High School and Beyond Overview

High School... High schools as barometers of K-12 system's success Overview of California high schools and their students Measures of success Challenges facing high schools Approaches for improving high schools Beyond High School... Choices beyond high school Career and technical education after high school Smoothing the transitions to higher education Community colleges California State University University of California Questions and Issues High school success is high stakes for students and the adults who care about them, whether they are trying to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) or enter an Ivy League institution. Yet many of California's high school students are struggling to make a smooth transition to adulthood. An estimated three out of every ten students do not graduate from high school on time. Of the half of high school graduates who do go directly to college, three out of five attend a community college. The data are less clear about how many actually earn a bachelor's or associate's degree, but many enter college without the basic reading, writing, and math skills needed to succeed. Employer surveys also indicate frustration with the basic skills of entry-level workers. Many reformers want students—particularly those from historically underserved groups—to have access to rigorous courses that prepare them for university admission and, more generally, for postsecondary success. At the same time, state high schools are expected to reduce dropout rates dramatically and improve basic literacy and mathematical skills. Although expectations are increasing, today's high school—in terms of its organization and curriculum—has changed very little over the past 50 years. Students take a familiar set of courses to meet graduation requirements; and, in most high schools, those courses vary depending on whether students are seen as being on a college path. In many high schools, graduation requirements do not align with postsecondary readiness or workforce expectations. Reformers have attempted to make high schools more challenging, relevant, and engaging to students. They have focused on changing high schools' organizational structure—for example, creating smaller schools or schools that focus on a specific course of study, such as engineering, within a larger comprehensive high school. Lately, reformers have turned their attention to the high school curriculum—what gets taught, how, and to whom. Although there is substantial agreement about some of the major reform goals, the consensus begins to fall apart when people consider which reforms would help the greatest number of students. Overlaying all these issues is the question of the capacity of California's public school system to develop the skills of high school educators and provide adequate support for students' needs. High schools as barometers of K-12 system's success High school is the culmination of the K-12 education experience. While significant benchmarks mark a student’s progress through the school system—learning to read in elementary school or to master algebra equations in middle grades—high school is noteworthy as the launching pad into the adult world. If students leave high school without fundamental reading, writing, and math skills, they have few options for supporting themselves. Many use high school performance as the bellwether for how the K-12 system as a whole is doing because it indicates whether students were adequately prepared for adult success. However, high schools are complicated places and any examination of their success deserves careful consideration. One complication is that people view the purpose of high school in different ways. Although everyone wants high schools to prepare students for adult success, people disagree about how to do that and what the indicators of success should be. Overview of California high schools and their students California has more than 1,000 high schools serving more than 1.7 million students. Enrollment has been increasing steadily and is expected to continue growing until 2009. Schools range dramatically in size from fewer than 10 students to more than 5,000—with the average California high school serving approximately 1,800 students in grades 9-12. Most high school students attend a traditional comprehensive high school. Traditionally, these schools have offered students a choice of curriculum paths, including college preparatory for those who have determined that higher education is their goal, and career and technical program options. The latter may include Regional Occupational Programs (or a relationship with a nearby Regional Occupational Center). Many California high school students take classes at ROCs where they can gain hands-on experience in areas such as computers, construction, or healthcare. In addition to comprehensive high schools, some students attend charter schools which operate independently under a performance agreement with a chartering authority, such as a school district. Other students, who may be pregnant, assigned to juvenile halls, or having behavioral problems in the traditional high school setting, attend alternative schools which are designed to address their specific needs. Measures of success Since the onset of the standards movement in the 1990s, high schools have faced increasing pressure to change their approach to educating students. Perhaps most at issue is the long-standing practice of pegging high school students as college bound or not, and offering them courses and support based on those expectations. Federal and state policies under the standards movement set forth the idea that all students should have access to a rigorous curriculum. That is forcing many high schools to rethink their approach to educating students. Many types of data indicate that California’s high schools may not be serving all students well. Some measures of high school success include test scores, graduation or dropout rates, and post-graduation success, among others. California Standards Tests used in grades nine through 11 help make up a school’s Academic Performance Index (API). California’s high schools have shown consistently poorer performance on this index than the state’s elementary or middle schools. Another measure of success is the percentage of students who complete high school. This can be measured by how many graduate, or on the flip side, how many students drop out before graduation. However, this data is less reliable than it might appear. California does not yet have a statewide data system that tracks individual students, making it difficult to determine if a student has simply moved to another district or dropped out altogether. As a result, these measures are all estimates and thus somewhat inaccurate. A variety of measurements indicate that dropout rates range from approximately 3% to 13%. Graduation rates, on the other hand, range from 71% to 85%. For more specific information on how these rates are calculated, read the EdSource publication: Guide: The State's Official Measures of School Performance The percentage of students passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is yet another measure of high school success. Starting with the class of 2006, all high school students must pass the CAHSEE—in addition to completing other graduation requirements—to receive a diploma. Students take the exit exam once in 10th grade and subsequently have five additional opportunities to retake each section of the exam. If students fail the test, they can pursue a diploma through adult school or certain community colleges, or take the GED—a nationally recognized high school equivalency exam for adults. Read more on CAHSEE. For a full report on CAHSEE, see The California High School Exit Exam Gets Real For many people, a key measure of high school success is the percentage of students who have completed the requirements necessary for acceptance to a four-year university. (At California’s public universities, these courses are referred to as the “a-g” requirements.) Another related indicator is the percentage of students entering college who need to take remedial courses. Other people want to add a measure of students’ readiness for the work world—whether monitoring the number of apprenticeship or job training program placements, or the number of graduates who are able to get and keep an entry-level job. However, the absence of data on this type of measure limits its visibility. For a report that explores ways that California is connecting its high-school curriculum with these goals, see Levers for Change: Opportunities to Strengthen California's High School Curriculum The School Data section of this website gives more detailed information on many measures of high school performance. Challenges facing high schools In their efforts to maximize student success, California’s high schools face difficult challenges. As with elementary and middle schools, their performance is affected by teacher quality, a strong curriculum, effective leaders, and a rigorous process for monitoring which students need additional assistance. A variety of other challenges are specific to high schools. One of the primary challenges is that, as the final stop in K-12 education, high schools are presented with students who, for a variety of reasons, have not mastered the skills needed to excel at the high school level. The reading and math skills learned in elementary school help students to succeed in middle school where they further build on those skills to prepare for high school. Obviously if students arrive at the next level of schooling without the proper skills, it is harder for them to keep up academically. This leaves educators with the dilemma of how to improve students’ basic skills while also covering the high school curriculum. Likewise, it leaves students with the frustration of trying to master higher level material without the academic foundation needed to do so. These students as well as those who are not engaged by the subject matter or the way it is delivered, often lose interest in school and drop out. Once they have, it is difficult to entice them to return. Likewise, high schools need to ensure that students are equipped with the skills and knowledge to succeed in college. If they fail to do so, colleges may place students in remedial courses—which will delay them in reaching their ultimate goals. Another challenge specific to high schools is that they must manage two transitions for students—from middle to high school and from high school to college, jobs, or work preparation programs. This takes considerable coordination. When they start high school, new students face social transitions plus rules, schedules, and expectations that may be different from those in their middle schools. High schools must help students manage these changes, while also ensuring that they understand that their choices will affect them both before and after graduation. High school students are more socially and intellectually sophisticated than their younger counterparts and require a different kind of attention to keep them engaged in learning. The National Governors Association’s 2005 online survey, Rate Your Future, which gathered responses from more than 10,000 high school students nationwide, found that many of those surveyed feel high schools could be improved. Of students planning to graduate from high school, approximately one-third think high school has been easy and “strongly agree” they would work harder if the courses were more challenging and interesting. Of students who have dropped out or are considering dropping out, 66% say that personal attention to help them with their studies would have helped them to stay in school. A 2005 Public Agenda study, Life After High School, found that 18 to 25 year olds confirm many of these views on the high school experience. Changing ineffective high schools is difficult because their scope and scale is larger than those of elementary or middle schools. Not only do high schools typically have more students, but teachers also tend to be divided by subject area. The coordination of more teachers and the politics between teachers in varying disciplines with their own agendas is inherently more complicated than in an elementary school where three teachers might manage the entire third grade. Many identify the structure of the traditional comprehensive high school as a hindrance to improving student achievement. Part of the comprehensive high school’s mission is to “be all things to all people.” This usually requires a larger school to maximize economies of scale. However, in larger schools many students get lost in the shuffle, with no adult paying specific attention to their academic needs, much less any personal problems that may prevent school success. To some degree this lack of personal attention also emerges from a staffing structure that routinely expects teachers to interact with as many as 150 students per day—30 students in the average class and five daily class sessions. Approaches for improving high schools High school improvement research has developed a clear set of strategies specifically addressing some of the challenges outlined above. Many suggest that reform focus on a new set of three Rs—rigor, relevance, and relationships. Attention to these three areas is meant to ensure that students not only meet high academic expectations, but also are engaged in the process. Most agree that rigor is essential in today’s high schools. Without it students may graduate without the basic skills needed to succeed in the modern world. When people advocate for rigor they often mean that schools should expose students to the kind of challenging curriculum previously reserved only for college-bound students. In California, the state standards developed in the 1990s have contributed to “rigor” in high schools by establishing high expectations for academics and raising the bar for what students need to have mastered by the time they graduate. For example, while in the past students simply needed to pass two years of math, the state now requires them to pass algebra to graduate. The relevance of academic material to daily life—such as understanding how trigonometry equations will be useful outside of school—is important for engaging students in learning. If students cannot see how their schoolwork applies to their lives, they tune out—or worse, drop out. Unfortunately, while many traditional high school programs offer a wide variety of courses, many are taught in a format that offers little “relevance.” Examples of making coursework more relevant might include using math and science to design a skateboard park, or writing and performing a modern-day Romeo and Juliet play to better understand Shakespeare’s intentions in each act. In general, students find these lessons more engaging than conventional ones. The third R—relationships—can also improve school success by helping students feel a sense of belonging and responsibility for being at school. Research shows that schools that are able to develop supportive adult relationships for every student typically see improved student academic achievement and reduced behavior problems and absenteeism. If a student feels that a particular teacher and his peers are eager to have him in class and are concerned if he’s missing, he typically is more motivated to attend and enjoys the school experience more. Throughout the country, and in California, some high schools have addressed all or some combination of rigor, relevance, and relationships by departing from the traditional high school model. Career and technical programs, smaller schools, and increased intensity to help struggling students are some approaches to reform. Career and technical education offers a variety of programs. Career academies—often smaller schools-within-schools—concentrate on a particular career area such as health or computers. Students work with the same group of teachers over a number of years, focusing both on academics and job skills. Some schools require students to complete internships multiple days a week and use classroom time to incorporate textbook knowledge with what students have learned in the field. Tech-Prep programs attempt to integrate academic and technical education. They combine two or more years of high school education with two-years of post-secondary education. A national movement to reduce school size represents another strategy for helping students develop stronger connections with teachers and other students. Some of these schools are small independent ventures, while others might involve dividing a larger high school into smaller units. For example, a large high school might divide into four smaller schools each housed in a separate wing. In these schools-within-a-school students attend classes with the same group of students and teachers. Small schools may focus on a particular area such as art or science and offer internships or project-based activities that relate to life outside of school. To assist students who are struggling with the increased rigor in high school—or who arrived at high school without the prerequisite skills—some schools are extending the school day or year, adding small-group tutoring sessions, or providing high school literacy classes. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Governors Association, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Achieve, and others are focusing on high school reform and examining needed changes. The Education Commission of the States is working on a high school database that provides information on what states are doing to reform high schools. EdSource's 2005 Forum concentrated on high school issues. To learn about possible high school reform options and the three R's, see EdSource's Forum Proceedings page, and a summary of the event: The Movement To Transform High School: EdSource Forum focuses on the new three R's: rigor, relevance, and relationships Beyond High School... Choices beyond high school Finishing high school is not an end in itself. Ideally, after graduation students are prepared for the next step—whether that is attending a two- or four-year college, enrolling in an apprenticeship or training program, or finding a job. It is important that high schools have adequately prepared students to succeed in their post-graduate endeavors, whatever path they may choose. Career and technical education after high school Many students finish high school and are eager to start work or obtain training toward a particular career or trade. These students may have enrolled in career/tech programs in high school and may continue, or start, a program at a community college. They might enroll in programs such as cosmetology, biomedical sciences, or computer information systems. Other students may enter apprenticeships, which in California are offered in more than 500 trades. These typically require a minimum of 2,000 hours of on-the-job, supervised training at a minimal wage, as well as a minimum of 144 hours of classroom instruction per year. A wide variety of trades from plumbers, electricians, and painters to plasterers, ironworkers, and sprinkler fitters provide apprenticeship programs independent of any college or school. In addition, web-based career/tech programs provide more options for students. While programs such as nursing that require hands-on training are inappropriate for this format, web-based courses can suit certain disciplines quite well, such as accounting and computer science. Smoothing the transitions to higher education In California, about half of public high school graduates go on to a publicly supported two- or four-year college. Others will attend private institutions in state, or private and public ones out of state. In California, publicly supported higher education includes the community college, California State University, and University of California systems. Students graduating in the top one-third of their high school class are eligible to attend California State Universities; those graduating in the top 12.5% are also eligible to attend one of the University of California campuses. (About half of those accepted to either system actually enroll.) The community colleges are responsible for meeting whatever demand for continued education exists among the remaining high school graduates and much of the adult population wanting to return to school. When students graduate from high school and enroll in college, they typically assume that they are prepared to do college-level work. However, many are surprised to find that they must take remedial courses, costing them time and money to bring their skills up to the level appropriate for success in a postsecondary setting. Research shows that students who take extensive remedial coursework at the college level are less likely to attain their educational goal, whether that is a two-year certificate or a four-year degree. One way to decrease the number of students needing remediation is to improve communication between higher education institutions and K-12 schools so that high school educators—and ultimately students—will have a better understanding of which specific academic areas they need to focus on. Each higher education system in California has entering students who need some level of remediation. Following are descriptions of each system and how they are dealing with the issue. Community colleges California’s community colleges are expected to provide a broad range of affordable educational opportunities to everyone in the state who wants access. The only formal enrollment requirements are that students be 18 years or older, or hold a high school diploma (or equivalent); and many exceptions to these requirements also exist. The 110 campuses throughout the state serve approximately 1.6 million students each semester. Of those, about 50% are seeking to transfer to a four-year university, 30% want occupational training, and 20% are pursuing basic skills or other educational objectives. Although community colleges do not require any type of entrance exam, they do ask most students to take placement tests. If test results indicate that students are not prepared to handle college-level courses, they are expected to take remedial classes to improve their skills and content knowledge. In fall 2003 more than 285,000 students on California community college campuses, or about 19%, enrolled in at least one remedial course. While many of these are adult students, a large portion are recent high school graduates. Some see dual enrollment programs as an effective strategy for reducing the numbers of students requiring remediation, while also improving communication between high schools and community colleges. Dual enrollment programs allow students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. This gives high school students a preview of what is required in college-level courses and which skills they might need to improve while in high school. Dual enrollment programs vary, with courses taught at the college or high school site; by a California community college professor or a specially credentialed high school teacher; with a college curriculum or one combined with high school curriculum; with a full-time program or a part-time one; and with a mix of college and high school students or only high school students. Middle College and Early College High School are examples of these programs. For more about issues concerning community colleges, order: Quality. Access. Low Cost. Can California's Community Colleges Do It All? Or download the executive summary for free: Executive Summary. Quality, Access, Low Cost: Can California's Community Colleges Do It All? EdSource also provides two helpful guides about California community colleges: Questions and Answers about California Colleges and Universities California State University The 23 California State University (CSU) campuses serve more than 320,000 students throughout the state. Eligibility to enter the system is based on the completion of the a-g requirements (15 one-year college prep courses), high school grades, performance on college admissions exams, advanced coursework, and personal attributes. The CSU system has attempted to reduce the number of entering students needing remediation by coordinating an enhanced version of the 11th grade English and math CSTs with the CSU placement criteria. If high school students test proficient on the enhanced CST, also known as the CSU Early Assessment for Readiness in College, CSU considers them ready for college and they do not need to take the CSU placement exam. On the other hand, if students don’t test proficient, they can take steps to improve their skills during their senior year and hopefully avoid having to take remedial courses upon entering college. Although all high schools must offer the CSTs, each site can decide whether to administer the enhanced CST, so not all students currently have access to it. For information about admission standards to the CSU system, see EdSource's helpful guide: Questions and Answers about California Colleges and Universities University of California The most selective of the public higher education institutions in the state—the 10 University of California (UC) campuses—serve approximately 160,000 students. The UC’s have the same eligibility requirements as the CSU system, but criteria for entry are more rigorous. One might presume that the highest achieving students in the state would not need remediation, and indeed the UC system claims to not offer remedial instruction. However, students who do not perform well enough on the university’s writing test must enroll in a “Subject A” class. In 2004 about one-third of the entering freshmen were in a “Subject A” class. For information about admission standards to the UC system, see EdSource's helpful guides: Questions and Answers about California Colleges and Universities Questions and Issues Various factions view the purpose of high school differently. As a result, views on high school curricular requirements also vary. The purpose of high school may be seen as preparing students to succeed in a career or college, to be good citizens, or to develop a passion for learning that can be explored for the rest of their lives. Some feel that all students should take high school courses that will prepare them to attend college. Others feel that all students have different goals and proclivities and should be offered multiple pathways in high school. Career and technical education, which teaches students about a trade or career path, provides a different route from taking only the college preparation courses. Should schools require all students to take a high school curriculum that prepares them for college, or should students be offered multiple pathways in high school? And if the latter, how can all pathways be strengthened to include greater rigor? High schools are seen as more difficult to reform than elementary or middle schools. What are the critical points for change? What should take priority in improving these schools? Providing a rigorous curriculum? Building relationships with students? Showing students how their work in school has relevance in the rest of the world? Can reforms balance all three? Recent attention has focused on the various ways to calculate student dropout rates. It appears that many more students are dropping out than previously thought. How can high schools and the state address this serious issue? What are the most effective ways to keep students from dropping out? Almost half of all high school students nationally—and likely about the same percentage in California—take at least three vocational or career classes. These classes may help students explore future career options, directly prepare them for post-high school training or work, or simply keep them interested and engaged enough in high school to pass their classes and graduate. The state recently adopted career and technical education standards. How will these affect the shape and character of the programs? How effective are the current programs, both in terms of engaging students and helping them master high-level skills and knowledge? What works and what doesn’t work? Should these programs occupy a more central role in high school reform?