SREB Urges Greater Focus on Middle Grades in South

This from Ed Week:

A new report raises concerns about the achievement levels of middle school students in many Southern states and outlines steps state leaders should consider to better prepare young people for high school.

The report by the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board finds what it calls modest gains among most of its 16 member states in meeting state standards for middle-grades reading and mathematics between 2003 and 2007. But it argues that those advances are inadequate and that many of the states, in a region from Texas to Delaware, have set their standards too low...

For First Time, Students in SREB States Pass AP Exams at the Same Rate as the Nation

ATLANTA — The percentage of seniors who passed at least one Advanced Placement exam in the 16 Southern Regional Education Board states in 2007 matched the national rate for the first time, a new SREB report shows.

"This is a milestone for SREB states," said Joan Lord, SREB’s vice president of Education Policies.

A new SREB policy brief, SREB States Continue to Lead the Nation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs, shows that 15 percent of graduating high school seniors in 2007 had passed at least one AP exam during high school. The score of 3 or higher is considered "passing" because most colleges award course credit to students who achieve the score or higher.

The report shows that SREB states continue to lead the nation in student participation in AP and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. Student participation and success in these academically rigorous high school programs continues to grow across the region.

Three SREB states — Florida, Maryland and Virginia — were in the top five nationally in 2007 in the percentage of graduates who took and passed at least one AP exam in high school.

Maryland also recorded the second-greatest increase — 6 percentage points — of graduating seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam from 2002 to 2007. In total, 15 SREB states increased the percentage of graduating seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam since 2002.

The percentage of graduating seniors taking at least one AP exam rose by 9 percentage points from 2002 to 2007 — outpacing the national rate of increase. Every SREB state increased its participation rate over the five-year period.

SREB states also continue to lead the nation in access and success of Hispanic students in AP courses. The rate of participation of Hispanic students in AP courses in most SREB states now equals or exceeds the proportion of Hispanic students in the overall student population of high school graduates.

The percentage of Hispanic students who scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam increased in most SREB states from 2002 to 2007. In fact, 12 SREB states closed the gap between the percentage of Hispanic students in the overall high school graduate population and the percentage of those students who passed at least one AP exam.

Many SREB states also increased the participation and performance rates of black students in AP classes from 2002 to 2007. In fact, the percentage of black graduating seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam in the SREB region is twice the national rate.

In addition, the number of IB schools continues to grow throughout the SREB region and the nation. In 2007, 502 U.S. high schools offered the IB curriculum, an increase of 19 percent since 2005. Of these schools, 44 percent — 221 total schools — were in SREB states.

SREB's Challenge to Lead Goals for Education, adopted in 2002, call for all high school students to have solid academic preparation for college and careers. SREB endorses AP and IB as a way to provide challenging, engaging course work. The goals call for all SREB states to have AP and IB enrollment and passing rates that exceed national averages.

The report calls for open access to AP and/or IB courses to every student in every school and for extra support for students from underrepresented groups in these courses. States also can use state virtual schools to increase access to AP/IB courses and pay testing fees for students from low-income families.

Training more teachers who can effectively teach these courses and bonuses for teachers and schools also may help states improve AP and IB access and passing rates.

SOURCE: SREB press release

Kentucky Makes Progress, Faces Challenges on Education Goals

Kentucky is among the nation's leaders in raising students' reading achievement in the early grades, but it needs to work harder to raise college graduation rates and other measures of education progress, a new Southern Regional Education Board report shows.

The in-depth report, released by SREB at its Annual Meeting here today, outlines the state's progress on the SREB Challenge to Lead Goals for Education. The goals were approved by a commission of the region's leaders in 2002 and call for major improvements in K-12 student performance, college readiness and other key areas of education in Kentucky and 15 other SREB member states.

"Kentucky is making solid progress in education, but just as in every state, much work remains to be done," said SREB President Dave Spence on the report's release.

Among many findings of the report:

Although Kentucky's high school graduates enroll in college at a higher rate than other U.S. graduates, only 47 percent of students who enter the state's four-year public colleges and universities graduate within six years - below the national average of 55 percent. As college costs climb, many students in Kentucky are having trouble paying for college, even after federal financial aid.

The proportion of children from low-income households is increasing in Kentucky, but their academic achievement also is increasing in some subjects. More than half of the region's fourth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the Basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2007 - outperforming their peers in the nation. In Kentucky, 57 percent of fourth-graders from low-income families scored at that level in reading, up since 2003 and above the national percentage. "These results are remarkable," Spence said.

Most SREB states are requiring more high school students to take higher-level courses to better prepare them for college and career training and the job market. More states are requiring geometry and Algebra II for graduation. Beginning with the Class of 2012, Kentucky will require both courses for all students seeking a standard diploma.

 Kentucky’s public school enrollment increased from 1996 to 2006, and it is expected to increase from 2006 to 2016. About 685,000 students were enrolled in public schools in Kentucky in 2006.

 In 2006, Kentucky’s poverty rate among children was higher than the U.S. rate and the same as the rate for SREB median states.

 In 1990, 41 percent of children in Kentucky lived in low-income households. By 2006, the
percentage had climbed to 57 percent.

 The changes in the composition of the Class of 2021 in Kentucky will parallel those in the nation. Black and white students are expected to decline as proportions, and Hispanic students will grow as a proportion.

 Fall 2006 enrollment in Kentucky’s publicly funded pre-K programs (state-funded and Head
Start) was an estimated 174 percent of 4-year-olds living in poverty, the same percent as in fall
2004.

 In 2008, the National Institute for Early Education Research reported that Kentucky met eight of the 10 standards of quality for prekindergarten.

 In Kentucky, 68 percent of fourth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 33 percent of fourth-graders in Kentucky students scored at or above the NAEP
Proficient level — a 2 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 In Kentucky, 79 percent of fourth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in mathematics in 2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 31 percent of fourth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level — a 9 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 The percentage of black fourth-graders in Kentucky who scored at or above the NAEP Basic
level in reading was 46 percent in 2007, up since 2003. In 2007, the percentage of white students who scored at this level was 71 percent, up since 2003.

 In Kentucky, 57 percent of fourth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, up since 2003 — and above the national and regional levels.

 In Kentucky, 72 percent of fourth-graders met state standards in reading in 2007 — close to the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (68 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (33 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for fourth-grade reading appear somewhat low because they are set close to the
NAEP Basic level but much lower than the NAEP Proficient level.

 In Kentucky, 60 percent of fourth-graders met state standards in math in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (79 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (31 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for fourth-grade math appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 73 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in reading in 2007, down since 2003.

 In 2007, 28 percent of eighth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in reading — a 6 percentage-point decrease from 2003.

 In Kentucky, 69 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in math in
2007, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 27 percent of eighth-graders in Kentucky scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in math — a 3 percentage-point increase from 2003.

 The percentage of black eighth-graders in Kentucky who scored at or above the NAEP Basic
level in math was 42 percent in 2007, up since 2003. In 2007, the percentage of white students
who scored at this level was 73 percent, up since 2003.

 In 2007, 37 percent of Hispanic eighth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in math in Kentucky.

 In Kentucky, 57 percent of eighth-graders from low-income families scored at or above the
NAEP Basic level in mathematics in 2007, up since 2003 — and above the national and regional
levels.

 In Kentucky, 65 percent of eighth-graders met state standards in reading in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (73 percent) but higher than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (28 percent). This means Kentucky's state
standards for eighth-grade reading appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 49 percent of eighth-graders met state standards in math in 2007 — lower than the percent scoring at or above the NAEP Basic level (69 percent) but higher than the percent
scoring at or above the NAEP Proficient level (27 percent). This means Kentucky’s state
standards for eighth-grade math appear about right because they fall between the NAEP
Basic and Proficient levels.

 In Kentucky, 38 percent of eighth-graders took Algebra I (or higher) in 2007, up 3 percentage
points from 2005.

 Kentucky’s eighth-grade enrollment in pre-algebra or Algebra I (or higher) was 70 percent, up 1 percentage point from 2005.

 In Kentucky in 2005, there were 13 more ninth-graders for every 100 eighth-graders in 2004.

 In 2007, Kentucky’s percentage of seniors taking the ACT and its recommended college-prep
courses exceeded the national percentage by 5 percentage points. Kentucky’s percentage rose
from 1997 to 2007, while the national percentage dropped.

 In Kentucky, the average composite ACT score in 2007 for graduating seniors who completed
the ACT-recommended courses was 21.4, compared with 19.4 for students who did not.

 In 2007, 20 percent of Kentucky’s graduating seniors took at least one AP exam, an increase of 9 percentage points from 2000.

 Kentucky’s average ACT score increased by 0.6 point from 1997 to 2007. Kentucky’s average
ACT scores were higher than regional averages and lower than national averages over the 10-
year period.

 In Kentucky, 75 percent of all graduating seniors in 2007 took the ACT, up 8 percentage points from 1997. Kentucky increased both the average composite test score and the percentage of students taking the test.

 The average salary for a beginning teacher in Kentucky was lower than the averages in all
bordering states, except Missouri and West Virginia, in 2005.

 From 2002 to 2006, Kentucky improved its rating on one indicator of developing a learning centered school leadership system, and it currently rates “promising progress” on one indicator.

 Kentucky is considered a “pacesetter” state in providing support for aspiring and newly
appointed principals. Admission to a principal preparation program requires that candidates have a signed agreement of district support. The state appropriates funding to provide a stipend for aspiring principals and their mentor principals to pay for substantial school-based learning
experiences. Newly appointed principals and assistant principals are provided with trained
mentors and ongoing training on school improvement.

 In Kentucky, two-thirds of GED credentials in 2006 were awarded to 16- to 24-year-olds, and
31 percent were awarded to adults ages 25 to 49.

 The GED pass rate in Kentucky was above the national and regional averages in 2006.

 In Kentucky, 14,211 adults — or 9 percent of 25- to 44-year-olds without a high school diploma — enrolled in adult education programs in 2005.

 In Kentucky, students from median-income families needed about $4,800 in state or institutional aid to afford college without loans in 2006.

 Kentucky’s college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates in 2004 was higher than the rate in the nation and the same as in SREB states.

 Kentucky’s college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates improved from 1994 to 2004.

 In Kentucky, the average faculty salary at four-year colleges and universities in 2006 was $6,722 lower than the national average and $2,890 lower than the SREB average.

 The average faculty salary at two-year colleges in Kentucky was $8,660 lower than the national average and $569 lower than the SREB average in 2006.

 In Kentucky, funding for public four-year colleges and universities increased by $426 million, or 43 percent, from 2001 to 2007. Full-time-equivalent enrollment at public four-year institutions increased by 15 percent. Total funding per full-time-equivalent student increased by $2,894 (25 percent), from $11,731 to $14,625. When adjusted for inflation at 4 percent per year,
Kentucky’s per full-time-equivalent student funding fell by $377 (3 percent). Kentucky’s funding increases for four-year institutions lost ground to enrollment growth and inflation from 2001 to 2007.

Black college enrollment in South, rate passes milestone

RALEIGH, N.C. - For the first time, blacks are as well represented on college campuses in the South as they are in the region's population.

Details are being released today by the Southern Regional Education Board.

The nonprofit organization promotes education.The board's member states are Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

In the 16 states measured, blacks make up 21 percent of college students and 19 percent of the population.The number represents progress but it also has to be seen in context.A major contributing factor is the South's rapidly growing Hispanic population, which has reduced the proportion of the population that is black. That's made the milestone easier to reach mathematically.

Overall, black enrollment rates for college-age students, while improving, still lag well behind those of whites, as do the graduation rates of black college students.

This from the TuscaloosaNews.com.

2007 SREB Fact Book on Higher Education

The SREB Fact Book on Higher Education is one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of data on higher education. The 50th anniversary edition continues a SREB tradition dating back to 1956 of providing comparative national, regional and state-specific data highlighting trends that affect colleges and universities.

This year's highlights include historic increases in college enrollment, details on population changes that could challenge SREB states' continued education progress, and the growing college affordability gap for lower- and middle-income students.