4-year institutions.

• The combined verbal and math SAT score of WCSD graduates from the Class of 2002 attending UNR rose 20 points from that of the Class of 2001, even though the number of graduates who attended UNR with SAT scores also rose.

College-Level Remediation in English and Mathematics at the University of Nevada, RenoThe following conclusions are based on data in a study entitled “Washoe County New Freshmenenrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno in Fall 2002” by Filip Wiecko and Dr. Melisa Choroszy(2003). This study will be available on the University of Nevada, Reno website at www.unr.eduunder Enrollment Services Report. It will also be available as part of the Data Profile report on theEducation Collaborative of Washoe County website at www.ed-collaborative.org.

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SummarySummary• Of the Washoe County freshmen entering UNR in 2002, over twice as many took remedial English as took remedial math. Of the 91% (702 students) of Washoe County freshmen who enrolled in mathematics, 12% (85 students) enrolled in remedial math. Of the 93% (717 students) enrolled in English, 24% (172 students) took remedial English• Ninety-one percent of the Washoe County freshmen entering UNR in 2002 were Millennium Scholars. About 11% of the Millennium Scholars who enrolled in math their freshman year took remedial math, and about 22% of those enrolled in English took remedial English. For non-Millennium Scholars, the percentage taking remedial math and English was about twice that of Millennium Scholars.• The overwhelming majority of students enrolled in remedial English or math as freshmen at UNR were there because of their placement exam scores and not because of self-selection. Of the 172 Washoe County graduates enrolled in remedial English at UNR, only 4 (2%) qualified for college-level English but self-selected remedial English, and another 8 (5%) did not take either the ACT or SAT but took remedial English. Of the 85 Washoe County graduates enrolled in remedial math at UNR, only 11 (13%) qualified for college-level math but self-selected remedial math, and another 6 (7%) did not take either the ACT or SAT but took remedial math.• Of the Washoe County freshmen entering UNR in 2002, 17% had taken AP mathematics in high school, and none of those students took remedial math at UNR. For every increase in the level of math taken by a student in high school, the chances that the student would need college-level remediation dropped by over 50%, according to the study by Wiecko and Choroszy (2003). [Similar results were found in an analysis of 1999-00 Reed High School graduates enrolled at TMCC and UNR in 2000 (High School Data Profile, September 2002).] About 60% of the 2002 Washoe County freshmen entering UNR had taken a math course beyond Algebra 3-4 in high school, but only about 2% of those students enrolled in remedial math at UNR.

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SummarySummary• Of the Washoe County freshmen entering UNR in 2002, 24% had taken AP English. Less than 2%

of these students enrolled in remediation in English compared to almost 27% of students who had not taken AP English in high school.

Recommendations for Future Work• Continue examination of the issue of college-level remediation. Analyze the relationship of the

need for remediation and whether or not a student is a Millennium Scholar.• Explore more effective methods of tracking WCSD graduates going to out-of-state colleges.• Begin to disaggregate selective data sets by student ethnicity.• Continue to improve the capability to identify factors that promote or retard student success in

higher education.

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DATA PROFILE PROJECTDATA PROFILE PROJECT

History of Data Profile Project

First research completed in 1998• Tracking and analysis of 1997 WCSD graduating

cohort• Baseline data established• Comparisons made to state and national measures

Research continued through 2003• Tracking and analysis of 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 &

2002 WCSD graduating cohorts• Comparisons made to 1998 data, as well as state

and national measures

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WCSD HIGH SCHOOLSWCSD HIGH SCHOOLS

Eleven High Schools Included in Data Profile:

• Reed• Wooster• McQueen• Washoe• Incline• TMCC HS• Hug• Sparks• Gerlach• Reno• Galena

Limited data are presented for North Valleys & Spanish Springs high schools, which opened without a senior class in the 2001-02 school year.

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REPORT CONTENTREPORT CONTENT

Teachers Teaching Within Area of LicensureDropout RatesHSPE ScoresCollege Entrance ExamsCollege Prep

MeasuresAcademic Year ‘02

High School outcome measures for the class of 2002, with comparisons to 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001 classes

College DataCapture RatesRemediation Persistence RatesCollege Entrance Exams

College outcome measures for 2002 , with comparisons to 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001 graduates

SummarySummary of data & conclusionsSummary of data & conclusions

RecommendationsRecommendations

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002

MeasuresTeachers Teaching within Area of LicensureDropout Rate: Percent of students in grades 9-12 that dropped out of school during the school yearHigh School Proficiency Exam: Percent of students passing each section of the state-mandated Nevada High School Proficiency ExamCollege Entrance Exams: Scores and participation rates on ACT and SAT examsCollege Preparatory Courses: Percent of students enrolling in Advanced Placement, advanced math (algebra 3 & above), and advanced science (chemistry & above)

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Washoe County School DistrictTeachers Teaching within Area of Licensure

99%99%

96%96%

99%

90%

92%

94%

96%

98%

100%

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Dropout Rates

Nevada vs. WCSD

6.3%

9.8%

7.8%

6.1%5.0%

7.3% 7.3%

5.2%4.2%

3.4%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

1998 1999* 2000* 2001* 2002*

Nevada WCSD

*computed under new state formula

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Dropout Rates by High SchoolHIGH SCHOOLS 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02

Galena 1.8% 1.8% 3.7% 1.1% 2.5%Gerlach 2.1% 6.3% 6.1% 2.7% 2.9%Hug 5.8% 11.0% 5.3% 5.9% 5.9%Incline 1.4% 1.6% 1.1% 0.7% 2.7%McQueen 3.5% 2.3% 2.1% 2.5% 1.7%North Valleys 2.5%Reed 4.7% 4.3% 2.9% 2.7% 1.3%Reno 4.0% 2.6% 2.9% 2.8% 2.1%Spanish Springs 1.3%Sparks 9.3% 9.5% 6.4% 1.4% 1.7%TMCC HS 0.0% 6.7% 6.1% 2.4% 2.4%Washoe* 48.9% 41.9% 34.5% 33.0% 26.2%Wooster 6.5% 6.9% 3.8% 3.6% 4.0%WCSD Average 7.3% 7.3% 5.2% 4.2% 3.4%

Not Open

Not Open

* Washoe HS is an alternative learning site

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Dropout Rates by Ethnicity Percent Dropping Out by Ethnic Group

2.6%3.4%

6.5%

2.2%

4.2%

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%

10%

AfricanAmerican

Asian Hispanic NativeAmerican

White

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Dropout Rates by Ethnicity Percent of Total 9-12th Grade Dropouts

54.7%

3.9%

35.0%

2.3%4.1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

AfricanAmerican

Asian Hispanic NativeAmerican

White

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002High School Proficiency Exam

High School Proficiency Exam % Passing2002 Graduates

96.5%

99.7% 99.9%

80.0

85.0

90.0

95.0

100.0

Reading Writing Math

WCSD Avg.

Note: The above figures include Washoe High School. However, by NRS the WCSD average submitted for state accountability purposes does not include Washoe H.S.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002High School Proficiency Exam

High School Proficiency Exam % PassingWCSD 1998-2002 Graduates

98.7 99.298.6

97.497.1

99.3

95.5

99.0 99.2

97.7

99.999.9

96.5

99.999.7

90.0

92.0

94.0

96.0

98.0

100.0

Reading Writing Math

1998 Grads 1999 Grads 2000 Grads 2001 Grads 2002 Grads

*Difficulty and passing score increased for HSPE taken by 1999 graduates. The above figures include Washoe High School. However, by NRS the WCSD average submitted for state accountability purposes does not include Washoe H.S. Beginning in 1998 calculation of HSPE % changed to reflect the % of only those who had enough credits to graduate.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002HSPE by High School % Passing (Reading)

HIGH SCHOOLS 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 99.6% 98.3% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Gerlach 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Hug 95.1% 98.0% 97.1% 100.0% 99.0%Incline 100.0% 98.9% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%McQueen 99.4% 99.4% 99.7% 100.0% 99.8%Reed 99.3% 99.5% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Reno 100.0% 99.4% 98.5% 100.0% 99.9%Sparks 97.7% 99.6% 99.6% 100.0% 98.9%TMCC HS 100.0% 100.0% 98.7% 100.0% 100.0%Washoe 98.3% 97.1% 92.7% 95.5% 100.0%Wooster 99.1% 96.7% 98.2% 100.0% 99.6%WCSD AVG. 98.7% 97.1% 99.0% 99.9% 99.7%

Reading Test

Note: Change from previous publications: added Gerlach and TMCC data, list HSPE% passing by actual subtests of Reading and Writing rather than English, and show data for only seniors. Difficulty and passing score increased for HSPE taken by 1999 graduates. The above figures include Washoe High School. However, by NRS the WCSD average submitted for state accountability purposes does not include Washoe H.S. Beginning in 1998 calculation of HSPE % changed to reflect the % of only those who had enough credits to graduate.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002HSPE by High School % Passing (Writing)

HIGH SCHOOLS 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 99.6% 99.3% 100.0% 99.6% 100.0%Gerlach 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Hug 96.8% 98.4% 96.7% 100.0% 99.7%Incline 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%McQueen 100.0% 99.7% 99.7% 100.0% 100.0%Reed 99.7% 99.8% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Reno 100.0% 99.7% 99.1% 100.0% 100.0%Sparks 98.8% 99.3% 98.8% 100.0% 99.7%TMCC HS 100.0% 98.6% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Washoe 99.1% 98.5% 98.2% 95.5% 100.0%Wooster 98.0% 98.6% 98.7% 100.0% 99.6%WCSD AVG. 99.2% 99.3% 99.2% 99.9% 99.9%

Writing Test

Note: Change from previous publications: added Gerlach and TMCC data, list HSPE% passing by actual subtests of Reading and Writing rather than English, and % passing is for seniors. Difficulty and passing score increased for HSPE taken by 1999 graduates. The above figures include Washoe High School. However, by NRS the WCSD average submitted for state accountability purposes does not include Washoe H.S. Beginning in 1998 calculation of HSPE % changed to reflect the % of only those who had enough credits to graduate.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002HSPE by High School % Passing (Math)HIGH SCHOOLS 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 99.6% 99.0% 97.8% 97.8% 97.4%Gerlach 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%Hug 96.5% 95.3% 88.8% 97.9% 96.2%Incline 100.0% 100.0% 97.6% 97.8% 100.0%McQueen 99.7% 99.1% 99.7% 98.4% 97.3%Reed 98.9% 99.6% 98.1% 99.1% 97.4%Reno 100.0% 99.1% 97.0% 99.3% 99.4%Sparks 97.7% 95.5% 95.9% 96.1% 94.3%TMCC HS 100.0% 100.0% 98.7% 98.1% 99.2%Washoe 98.7% 79.4% 65.5% 96.6% 85.7%Wooster 99.5% 95.7% 94.6% 97.7% 91.8%WCSD AVG. 98.6% 97.4% 95.5% 97.7% 96.5%

Math Test

Note: Change from previous publications: added Gerlach and TMCC data, list HSPE% passing by actual subtests of Reading and Writing rather than English, and % passing is for seniors. Difficulty and passing score increased for HSPE taken by 1999 graduates. The above figures include Washoe High School. However, by NRS the WCSD average submitted for state accountability purposes does not include Washoe H.S. Beginning in 1998 calculation of HSPE % changed to reflect the % of only those who had enough credits to graduate.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002% passing HSPE by Ethnicity

African American

3%

Asian6%

Native American

2%

Hispanic13%

White76%

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACT Math Scores

WCSD, NV & National Comparison

22.221.9

22.322.2

22.0

21.221.121.421.3

21.2

20.620.720.720.720.8

19.5

20.0

20.5

21.0

21.5

22.0

22.5

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

WCSD Avg Nevada Avg Nat'l Avg

Note: The ACT scale is 1-36

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACT Math Scores by High School

HIGH SCHOOLS 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 21.2 22.2 21.7 23.2 22.2 22.1Gerlach - - - - - -Hug 21.1 20.6 20.7 20.9 20.9 20.6Incline 20.5 21.0 22.2 22.1 21.3 21.6McQueen 22.6 23.4 24.4 23.6 23.3 23.3Reed 20.9 21.3 22.1 21.7 21.1 21.7Reno 22.9 23.8 23.6 23.2 23.0 24.6Sparks 19.3 20.2 20.0 20.1 20.4 19.9TMCC HS - - - - 22.4 20.8Washoe - - - - - -Wooster 20.1 20.4 21.0 21.6 22.1 23.1WCSD 21.3 22.0 22.2 22.3 21.9 22.2

ACT Math Scores

‘-’ Denotes fewer than 5 students

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACT English Scores


21.221.4 21.4

21.221.4

20.620.7 20.7

20.520.420.4

20.5 20.5 20.5

20.2

19.619.820.020.220.420.620.821.021.221.421.6

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002


Note: ACT scores are reported on a scale from 1 to 36. For purposes of this comparison, the scale has been reduced to enhance visual discrimination.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACT English Scores by High SchoolHIGH SCHOOLS 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 20.8 21.7 21.6 22.7 21.9 21.9Gerlach - - - - - -Hug 19.5 19.9 19.5 19.2 19.3 18.5Incline 21.3 21.3 21.2 21.4 21.7 22.7McQueen 21.6 21.9 23.1 21.9 21.7 22.0Reed 19.9 21.2 21.3 20.5 20.3 20.7Reno 22.5 23.3 22.9 23.3 23.5 23.5Sparks 17.4 18.4 19.3 19.5 20.3 19.9TMCC HS - - - - 22.6 22.4Washoe - - - - - -Wooster 19.2 19.3 19.4 20 20.9 20.5WCSD 20.5 21.2 21.4 21.4 21.2 21.4

ACT English Scores

‘-’ Denotes fewer than 5 students

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1092

1166

1066

992985

46%

40%

47%48%48%

850

900

950

1000

1050

1100

1150

1200

1998 1999 2000 2001 200236%

38%

40%

42%

44%

46%

48%

50%Total Tested % of Grads Tested

ACT Participation WCSD Graduates Taking ACT

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACT Participation- WCSD Graduates Taking ACT by High School

Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %Galena 136 47% 135 48% 185 60% 133 46% 178 46%Gerlach - - - - - - - - - -Hug 74 31% 53 22% 72 30% 92 32% 78 25%Incline 35 54% 49 54% 41 50% 31 33% 27 17%McQueen 211 65% 182 54% 206 59% 211 57% 228 55%Reed 181 46% 200 48% 215 50% 251 56% 225 49%Reno 164 51% 150 48% 147 46% 168 52% 137 43%Sparks 97 47% 124 47% 109 45% 138 48% 109 39%TMCC HS - - - - - - 40 38% 37 30%Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 71 42% 79 41% 72 32% 90 42% 64 28%Total 985 48% 992 48% 1066 47% 1166 46% 1092 40%

20022000 2001HIGH SCHOOLS

1998 1999

*Total numbers are higher than sum of individual schools because Gerlach, TMCC, & Washoe do have some students who take the ACT, but fewer than 20 students were tested in some years.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002SAT Verbal Scores


528524

530 529533

510512 510 509 509

505 505 505 506 504

485490495500505510515520525530535540

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002


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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002SAT Verbal Scores by High SchoolHIGH SCHOOLS 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 514 522 523 531 526 519Gerlach - - - - - -Hug 494 517 507 500 515 479Incline 535 524 530 508 540 526McQueen 533 538 552 545 530 549Reed 499 520 512 509 510 517Reno 542 552 541 558 549 559Sparks 482 504 480 508 492 532TMCC HS - 542 - 514 580 571Washoe - - - - - -Wooster 449 489 483 500 522 512WCSD 514 528 524 530 529 533

SAT Verbal Scores

Note: 1997 Incline data updated and corrected from previous publications.Schools not reported had fewer than 20 students tested.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002SAT Math Scores


544

535533531529

518515517517

513516514514

511512

490

500

510

520

530

540

550

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002


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ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002SAT Math Scores by High SchoolHIGH SCHOOLS 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 512 520 525 531 527 529Gerlach - - - - - -Hug 504 515 501 498 523 522Incline 526 512 522 525 549 530McQueen 539 552 561 548 552 562Reed 494 514 524 526 517 533Reno 527 550 545 552 546 560Sparks 488 521 474 511 514 536TMCC HS - - - 520 549 551Washoe - - - - - -Wooster 457 503 509 513 536 545WCSD 511 529 530 533 535 544

SAT Math Scores

Schools not reported had fewer than 20 students tested.

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SAT Participation WCSD Graduates Taking SAT

858

810

870

817

774

37%38%

32% 32%

36%

720

740

760

780

800

820

840

860

880

1998 1999 2000 2001 200228%

30%

32%

34%

36%

38%

40%

Total Tested % of Grads Tested

34

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002SAT Participation by High School

Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %Galena 149 51% 136 48% 182 58% 134 46% 190 49%Gerlach - - - - - - - - - -Hug 56 24% 46 19% 46 19% 46 16% 32 10%Incline 35 54% 50 56% 49 60% 53 57% 48 59%McQueen 135 42% 136 40% 118 34% 121 32% 140 34%Reed 140 36% 151 37% 136 32% 125 28% 135 30%Reno 176 55% 195 61% 217 64% 191 69% 189 60%Sparks 34 17% 25 10% 35 14% 43 15% 23 8%TMCC HS - - - 30% 24 - 29 27% 34 28%Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 45 27% 71 36% 62 28% 63 30% 61 26%Total 774 37% 817 38% 870 36% 810 32% 858 32%

20022000 2001HIGH SCHOOLS

1998 1999

*Total numbers are higher than sum of individual schools because TMCC, Gerlach & Washoe do have some students who take the ACT, but fewer than 20 students were tested in some years.

35

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Enrollment in College Preparation Courses

Percent of WCSD Juniors & Seniors Enrolled in Advanced Placement Courses

35.7

28.328.025.626.4

0.05.0

10.015.020.025.030.035.040.0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Note: AP data updated and corrected since previous publications. Percent enrolled in AP classes now calculated based on number of Juniors and Seniors not total high school enrollment.

36

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Enrollment in College Preparation Courses

Percent of all WCSD Students Enrolled in Advanced Math & Science Courses

30.0%

19.3%

30.4%

15.8%

33.8%

17.2%

32.8%

19.7%19.4%21.6%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Advanced Math (Algebra 3 and Above) Advanced Science (Chemistry andAbove)

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002*

* Definition of Advanced Math changed from Geometry to Algebra 3 in the 2002 school year. Comparisons would therefore be invalid.

37

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Enrollment in Advanced Placement Courses

High Schools

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 693 715 737 774 746 141 218 330 306 361 20% 30% 45% 40% 48%Gerlach - - - - 15 N/A N/A N/A N/A 5 N/A N/A N/A N/A 33%Hug 775 791 901 831 519 149 102 96 77 50 19% 13% 11% 9% 10%Incline 186 206 209 188 174 76 63 72 110 116 41% 31% 34% 59% 67%McQueen 821 809 854 903 875 318 326 357 460 547 39% 40% 42% 51% 63%N. Valleys N/A N/A N/A N/A 253 N/A N/A N/A N/A 69 N/A N/A N/A N/A 27%Reed 1071 1052 1086 1095 974 137 138 207 150 248 13% 13% 19% 14% 25%Reno 745 801 836 786 677 367 444 380 435 468 49% 55% 45% 55% 69%Sp. Springs N/A N/A N/A N/A 252 N/A N/A N/A N/A 10 N/A N/A N/A N/A 4%Sparks 694 701 719 805 545 203 62 142 83 177 29% 9% 20% 10% 32%TMCC HS - - - - 209 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AWashoe - - - - 275 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AWooster 551 588 625 631 508 69 99 89 89 100 13% 17% 14% 14% 20%WCSD 5536 5663 5967 6036 6022 1460 1452 1673 1711 2151 26% 26% 28% 28% 36%

Juniors & Seniors Enrolled No. Enrolled in AP Classes % of Juniors & Seniors Enrolled in AP Classes

Note: 1998 data updated and corrected since previous publications. Percent enrolled is calculated on number of Juniors & Seniorsenrolled, not total high school enrollment. AP courses are not offered at TMCC and Washoe high schools.

38

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Enrollment in Advanced Math CoursesBased on Enrollment in Grades 9-12

High Schools

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 1480 1562 1626 1706 1837 604 586 727 712 443 41% 38% 45% 42% 24%Gerlach N/A N/A N/A 37 35 N/A N/A N/A 18 13 N/A N/A N/A 49% 37%Hug 1944 1961 2072 2087 1313 325 303 376 332 120 17% 15% 18% 16% 9%Incline 415 442 440 430 399 166 188 202 177 118 40% 43% 46% 41% 30%McQueen 1721 1841 1973 2007 1955 768 754 913 952 611 45% 41% 46% 47% 31%N. Valleys N/A N/A N/A N/A 1373 N/A N/A N/A N/A 90 N/A N/A N/A N/A 7%Reed 2345 2379 2461 2515 2217 699 717 836 924 529 30% 30% 34% 37% 24%Reno 1686 1723 1732 1722 1647 730 806 879 825 556 43% 47% 51% 48% 34%Sp. Springs N/A N/A N/A N/A 1184 N/A N/A N/A N/A 141 N/A N/A N/A N/A 12%Sparks 1682 1780 1842 1952 1307 404 457 510 524 193 24% 26% 28% 27% 15%TMCC HS 120 188 210 208 209 49 84 41 27 22 41% 45% 51% 13% 11%Washoe 609 589 647 656 542 30 30 - 9 - 5% 5% N/A 1% N/AWooster 1431 1431 1478 1519 1525 258 305 401 370 176 18% 21% 27% 24% 12%

Total Enrollment No. Enrolled in Advanced Math % Enrolled in Advanced Math

WCSD 13433 13896 14481 14839 15543 4033 4230 4899 4870 3012 30% 30% 34% 33% 19%Note: 1998 data corrected and updated since previous publications.

Beginning in 2002, Advanced Math includes Algebra 3-4, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Probability/ Statistics, AP Calculus, AP Statistics. Prior to 2002, Advanced Math also included Geometry and Formal Geometry.

39

ACADEMIC YEAR 2002ACADEMIC YEAR 2002Enrollment in Advanced Science CoursesBased on Enrollment in Grades 9-12

High Schools

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Galena 1480 1562 1626 1706 1837 449 326 379 525 606 30% 21% 23% 31% 33%Gerlach N/A N/A N/A 37 35 N/A N/A N/A 11 7 N/A N/A N/A 30% 20%Hug 1944 1961 2072 2087 1313 264 142 184 219 161 14% 7% 9% 10% 12%Incline 415 442 440 430 399 88 57 86 79 89 21% 13% 20% 18% 22%McQueen 1721 1841 1973 2007 1955 377 374 419 497 555 22% 20% 21% 25% 28%N. Valleys N/A N/A N/A N/A 1373 N/A N/A N/A N/A 202 N/A N/A N/A N/A 15%Reed 2345 2379 2461 2515 2217 397 360 470 461 523 17% 15% 19% 18% 24%Reno 1686 1723 1732 1722 1647 473 437 428 539 574 28% 25% 25% 31% 35%Sp. Springs N/A N/A N/A N/A 1184 N/A N/A N/A N/A 171 N/A N/A N/A N/A 14%Sparks 1682 1780 1842 1952 1307 332 273 315 358 203 20% 15% 17% 18% 16%TMCC HS 120 188 210 208 209 - - - - - N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AWashoe 609 589 647 656 542 - - - - - N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AWooster 1431 1431 1478 1519 1525 218 222 201 237 271 15% 16% 14% 16% 18%WCSD 13433 13896 14481 14839 15543 2598 2191 2493 2926 3362 19% 16% 17% 20% 22%

Total Enrollment No. Enrolled in Advanced Science % Enrolled in Advanced Science

Note: 1998 data corrected and updated since previous publications.

Advanced Science includes Chemistry, Biochemistry, Human Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Physics and AP Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics.

40

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAMeasures

Capture Rate: The percentage of students enrolling at UNR/TMCC in the Fall 2002 who graduated from a WCSD high school in Spring 2002Remediation: Student enrollment in developmental English or Math courses (intermediate algebra & below)

Persistence: The percent of a cohort that returns with each advancing semesterCollege Entrance Exams: SAT and ACT scores of WCSD graduates attending the University

41

The tracking of WCSD high school graduates from high school to TMCC and UNR.

• 2001-02 Graduates = 2560*• 2000-01 Graduates = 2429*• 1999-00 Graduates = 2243*• 1998-99 Graduates = 2227* • 1997-98 Graduates = 2072

*does not include I Can Do Anything Charter High School or Washoe Adult High School.

The tracking of WCSD high school graduates from high school to TMCC and UNR.

• 2001-02 Graduates = 2560*• 2000-01 Graduates = 2429*• 1999-00 Graduates = 2243*• 1998-99 Graduates = 2227* • 1997-98 Graduates = 2072

*does not include I Can Do Anything Charter High School or Washoe Adult High School.

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATA

Cohort Analysis

42

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATACapture Rate

National, UCCSN, & WCSD Capture RatesFall 2002

51.0%45.4%

65.2%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

National UCCSN WCSD

UNR & TMCC Combined

Capture Rate

UNR & TMCC UNR & TMCC Combined Combined

Capture RateCapture Rate

Definition: Enrollment of recent high school graduates in post-secondary education (as degree or non-degree seeking students) in the semester immediately following graduation from high school (note: national & UCCSN rates include graduates from public & private high schools)Note:WCSD % does not include students who attended other UCCSN institutions (41 students or 2% in 2002) or students who attended institutions outside Nevada (approximately 18% in 2001). Source: U.S. Census Bureau - Current Population Survey 2002, UCCSN Remedial Report, WCSD Data Profile

43


Capture Rate of High School Cohort by UNR/TMCC

41%

16%

25%

46%

21%

25%19%

29%

48%

23%24%

51%

28%

0102030405060

UNR TMCC Total

98 cohort 99 cohort 00 cohort01 cohort 02 cohort

50%

29%

*numbers may not total due to students co-enrolled at both institutions

44

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATACombined Capture Rate (TMCC & UNR) by High School

% N % N % N % N % NGalena 42% 123 47% 134 55% 168 57% 159 52% 196Gerlach 10% 1 33% 3 29% 2 42% 5 10% 1Hug 32% 76 37% 90 39% 83 43% 119 36% 107Incline 26% 17 27% 24 33% 26 26% 23 37% 30McQueen 52% 168 53% 180 55% 185 61% 225 60% 240Reed 38% 148 49% 202 49% 204 49% 217 51% 226Reno 45% 145 40% 128 46% 148 52% 167 51% 161Sparks 33% 67 40% 101 45% 104 44% 121 47% 122TMCC HS 43% 13 51% 37 66% 51 62% 64 78% 95Washoe 44% 26 66% 35 78% 28 33% 29 77% 37Wooster 37% 62 48% 95 37% 78 52% 107 45% 94Total 41% 846 46% 1029 48% 1077 50% 1236 51% 1309

Fall 01 Fall 02HIGH SCHOOLS

Fall 98 Fall 99 Fall 00

45

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATATMCC Capture Rate by High School


Fall 02Fall 01HIGH SCHOOLS


46

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAUNR Capture Rate by High School


Fall 02Fall 01HIGH SCHOOLS


47


Remediation Rates of Recent Nevada High School Graduates Enrolling in the UCCSN - Fall 2002

(students enrolled in at least one remedial course in first semester of college immediately following high school graduation)

28%

41%

61%

35%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

NV High SchoolGraduates Enrolling in

NV Universities

WCSD GraduatesEnrolling at UNR

NV High SchoolGraduates Enrolling in

NV CommunityColleges

WCSD GraduatesEnrolling at TMCC

Remediation

Source: UCCSN Remedial Report 2002, WCSD Data Profile

48

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATARemediation by Institution

% of WCSD Graduates Enrolled in a Remedial Course by Institution

19%

50% 48%

18%21%

54% 55%

29%

61%

28%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

UNR TMCC

Spring 98 Cohort Spring 99 Cohort Spring 00 Cohort

Spring 01 Cohort Spring 02 Cohort

49

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATARemediation by High School (TMCC)

HIGH SCHOOLS % N % N % N % N % N

Galena 39% 22 37% 18 39% 18 49% 34 65% 48Gerlach 0% 0 0% 0 100% 1 100% 3 0% 0Hug 47% 17 52% 29 63% 25 68% 48 59% 43Incline 0% 0 60% 3 100% 6 33% 3 77% 10McQueen 49% 31 52% 32 56% 28 47% 38 73% 53Reed 59% 39 54% 57 52% 50 59% 54 69% 72Reno 39% 12 32% 11 55% 22 47% 25 62% 34Sparks 43% 13 61% 35 66% 31 68% 39 67% 40TMCC HS 40% 4 26% 8 15% 6 29% 14 24% 15Washoe 19% 19 53% 18 57% 16 62% 18 62% 23Wooster 12% 12 42% 19 84% 31 65% 30 59% 30Total 50% 169 48% 230 54% 234 55% 306 61% 368

Fall 02Fall 98 Fall 99 Fall 00 Fall 01

50

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATARemediation by High School (UNR)

% N % N % N % N % N

Galena 12% 8 20% 17 17% 22 29% 26 30% 38Gerlach - - - - - - - - - -Hug 32% 13 21% 7 28% 12 49% 25 47% 16Incline 12% 2 11% 2 30% 6 47% 7 41% 7McQueen 15% 16 16% 20 23% 31 26% 39 23% 39Reed 24% 20 12% 12 20% 22 30% 39 28% 34Reno 14% 17 20% 19 23% 26 26% 31 27% 29Sparks 27% 10 18% 8 21% 12 23% 15 29% 18TMCC HS 33% 1 0% 0 17% 2 5% 1 6% 2Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 25% 11 30% 15 17% 7 30% 18 36% 16Total 19% 98 18% 100 21% 140 29% 201 28% 199

HIGH SCHOOLS

Fall 01 Fall 02 Fall 98 Fall 99 Fall 00

51

Institution % Returning After 1 Semester

% Returning After 2 Semesters

TMCC Spring 1998 Cohort 65% 51%Spring 1999 Cohort 68% 55%Spring 2000 Cohort 70% 60%Spring 2001 Cohort 71% 56%Spring 2002 Cohort 74% 62% UNRSpring 1998 Cohort 90% 77%Spring 1999 Cohort 93% 82%Spring 2000 Cohort 90% 78%Spring 2001 Cohort 88% 78%Spring 2002 Cohort 91% 84%

• Nationally, 73.5% will return after 2 semesters at Universities & 55.8% at Community Colleges (2003, ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire).

• Nationally, 73.5% will return after 2 semesters at Universities & 55.8% at Community Colleges (2003, ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire).

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAPersistence Rates of WCSD Graduating Cohorts

52

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAPersistence by High School at TMCC% Returning After One Semester (N = # returning)% Returning After One Semester (N = # returning)

% N % N % N % N % NGalena 74% 42 80% 39 65% 30 80% 56 77% 57Gerlach - - - - 100% 1 33% 3 - -Hug 75% 27 79% 44 73% 29 68% 48 74% 54Incline - - 60% 3 67% 4 78% 7 62% 8McQueen 67% 42 65% 40 78% 39 59% 47 73% 53Reed 65% 43 70% 73 74% 71 75% 69 77% 81Reno 58% 18 56% 19 70% 28 72% 38 80% 44Sparks 47% 14 65% 37 72% 34 82% 47 73% 44TMCC HS 70% 7 81% 25 66% 27 75% 36 75% 47Washoe 48% 12 44% 15 61% 17 48% 14 57% 21Wooster 72% 13 67% 30 65% 24 65% 30 73% 37Total 65% 218 68% 325 70% 304 71% 395 74% 446

Spring 02 Cohort

HIGH SCHOOLS

Spring 98 Cohort

Spring 99 Cohort

Spring 00 Cohort

Spring 01 Cohort

53

% N % N % N % N % N

Galena 90% 62 97% 83 90% 113 92% 84 90% 112Gerlach - - 100% 3 - - 100% 2 100% 1Hug 95% 39 94% 32 81% 35 84% 43 88% 30Incline 88% 15 95% 18 95% 19 93% 14 71% 12McQueen 91% 99 93% 113 91% 124 95% 140 95% 161Reed 92% 78 95% 92 89% 100 81% 106 90% 110Reno 92% 109 94% 88 91% 101 88% 106 96% 103Sparks 78% 29 86% 38 88% 51 85% 55 92% 58TMCC HS 67% 2 83% 5 92% 11 89% 17 81% 26Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 86% 38 92% 46 93% 38 87% 53 86% 38Total 90% 471 93% 518 90% 592 88% 620 91% 651

Spring 02 Cohort

HIGH SCHOOLS Spring 98 Cohort

Spring 99 Cohort

Spring 00 Cohort

Spring 01 Cohort

% Returning After One Semester (N = # returning)% Returning After One Semester (N = # returning)% Returning After One Semester (N = # returning)

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAPersistence by High School at UNR

54

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAACT Scores

ACT Composite Scores of WCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNR

22.622.522.922.8 23.0

2020.5

2121.5

2222.5

2323.5

Spring 98Cohort

Spring 99Cohort

Spring 00Cohort

Spring 01Cohort

Spring 02Cohort

55

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATASAT Scores

The Combined Verbal and Math SAT Scores of WCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNR

10821062

10691054 1057

1000101010201030104010501060107010801090

Spring 98Cohort

Spring 99Cohort

Spring 00Cohort

Spring 01Cohort

Spring 02Cohort

56

Score N Score N Score N Score N Score NGalena 23.7 43 23 68 23.8 84 23.5 58 22.9 78Gerlach - - 20.7 3 - - 19 2 - -Hug 22.2 32 22.3 25 21.7 34 20.3 42 22 28Incline 21.2 13 21.9 14 22.5 10 19.5 6 20.8 9McQueen 23.3 98 24.5 107 23.5 117 22.9 124 23 147Reed 22.6 67 23.3 83 23.2 88 22 117 22.6 108Reno 23.4 81 21.9 59 22.1 64 23.1 86 23.4 57Sparks 21.9 29 22.3 44 21.6 50 22 64 21.3 58TMCC HS 23 2 23.8 5 23.2 6 23.9 14 22.5 19Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 20.8 34 21.4 33 22.7 35 23.4 48 22.4 31Total 22.8 399 23 441 22.9 486 22.5 561 22.6 535

Spring 02 CohortHIGH

SCHOOLS

Spring 98 Cohort

Spring 99 Cohort

Spring 00 Cohort

Spring 01 Cohort

WCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNRWCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNRWCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNR

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAAverage ACT Scores by High School

57

WCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNRWCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNRWCSD Graduating Cohorts Attending UNR

COLLEGE DATACOLLEGE DATAAverage SAT Scores by High School

Score N Score N Score N Score N Score N

Galena 1080 40 1065 62 1099 86 1061 69 1062 93

Gerlach - - 990 2 - - 890 1 - -

Hug 983 12 1095 18 1025 19 1053 19 992 12

Incline 1026 11 1038 16 1008 16 1017 12 999 13

McQueen 1133 21 1102 64 1115 68 1078 67 1113 76

Reed 1026 33 1038 72 1058 68 1030 60 1058 74Reno 1055 58 1039 69 1053 87 1076 90 1095 85Sparks 1049 10 1115 8 1030 24 1068 24 1127 13TMCC HS - - 1127 3 1061 6 1133 7 1155 20Washoe - - - - - - - - - -Wooster 1019 21 1018 40 1039 24 1064 37 1098 31Total 1054 206 1057 354 1069 398 1062 386 1082 417

Spring 01 Cohort

Spring 02 Cohort

HIGH SCHOOLS

Spring 98 Cohort

Spring 99 Cohort

Spring 00 Cohort

58

UNR Remediation Study Class of 2002UNR Remediation Study Class of 2002

College-Level Remediation in English and Mathematics at the University of Nevada, Reno

College-level remediation data appear in a study entitled “Washoe County New Freshmen Enrolled at the University of Nevada Reno in Fall 2002” by Filip Wiecko and Dr. Melisa Choroszy (2003). This study will be available on the University of Nevada, Reno website at www.unr.edu under Enrollment Services Report. It is included here as an appendix at the conclusion of this report.

59

SUMMARYSUMMARYSUMMARY

WCSD Graduating Class of 2002:

• The dropout rate continued to decline to a five-year low of 3.4%.

• SAT math scores have increased 33 points and verbal scores have increased 19 points since 1997.

• ACT & SAT participation rates have decreased since 1998.

• The percentage of juniors & seniors enrolled in Advanced Placement courses increased and every comprehensive high school offered AP classes in 2002.

• Enrollment in advanced science courses increased.

60

SUMMARYSUMMARY

College Data - WCSD Graduating Cohorts:• The combined capture rate of WCSD students for

UNR and TMCC increased for the fourth straight year.

• The percentage of WCSD students enrolled in remedial courses dropped slightly at UNR but increased significantly at TMCC.

• At both UNR & TMCC the persistence rate for students returning after one & two semesters increased for the WCSD class of 2002.

• The SAT scores of WCSD graduates from the class of 2002 attending UNR rose significantly.

61

SUMMARYSUMMARYCollege-Level Remediation at UNR:

• Of Washoe County Class of ’02 freshmen who took math & English, 12% took remedial math & 24% took remedial English.

- For Millennium Scholars, 11% took remedial math & 22% took remedial English.- For Non-Millennium Scholars, the percentage taking remedial courses was about double that of Millennium Scholars.

• Most students enrolled in remedial English & math are not there because of self-selection.• Less than 2% of students who took AP English needed remediation compared to 27% of non-AP English students.• Only about 2% of students who took math beyond Algebra 3-4 took remedial math.

- No students who took AP math in high school enrolled in remedial math at UNR.

62

SUMMARYSUMMARYRecommendations for Future Work:

• Continue examination of the issue of college-level remediation and analyze the relationship of the need for remediation and the Millennium Scholarship.

• Explore more effective methods of tracking WCSD graduates going to out-of-state colleges.

• Begin to disaggregate selective data sets by student ethnicity.

• Continue to improve the capability to identify factors that promote or retard student success in higher education.

63

AppendixAppendixWashoe County New Freshmen Enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno in Fall

2002August 2003

Filip Wiecko B.A.Melisa Choroszy Ph.D.

Introduction:

The purpose of this study was to assess the need for remediation in college mathematics and English demonstrated by incoming freshmen from the Washoe County School District (WCSD) in Fall 2002. Several different characteristics of the incoming freshmen class of 2002 were examined in an effort to assess relationships between high school course enrollments and subsequent college course taking patterns in English and Mathematics.

Methods:

For the purposes of this study, 773 new freshmen students from WCSD enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno were studied. Students’ high school backgrounds were obtained from high school transcripts that were provided by students at the time of application for admission. Information was gathered and analyzed as a whole, and disaggregated based on specific student characteristics in order to better understand students’specific traits. Bivariate correlations and regression were used to test the impact of various independent variables on the dependent variable, the need for remediation at the college level.

64

AppendixAppendixGeneral Findings:

Basic descriptive and frequency analysis indicated the following: Of a total of 773 students, 54% (416) were female, and 46% (357) were male. 91% (706) were millennium scholars. Of all WCSD high schools, 22% attended Robert McQueen High School, 16% attended Edward C. Reed High School, 16% attended Galena High School, 14% attended Reno High School, 9% attended Bishop Manogue High School, 8% attended Sparks High School, 6% attended Earl Wooster High School, 4% attended Procter R. Hug High School, 4% attended TMCC Magnet High School, 2% attended Incline High School and the remaining 1% attended other private or home schools (see table 1).

Table 1

Number PercentageBishop Manogue High School 66 9%Earl Wooster High School 43 6%Edward C. Reed High School 123 16%Galena High School 124 16%Incline High School 14 2%Proctor R. Hug High School 33 4%Reno High School 107 14%Robert McQueen High School 166 22%Sparks High School 65 8%TMCC Magnet High School 27 4%

Incoming Freshmen Class Breakdown by High School Attended

65

AppendixAppendixGeneral High School Academic History:

The examination of students’ high school academic histories focused on several different factors such as levels of mathematics and English courses taken, grades received in those courses, the year the courses were taken, whether these courses were advanced placement or general in curriculum, and ACT/SAT scores. When looking at the highest level of math a student took in high school, about 4% discontinued enrollment in mathematics courses at the level of algebra 3 or less, 36% stopped at the algebra 4 level, 9% took statistics, 8% took trigonometry, 27% went on to take pre-calculus, and 17% achieved the highest level with advanced placement mathematics. Of the math courses taken, 17% took advanced placement, and, of this 17%, 3% took statistics and 14% took calculus. 75% of the students who took advanced placement math courses received an “A”or “B”grade. The most common courses taken were algebra 3 and algebra 4. Around 25% of students took these courses during their sophomore year while over 50% of students took these classes during their junior years.

All students took English courses in high school. Of all the students, 24% took advanced placement English for at least one year, and of this 24%, 76% received a B grade or higher.

Aptitude Testing:

Almost all WCSD students attending the University of Nevada, Reno took either the ACT or SAT. Seventy-three percent (568) took the ACT and 27% (205) took the SAT. Verbal ACT scores ranged from 5 to 36 with a mean of 22 and a standard deviation of 4.6. Math ACT scores ranged from 12 to 35 with a mean of 23 and a standard deviation of 4.5. The cumulative ACT scores ranged from 11 to 33 with a mean of 22 and a standard deviation of 3.9. SAT scores showed similar traits with verbal scores ranging from 250 to 760 with a mean of 532 and a standard deviation of 83. Math scores ranged from 290 to 780 with a mean of 541 and a standard deviation of 88. The cumulative SAT scores ranged from 680 to 1490 with a mean of 1072 and a standard deviation of 153. In this study the choice was made to use only the ACT scores because the majority of students took the ACT and in many instances where data was disaggregated the sample size for the SAT was too small for analysis (see table 2).

66

AppendixAppendixFirst year in college:

In general, first year college students enrolled in core curriculum classes. The majority of the students 93% (717) took English their first year of college. At the University of Nevada, Reno, 76% qualified for and enrolled in college level English. Twenty-four percent (24%) had enrolled in remedial English.1 Of all students taking English, 81% received a B or higher.

The majority (91%) of first year students took mathematics courses. Of the 702 students who took mathematics courses 85 (12%) took remedial courses while 617 (88%) took college level courses..2 Of all students who took mathematics their first year at University of Nevada, Reno, 61% received a B or higher.

Specific information:

In order to achieve better inference about the incoming freshmen class of 2002, the data were disaggregated based on high schools and Millennium Scholarships. The goal of this disaggregation was to see if students’performance and need for remediation was dependent on the high school the students attended and/or if they were Millennium Scholars (see table 2 and 3).

[1] There was a total of 172 students who took remedial English, out of this number only 4 students qualified for English 101, but chose to take remedial classes anyway. This means that just over 2% self-selected remedial English. Eight (8) students who enrolled in remedial English did not take either the ACT or SAT.[2]Out of this number 11 students qualified for college level math but chose to take remedial classes anyway. This makes the self-selected remedial percentage just under 13%. Six (6) students did not take either the ACT or the SAT.

67

AppendixAppendixTable 2

Firs

t Sem

este

r in

colle

ge G

PA

Ave

rage

s (S

tand

ard

Dev

iatio

ns)

GPA

at G

radu

atio

n fr

om H

igh

Scho

ol

Ave

rage

s (S

tand

ard

Dev

iatio

ns)

Mill

enni

um S

chol

arsh

ip (y

es)

Verb

al A

CT

Scor

e (m

ean)

Mat

h A

CT

Scor

e (m

ean)

Cum

ulat

ive

AC

T Sc

ore

(mea

n)

Adv

ance

d Pl

acem

ent E

nglis

h (y

es)

Adv

ance

d Pl

acem

ent M

ath

(yes

)

Firs

t Sem

este

r in

Col

lege

Mat

h C

ours

e (r

emed

ial)

Firs

t Sem

este

r in

Col

lege

Eng

lish

Cou

rse

(rem

edia

l)

Valid

N

Bishop Manogue High School

2.78 (1.14)

3.32 (.37) 83.3% 21.0 21.6 21.6 4.5% 4.5% 9.5% 17.5% 66

Earl Wooster High School

2.67 (1.10)

3.36 (.41) 90.7% 20.5 23.1 21.9 20.9% 18.6% 16.3% 34.9% 43

Edward C. Reed High School

2.92 (.96)

3.49 (.36) 93.5% 21.8 23.1 22.6 22% 21.1% 10.6% 22% 123

Galena High School

2.74 (.95)

3.37 (.34) 93.5% 22.2 22.2 22.9 33.9% 10.5% 14.9% 20.9% 124

Incline High School

2.72 (.94)

3.29 (.29) 92.9% 21.5 20.5 21.0 14.3% 7.1% 28.6% 42.9% 14

Proctor R. Hug High School

2.50 (1.10)

3.41 (.37) 93.9% 20.4 22.3 22 9.1% 9.1% 30.3% 42.4% 33

Reno High School

2.86 (1.07)

3.30 (.37) 90.7% 22.6 23.4 23.2 17.8% 25.2% 11.5% 23.5% 107

Robert McQueen High School

2.94 (.87)

3.34 (.34) 91.0% 21.9 23.4 22.9 29.5% 22.9% 7.8% 19.6% 166

Sparks High School

2.40 (1.10)

3.40 (.35) 95.4% 21.0 21.4 21.5 46.2% 18.5% 3.3% 24.6% 65

TMCC Magnet High School

2.77 (.99)

3.39 (.32) 88.9% 23.4 21.8 22.4 NA NA 5.9% 8.7% 27

68


Millennium Scholar Non-Millennium ScholarVerbal ACT Score (mean) 21.8 20.8Math ACT Score (mean) 22.8 21.3Cummulative ACT Score (mean) 22.6 21.5Advanced Placement English (Yes) 24.8% 13.4%Advanced Placement Math (Yes) 18% 6%First Semester in College Math Course Taken (Remedial) 11.3% 22.4%First Semester in College English Course Taken (Remedial) 22.3% 44.4%Valid N 706 67

Data Disaggregated by Millennium Scholarship

Specific Findings:

The goal of this study was to examine the need for remediation in mathematics and English courses during the first year in college. In order to determine what variables influenced the need for remediation, binary regression analysis was performed using independent variable such as, test scores, high school classes taken, advanced placement classes taken, etcetera, and dependent variables, which include first semester remedial classes in English and mathematics.

In mathematics the findings indicated that the best predictors of needed remediation at the college level were test scores (ACT), and the level of mathematics taken in high school. In this study, of the 132 students who took advanced placement courses in mathematics while in high school, none had taken remedial mathematics classes at the college level. This relationship was not only present with advanced placement courses.3

3The breakdown of the 85 students who took remedial math based on the highest level of math taken in high school is as follows: 14% stopped at Algebra 3 or less, 75% at Algebra 4, 4% at statistics, 1% at trigonometry, and 6% at pre-calculus. There were no remedial students in any math category over pre-calculus.

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AppendixAppendixFor every increase in the level of mathematics taken in high school we observed a more than 50% chance decrease in the need for remediation at the college level. With test scores there was an almost perfect and very strong relationship between the score and the need for remediation. For every increase in one point on the mathematics portion of the ACT we observed a decrease in the chance of remediation by over 30%, suggesting that a student who scores higher than a 27 on the mathematics portion of the ACT would have a less than 1% chance of needing remediation (see table 4 for additional coefficient information).

In English, the findings indicated that the best predictors of the need for remediation at the college level were test scores and the completion of advanced placement courses at the high school level. All WCSD students were required to complete 4 years of high school English prior to graduation. Of the students who took at least 1 year of advanced placement English, the need for college level remediation dropped from almost 27% to under 2%. The correlation between test scores and the need for remediation was also very strong and significant. A decrease in the need for remediation was accompanied by an increase in verbal ACT scores. This decrease was even stronger as scores increased above 27 points for the verbal section of the ACT. Students who scored a 29 or more on the verbal portion of the ACT had less than 1% chance of having to take remedial English at the college level (see table 5 for additional coefficient information).

There was no significant correlation between the grades that a student received in algebra 3 and 4 or English, and the need for remediation. However there was a correlation between the grade received in those classes and the highest level that the student achieved in those areas of study. In other words, when a student received a high grade in a class, the student chose to excel in that area of study. When a student excelled in English or mathematics at the high school level, he or she had a lower rate of needed remediation at the college level.

Another dependent variable that was examined was the first semester GPA in college. Another goal of this study was to determine what independent variable significantly impacted general academic performance at the start of a student’s college career. A test of all available variables was conducted. Of the many variables examined only 4 variables (Senior English grade in High School, being a Millennium Scholar, Verbal and Mathematics scores on the ACT) showed a significant impact on the first semester GPA (See table 6 for specific information).

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AppendixAppendixA Brief Explanation of Findings:

In general the results were consistent with expectations. In tables 4 and 5 the models show us the variables used, and the significant coefficients relating to the hypothesis. The choice was made to use a binary model of analysis because the variables of interest were coded as only a zero or a one. Keeping this in mind, it is important to look at the Goodman Kruksal Tau (GKT) values in the bottom of the tables. This value ranges from 0-1 with 0 meaning “no predictive value” or “pure chance”, in other words we would be no better at predicting the need for remediation using a statistical model rather than the flip of a coin. A value of 1 would mean that our model perfectly predicts the need for remediation. In the social sciences it is rare to achieve a perfect 100% prediction rate. The GKT for the model predicting remediation for mathematics at the college level is .80, which is an excellent result indicating that the model used in this study was 80% better at predicting needed remediation than simple chance. The GKT for this model in predicting English remediation was .62, somewhat lower than that for the mathematics model but still relatively strong when examined in context.

Table six shows us the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis of our variables predicting first semester academic performance in college. Our coefficients show the direction and significance that the independent variables had on our expected first semester GPA in college. All of the coefficients for our variables were highly significant. Please note the R squared value, which indicated how much of the total variance this model predicts. As one might imagine there would be many factors affecting college performance. What the R squared indicates is what percentage of this variance this model predicts. In this case, it is appropriate to say that by accounting for only the four variables used to predict first semester GPA, 23% of the variance has been explained.

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Variable Coefficient Standard ErrorLevel of mathematics taken in High School .517*** .172Mathematics score on ACT .319*** .063First semester GPA in college .433*** .163Constant -6.409*** 1.198

P<=.05 *P<=.01 **P<=.001 ***

Binary Logistics Regression Analysis for Predicting Needed Remediation in College Mathematics

Number of Valid Observations: 665Goodman Krusksal Tau: .80

Table 5

Variable Coefficient Standard ErrorAdvanced Placement English (yes) 1.28** .490Verbal score on ACT .460*** .051First semester GPA in college .604*** .161Constant -9.745*** 1.058

P<=.05 *P<=.01 **P<=.001 ***

Binary Logistics Regression Analysis for Predicting Needed Remediation in College English

Number of Valid Observations: 665Goodman Krusksal Tau: .62

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Variable Coefficient Standard ErrorSenior English grade in High School .332*** .053Millennium Scholarship (yes) .679*** .144Verbal score for ACT .032*** .010Math score for ACT .039*** .011Constant -.572* .281

F: 33.805P<=.05 *P<=.01 **P<=.001 ***

Linear Regression Analysis for Predicting First Semester GPA at the University of Nevada, Reno

Number of Valid Observations: 551R squared: .236

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