Given urban school and district administrators' historical challenges with recruiting and retaining a high-quality, racially diverse teacher workforce, there is a need to better understand the factors shaping why graduates return to teach in their home district. This descriptive study examines the high school students who returned to teach in…

This brief examines which students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) are more likely to earn the STEM endorsement and whether STEM endorsement completion predicts college enrollment. Analyses show that gender, STEM magnet program enrollment, and cumulative high school grade point average (GPA) predict STEM endorsement completion.…

This study investigated the value of ACT Composite scores and high school GPA (HSGPA) in predicting first-year college GPA (FYGPA) and degree completion of students with disabilities who took the ACT with accommodations and enrolled at a two-year or four-year public institution in a single state in the southern US. Descriptive analyses found that…

Developmental education courses have been designed to support underprepared students, as they attempt to bridge the gap in academic knowledge among students who enter postsecondary education underprepared for college-level coursework. The effectiveness of these programs, however, particularly in terms of promoting degree attainment, remains an…

The worldwide consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic affected virtually every domain of human life. The pandemic's impact on the education and development of children and adolescents was particularly severe given the closure of schools, shifts to online learning, and cancelation of college entrance exam administrations early in the pandemic. These…

This mixed-methods study explored American College Test (ACT) composite scores and Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) growth scores in connection with a student's race, socioeconomic status, and gender as well as perceived factors that promote or inhibit success on the ACT. Quantitative data were collected from existing TVAAS data for…

This Research Brief examines the success of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) 12th grade students in meeting missing assessment graduation requirements through the non-reportable (NR) American College Testing ACT and the College Board SAT exams. 1337 students took either one of the exams or both in the spring of 2024, and most students took…

Prior research has shown the importance of the ACT score and high school GPA (HSGPA) in predicting college success. Early college success, as indicated by students' first-year college GPA (FYGPA), plays a pivotal role in later college success and timely degree completion (Demeter et al., 2022; Gershenfeld et al., 2016). The accurate prediction of…

This study offers a novel approach to evaluating the predictors of first-year grade point average (FYGPA) in college by using multiple imputation and dominance analysis to compare high school GPA (HSGPA), ACT® test score, and demographic factors. Unlike previous research that typically relied on single regression models, this study reveals more…

The usefulness of college admissions test scores and high school GPA for predicting college success, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), has been widely debated. As colleges across the country face challenges in STEM student retention and achievement, understanding the factors that contribute to college…

There is a tradeoff between scale length and psychometric concerns. The two are, in fact, directly linked. Generally, when scales are shortened, reliability is reduced, and when scales are lengthened, reliability is improved, provided the items added to the scale are comparable psychometrically (AERA et al., 2014). Scale reliability, in turn,…

The statistics and data in this 2024 Quick Facts document are drawn from various published sources and the Alabama State Department of Education. Provided is a snapshot of facts that includes: (1) Alabama students; (2) Alabama educators; (3) average daily attendance; (4) financial data; (5) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) lunches served; (6)…

Effectively predicting academic success is essential for providing students with the resources they need to succeed in their careers and for matching individuals to postsecondary institutions that suit their needs. Despite evidence for ACT scores as meaningful predictors of both first-year grade point average (FYGPA) and degree completion, little…

The 2024 Nebraska Higher Education Progress Report is the 18th annual progress report designed to provide the Nebraska Legislature with comparative statistics to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving three key priorities for Nebraska's postsecondary education system. These priorities were developed by the 2003 LR 174 Higher Education Task…