AV #283 - Ready for college? Who knows?

 

Grad rates, SAT scores, & Developmental Education figures send mixed messages

 

What if we are fooling ourselves? (And our students?)

 

   For many years the Colorado Department of Higher Education presented a “Legislative Report on Remedial Education.” Between 2010 and 2015 these reports fairly screamed the distressing news that over a third of our high school students – those who had graduated, mind you, and sought to enroll in higher education in Colorado – were found to need remedial courses in three subjects: reading, writing, or math, or a combination of all three.

   (Over 15 years ago, for three semesters, I taught Developmental Reading 090 at Arapahoe Community College. This course, along with Developmental Writing, no longer exists.)

   Many of you today will be unfamiliar with the attention we gave back then to remediation rates. Addendum A provides a brief history: 1) headlines from The Denver Post and Chalkbeat Colorado; 2) Another View’s frequent use of the grim statistics to emphasize the need for change in our high schools. At the time, remediation rates became shorthand for talk about reform, accountability, and school restructuring or closure.

   In 2019, the Colorado legislature responded. It passed HB-1206, “Higher Education Supplemental Academic Instruction.” Policymakers decided too many students enrolling in our colleges were being judged, unfairly, as not ready for college level work. As a result, these students were then compelled to take a remedial class, one that cost time and money, and earned no college credit.

   One component of HB-1206 was this charge to higher education: “directly enroll no more than 10 percent of students enrolling in the institution into stand-alone developmental education courses that may extend the student's time to degree.” (More on HB-1206 at Addendum B.)

   By 2021 CDHE had abandoned any Remedial Education reports. Its new annual report, “Postsecondary Access and Success For Colorado’s High School Graduates,”[i] reveals the significant drop in the number of students taking remediation, or developmental education, classes.

% of High School Graduates at In-State Public Institutions with Developmental Education Needs – 2010 – 2021

	High school grads enrolling in-state	Total Requiring Developmental Education	% Requiring Development …
			English	Math	Both subjects
2010	22,297	8,817	23.8%	33.5%	39.5%
2017	21,234	7,383	19.4%	29.5%	34.8%
2020	20,252	6,119	12%	27.4%	30.2%
2021	19,464	3,281	5.5%	14.9%	16.9%

From 2010 to 2020 - Over 5,500 fewer students assessed as needing developmental education.

From 2020 to 2021 - Roughly 3,000 fewer students assessed as needing developmental education.

 

    Quite a change, yes?

    The facts are clear. The why is not. This is where we might be fooling ourselves.

    In its 2021 report, CDHE gave two main reasons for this remarkable decline.

                                                 CDHE – Part 1 – Developmental Education Needs

“These positive changes can in part be attributed to K-12 better preparing students for college in addition to policy changes which includes the uses of multiple measures to assess developmental need.” (p. 30).^[ii]                 (Bold mine)

   Two separate points there. The second, “policy changes which includes multiple measures,” is credible. In accord with HB–1206, colleges now offer a variety of ways to assess new students. More on that later.

   But the idea that our high school students are now “better prepared for college” is not supported by any evidence.

   Study the declining percentages over 12 years across the state— and the recent change. Then consider three low-performing districts. (All are featured in Addendum A for their alarmingly-high remediation numbers 10 years ago, and in Addendum E – high school students on a READ plan).     

                    Percentage of students requiring Developmental Education – 2010-2021*

	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
STATE	39.5	38.2	35.6	33.2	33.8	35.0	35.9	34.8	25.9	26.7	30.2	16.9

 *Out of total of graduates from Colorado public high schools “who enrolled in a Colorado postsecondary institution.” https://cdhe.colorado.gov/data-and-research/tools/data-tools/pathways-to-prosperity-postsecondary-access-and-success-for

                      Percentage of students requiring Developmental Education – 2010-2021

	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adams 14	79.7	70.2	59.5	67.8	46.3	45.0	52.9	14.8
Aurora Public Schools	62.3	52.0	51.3	49.6	33.1	39.3	46.7	12.9
Westminster	61.4	59.1	58.3	61.8	44.5	52.1	52.2	22.1

  

   Under the old structures, most of the graduates from these districts were found to need remedial education courses. The percentages were fairly consistent for a decade, until our colleges put in place those “multiple measures” to assess new students. Then the huge drop after 2020.

   Does that drop mean that high schools in these districts were suddenly doing a (remarkably!) better job of preparing their seniors for college-level work in 2021?

   Of course not. One piece of evidence: between 2017 and 2024 SAT scores dropped off across the state, but fell even farther in these three districts. (Addendum C).

   Extend that question to students across the state. Was the class of 2021 (where suddenly less than 17% needed developmental education) so much stronger than previous classes had been in their reading, writing, and math skills?

   Is it possible the “impressive” declines reveal the new approach meets the needs of students “almost” college ready, but does not serve the thousands of recent graduates (for example, from APS) who would like to enroll—but who need far more intensive support than is currently available?

Another way we are fooling ourselves 

   Second, I return to a comparison I have made since 2015 in order to question our graduation rates.[iii] First, the cheerful news from the Colorado Department of Education on our ever-rising high school graduation rates; then, the darker news of steadily declining SAT scores.

   On Jan. 22, 2025, The Denver Post’s headline read:

“Colorado’s high school graduation rate continues to steadily improve” 

   On Nov. 15, 2024, Chalkbeat Colorado’s headline began:

                            “Colorado high school test scores dropped across the board.” 

     The trend line shows no indication of “K-12 better preparing students for college.”   

   It is disingenuous to call these two trends a paradox. They send contradictory messages. Our graduation rates do not reflect our students’ academic skills and knowledge.

   And now I am asking, how does the graph above suggest our K-12 schools are “better preparing students for college”? It does not. And how does this align with CDHE reporting that fewer high school graduates–in fact, thousands fewer–now appear to need development education courses?

 

The SAT

   I can hear the objections: You want to base your argument on one test, taken in the spring of junior year? A college entrance exam, which means little to over 40% of our juniors who are not headed for college?

  A fair point. Please bear with me for a moment.   

  In Colorado, the SAT is the only consistent academic measure we have for high school students.

  Of course it is far from perfect.  I consider it an especially poor match for high schools with a large population of Free and Reduced Lunch students and English Language Learners. (Yes, see Adams 14, APS, and Westminster. I know!)

  But consider what the Colorado Department of Education and the College Board have to say (Addendum D) about a student’s score and what it can mean. I do not think it wise to dismiss what the SAT tells us about college readiness. Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines currently set a minimum score of 470 in English (data below) and a 480 in Math “to demonstrate readiness for college and career.” On the Math portion, the average score for Colorado juniors last spring (this year’s senior class) was 477. In 2019 CDE reported that only 39% of 11^th graders demonstrated college readiness in Math; since then, 11^th grade scores have only declined. Do we ignore such data?

  All in all, our SAT scores are meaningful. I hope more Coloradans can acknowledge this.

 

Reading – any evidence high school graduates entering college have shown “progress”? 

   Still not persuaded that CDHE’s conclusion is wrong? Look specifically at what we know about the reading and literacy skills of our high school students.

   The total SAT figure comes from scores on its two sections: one, Evidence-based Reading and Writing, and the other, Math. Here we see the declining scores on the Reading and Writing section.

 

Reading/Writing - SAT	2019	2021	2022	2023	2024
% Met/Exceeded Expectations	58.5%*	60%**	57.5%	58.9%	57.6%

*In 2019 CDE stated this percentage represented those at or above the College Readiness Benchmark. **CDE now states: “Percent Met or Exceeded Expectations.” A score of 470 Meets Expectations.

    Moreover, having looked closely this past year at the reading/literacy skills of our high school students, I find nothing to indicate progress on reading. Addendum E includes recent data presented in Another View and at Boardhawk. We can now add Colorado’s most recent NAEP scores. In 2024, only 35% of Colorado 8^th graders scored Proficient in reading, below the level reached pre-COVID: 2015: 38%, 2017:41%; 2019: 38%.

   On NAEP, it is easier to score at the Basic level. And yet the percentage of Colorado 8^th graders who scored At or Above Basic in reading, 63% in 2022, 65% in 2024, is the lowest it has been since 1996.[iv] Those 8^th graders NAEP tested? They are now our high school juniors and freshmen.

   Again, where is the evidence that today’s K-12 students are “better prepared for college”?

 

One more look at the CDHE report – over 3,500 fewer students need Developmental English 

   Given these disturbing facts on the reading/literacy skills of our secondary students, one page in the CDHE “Pathways to Prosperity” report is especially hard to understand.

   Part 2 of the report breaks down the decrease in the number of students needing developmental education by subject. The data below is from the page on Developmental English.[v] Given CDE’s data on the performance of our high school students in Reading and Writing, how does this make sense?  

   In just five years, from 4,468 down to 908 students assessed as needing Developmental English. 3,500 fewer students.  

So we now let students decide if they are "college ready"? 

   Why might both CDE's graduation figures and higher education’s Development Education rates give us better news than seems warranted, in light of the decline in high school achievement?

   Here is one possibility. CDE and CDHE have both created a more expansive set of criteria for assessing students’ knowledge and skills.

   For CDE, see its Menu of (11) Options[vi].

   For CDHE, see the myriad ways students can now show college readiness in the Colorado Community College System (“Assessment for College Readiness,” Addendum F). Note too the specific guidelines limiting the number of students taking developmental education. Has that proved wise?

   Still, I can applaud the intent. Back in 2006 and 2009, teaching Remedial Reading classes, I too felt the Accuplacer test condemned a number of students to a semester with me. Several could have done well, most likely, with sufficient support, in a college-level English class.                           

   The benefits are more choice; greater flexibility; no more “one-size fits all.” The state is acknowledging that students can show what they have learned in a variety of ways. So far so good.

   The drawbacks, in both cases: this new more generous approach can mean almost anything goes. I have critiqued several options in the Graduation Guidelines before (AV #264, Endnote[vii]). As for CDHE’s new guidelines, I have many questions. At least one option is not an objective assessment.   

Assessment Methods and Minimum College Readiness Standards   “Guided Self-Placement (GSP) is a locally developed tool or process that allows students, in consultation with advisors and/or faculty, to determine the appropriate starting coursework in mathematics, English, and English as a                        Second Language. (ESL).”                        See an example of a GSP – Addendum G.

   Community colleges can now use a Guided Self-Placement; it allows students to choose which course they should take (see box, from CCCS).  As a community college department chair acknowledged to me, our “18-year-olds don’t know what they don’t know.” Hey, I got that high school diploma; why waste a semester taking a Developmental English course when I can take a college level class, and it gets me the credits I need!

   Could this be one reason the number “required” to take Developmental English has plunged? Who believes a Guided Self-Placement is a meaningful “assessment” of college readiness?

 

“Know thyself”

   I find it foolish to interpret the dramatic drop in the number of students needing development education as a good news story about the skills and knowledge of our high school graduates. Rates have fallen because we have fundamentally changed how we assess students who seek to enroll in college. That is all.

   If both CDHE and CDE were more transparent on these matters, it would surely help.

   This winter I sent several questions to CDHE. I asked why the significant decline in 2021, and if CDHE had evidence of K-12 “better preparing students for college.” I received no answers.

   And CDE was unwilling or unable to provide data to confirm its statement that “the top three ways Colorado students are demonstrating that they are ready for graduation are via the SAT, enrolling in college classes, and a final capstone project” (Colorado Public Radio, Jan. 22, 2025[viii]).

   We should know if our high school graduates can truly “demonstrate readiness for college and career” (from CDE's Menu of Options). I hope the media and others will keep asking. 

   Two options. 

   Accept the reassuring messages: developmental education rates WAY DOWN, graduation rates ALWAYS UP. 

   Or, instead, try to find out what our high school students know and are able to do.

   Another View takes the latter approach. What I conclude is not reassuring.

   Claims about progress do not match what the achievement data tell us.

   Nor does it match what I hear from teachers, who—well after COVID—continue to see lower expectations in their schools. More on that later this month.

 

Addendum A

2008 – 2021 – First front page news; then a new law; now remediation is gone!

2008 - Dec. 28 – The Associated Press/The Denver Post[ix]

1 in 3 new college students need remedial classes

DENVER—About 30 percent of new college students in Colorado need remedial courses in math, reading and writing and the number is increasing in some metro area high schools.

--

2010 – May 25 - The Denver Post

Analysis gives DPS a lesson plan 

  “DPS kids need help after graduation … many students who enroll in college require remedial course once they get there.”

  [Chart showed 12 high schools, comparing] “the number of graduates who enroll in college to the number who do so without requiring extra help.” Bottom four high schools: 

Percent of students from these high schools who enrolled in college without remediation.
Abraham Lincoln H.S.	6%
Montbello H.S.	6%
North H.S.	4%
West H.S.	1%

--

2013 – June 9 – The Denver Post[x] 

New Denver Public Schools remedial classes aimed at college success

 

More than 60 percent of DPS students needed remediation once they entered college, according to the 2012 Remedial Education Report. The number is considerably higher than the state average of 40 percent.

Remediation courses for nearly 9,900 students in Colorado cost about $58 million in the 2011-12 school year, according to the most recent information available from the state. Colleges paid $19 million, while students took on the remaining brunt of the costs.

--

2016 - May 27 – The Denver Post[xi]

More Colorado high school graduates need remediation after entering college

Denver-area district remediation rates, 2017[xii] Sheridan School District: 74.1% Westminster Public Schools: 67.9% Adams County S. D. 14: 66% Englewood Schools: 57.4% Aurora Public Schools: 54.2% Mapleton Public Schools: 52.9% Denver Public Schools: 47%

The number of Colorado high school graduates who weren’t academically ready to succeed in college-level curriculum went up during for the 2014-15 school year

--

2018 - June 20 – The Denver Post[xiii]

Report shows lower remedial education rates for Colorado high school graduates

New pilot program provides more help to students who need it

-- 

 2019 - March 21 – Chalkbeat Colorado[xiv]  - "end the practice of placing students" 

Phasing out remedial college education could help more Colorado students earn their degrees - House Bill 1206 requires that by 2022, public colleges and universities end the practice of placing students directly into basic skills classes that don’t provide college credit, with an exception for a small number of students who may still choose to take those classes.

--

2019 - Aug. 12 – The Denver Post[xv] - “new law getting rid of remedial college courses in Colorado” 

Line between remedial, mainstream classes blurs as Colorado colleges reconsider paths to student success - Fewer Denver students testing into developmental classes once they reach college.… A new law getting rid of remedial college courses in Colorado won’t take effect until 2022, but schools already are shifting away from a traditional sequence of lower-level classes that students have to pass before they can start earning credits.

 

Another View on remediation rates – 2012-2021

   Another View frequently highlighted remediation rates in reports on low-performing high schools. Four examples below. One included – as we see it now – a foolish prediction: “Remediation rates suggest our graduation rates will soon fall” (from AV #183, fall 2016).

“We cannot keep up the pretense of ‘awarding’ high school degrees that fail to reflect what seniors know and are able to do. But if we implement the [Graduation] Guidelines with sufficient rigor, the consequences will be huge.” 

   How wrong I was. Our graduation rates have climbed ever since 2015. Lower test scores, COVID, scary figures on chronic absenteeism – fear not! Our graduation rates just go up and up!

 

1.               Sept. 2012 - AV #88 – Aurora Central High - The Case for State Intervention

Colorado Public High School Graduates Assigned to Remediation in Colorado Public Higher Education                                                                   FY 2010-11 (Fall 2010 Enrollment)

High School	District	Remediation rates- 2011	# in remediation classes/           # of students from this high school attending a Colorado college
1.      West	DPS	89.6%	43/48
2.      Montbello	DPS	80.0%	76/95
3.      Abraham Lincoln	DPS	78.3%	72/92
4.      Harrison	Harrison 2	75.5%	40/53
5.      Aurora Central	Aurora	73.8%	59/80
6.      North	DPS	72.6%	45/62
7.      Adams City	Adams 14	71.8%	51/71
8.      Sierra	Harrison 2	67.6%	48/71

2.        June 2015 - AV #131 - Higher graduation rates? A word of caution before we celebrate

Listed 17 DPS high schools and their remediation rates; five schools over 60%.          

Listed five other metro areas schools with remediation rates between 52% and 73%.

 

3.    Sept. 2018 – AV #182 - Remediation rates suggest our graduation rates will soon fall

 

AV’S WORST PREDICTION

   In this newsletter you will see the even more distressing results from over 50 Colorado schools and 17 districts—where the majority of graduates required remediation before taking college English or math.                                                                                                                   

   One extraordinary finding from the CDHE study: almost 31% of Colorado’s high schools have “a developmental education rate above 50%”^[xvi]—i.e. most graduates are not “college ready.”

   Again, I predict that these are prime examples of districts where the happy news about better graduation rates will end in 2021.  Assuming, that is, the new Graduation Guidelines really mean that we take into account our seniors’ academic skills – before we award them a degree.

 

4.    Oct. 2019 – AV #200

 FACTS FOR THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION –

on six urban high schools, all on the clock for (too many) years

 

 Most recent remediation rates. (Speaks to college readiness. Graduation rates do not.)

District	School	Remediation rate			2017 graduates enrolled in college
		2015	2016	2017	# of students enrolled in college that fall	# of students needing remediation
STATE		35%	35.9%	34.8%	21,234	7,383
Adams 14	Adams City High	64%	68.5%	66%	91	60
APS	Aurora Central	70%	65%	67%	87	58
	Gateway	56%	64%	59%	75	44
DPS	Abraham Lincoln	71%	58%	52%	96	50
	Manual	57%	79%	69%	29	20
Pueblo 60	Central	77%	57%	61%	101	62

Addendum B

HB19-1206 - Higher Education Supplemental Academic Instruction

Concerning removing equity gaps in higher education by ensuring more students

have access to supplemental academic instruction.

Bill Summary

   "State institutions of higher education - requirements for developmental education and basic skills courses - supplemental academic instruction. The act directs the Colorado commission on higher education (commission)

“ … institutions cannot place a student into developmental education based on a single instrument or test.”

to adopt a developmental education policy requiring the governing boards of state institutions of higher education (institutions) to maximize the likelihood of success in entry-level (gateway) college-level course work when placing students into developmental education. The act also specifies that institutions cannot place a student into developmental education based on a single instrument or test."

“ … shall directly enroll no more than 10 percent of students enrolling in the institution into stand-alone developmental education courses.”

   "For institutions authorized to offer developmental education, the act requires that, by 2022, such institutions shall directly enroll no more than 10 percent of students enrolling in the institution into stand-alone developmental education courses that may extend the student's time to degree. Instead, a student should be enrolled in a gateway college-level course with additional supports through supplemental academic instruction (SAI) or c-requisite remediation." https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1206

 

In 2020, the Colorado Commission of Higher Education took the next step

  “Memorandum.

“TO: Colorado Public Institutions of Higher Education

“FROM: Dr. Chris Rasmussen, Director of Academic Affairs

“DATE: June 25, 2020.”

Begins - 

  “The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has finalized revisions to its Developmental Education policy in response to HB 19-1206 (Concerning Removing Equity Gaps in Higher Education by Ensuring More Students Have Access to Supplemental Academic Instruction).” 

Planning and Implementation Timelines

  “For institutions authorized by statute to offer developmental education, beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, no more than 10 percent of enrolling students shall be placed into pre-requisite developmental education courses that delay students’ progress toward a degree.”

https://cdhe.colorado.gov/sites/highered/files/documents/Dear-Colleague%20memo%20on%20CCHE%20Dev%20Ed%20policy%20062520.pdf

 

Addendum C

SAT scores in Adams 14, Aurora Public Schools and Westminster decline, 2017-2024

Statewide scores decline by 36 points. We see an even greater decline in these three districts.

	2017    (class of ’18)	2018    (class of ’19)	2019   (class of ’20)		2021	2022	2023	2024
Adams 14	858	858	833		848	814	807	787
Aurora Public Schools	892	901	879		907	870	860	851
Westminster	861	858	861		862	843	843	811
State average	1014	1014	1001		1011	986	990	978

 

Addendum D – The SAT

Key facts on the SAT in Colorado

 

1.             Email to me from Joyce Zurkowski, chief assessment officer, CDE – July 24, 2023.

“The SAT scores are used for a variety of purposes and indicators, such as:

1.) college readiness based on College Board research based on first year in college performance,

2.) how well students have achieved the expectations of the Colorado Academic Standards that would be expected of 11^th graders,

3.) reaching the endorsed diploma/higher bar called for in statute, and

4.) having met local graduation requirements, which is high stakes for students." 

“These different uses and interpretations have resulted in different cuts with the CO-established cuts being informed by educators and stakeholder groups.”

 

	College Board College Readiness Benchmark	CO Met Expectations Cut Score based on CAS and used for accountability	Grad Guidelines
SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing	480	480	470
Math	530	530	500 [Revised to 480 in fall, 2024; see #2]

 

                               

[

   2.        CDE - Graduation Guidelines - Menu of Options

Menu of College and Career-Ready Demonstrations

Students must demonstrate readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics.

Reading, Writing and Communicating: 470

Mathematics: 480 *

The SAT is a college entrance exam. The SAT includes sections on reading, writing and math. The highest possible score for each section is 800. 

*480: Beginning with Digital SAT, 2023-24, extending through 2025-26 

*500: 2022 -2023 and prior to Digital SAT -https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-menu

3.               The College Board

 

SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmarks

“Students are considered college and career ready when their SAT section scores meet both the Reading and Writing and Math benchmarks.” 

 

Benchmark Values and Section Score Ranges

College and Career Readiness Benchmarks (SAT)

•          Reading and Writing: 480

•          Math: 530

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/k12-educators/about/understand-scores-benchmarks/benchmarks

 

 

Addendum E – on the reading/literacy skills of high school students in Colorado

1.     From my 22-page Report on Reading – “After the READ Act – Beyond third grade, how well do our students read?” (Feb. 2024)

 

a.)   A list of 30 high schools with 100 or more students on a READ plan. (p. 11)

 

“No one in DPS (15 schools) or APS (6 schools) can deny that reading in their high schools should be a top priority.”

 

[Related to earlier points about Adams 14, Aurora Public Schools, and Westminster. Four of the five high schools with the greatest number of students on a READ plan in 2021-22 were in these three districts: Westminster High (327 students), Adams City High (239), Aurora Central High (290), and Hinkley High (225).]

 

   b.)   Grades 9-11 – In 2023:

 

·       40,000 high school students in grades 9-11 scored at the lowest performance level on a Reading/Writing assessment.

·       Nearly 30% of our juniors demonstrated literacy skills that are perhaps two or more years below grade level. Another 13.1% of 11^th graders, 7,335 students, scored Approached Expectations, perhaps one year below grade level.

 ·       Close to 45% of Black and Hispanic high school juniors scored Did Not Yet Meet Expectations.  (p. 14)  

 

 

c.)    Total – 61,904 secondary school students …

 

   We conclude with a full picture for grades 6-11: in 2023, a total of 61,904 students scored at the lowest performance level on Colorado’s reading and writing assessments.

 

  

2.    From AV #276 – Sept. 2024 - an update from the Reading Report, adding the just-released SAT scores. The number of high school students performing in the lowest scoring category, Did Not Yet Meet Expectations, remained close to 40,000. The percentage of juniors scoring in the lowest category increased over 2023.

Reading/Writing portion of the PSAT and SAT
	2023		2024
	Students scoring Did Not Yet Meet Expectations
	%	Number of students	%	Number of students
9 - PSAT	21.2%	12,391	18.2%	10,435
10 - PSAT	22.1%	12,429	20.3%	11,562
11 - SAT	28%	15,663	30.6%	17,326
		40,483		39,323
*http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/cmas

  

   It is especially alarming to see how pronounced this trend is for students of color. By Grade 11 – nearly one-half of these students scored in the lowest category on the Reading/Writing portion. 

PSAT/SAT (9-11) - % Did Not Meet Expectations

	9 (PSAT)	10 (PSAT)	11 (SAT)
Black/African American	27.7	33.1	45.7
Hispanic/Latino	31.6	35.0	50.7
White	8.6	9.8	16.9

 

 

3.        From Boardhawk. “Data reveal the shocking breadth and depth of Colorado’s reading crisis,” by Peter Huidekoper Jr., Nov. 25, 2024.[xvii]

    Upon request, the Colorado Department of Education presents data on the number of high school students still on what is called “a READ plan.” The most recent data is from 2022-23.

   Those K-3 students first served by the READ Act 7-10 years ago are now in high school. This may surprise you: over 10,000 students are still on a READ plan in high school.

 

High school students on a READ Plan, 2022-23	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
	5,152	3,676	2,524	1,411

 

   Equally disturbing: the total number has grown. An additional 3,600 students in two years.

 

Total number of high school students on a READ Plan	2021	2022	2023
	9,093	11,127	12,763

 

   And CDE’s data might seriously understate the true facts. In its report for high school students on a READ plan, data from over 140 districts is suppressed.

 

Addendum F

SP 9 -41 – Assessment for College Readiness

Colorado Community College System / System Procedure

REVISED: November 15, 2021

PURPOSE

Board Policy (BP) 9-41 authorizes the Chancellor to promulgate procedures necessary to implement assessment for college readiness. Furthermore, this procedure is consistent with the Colorado Commission for Higher Education (CCHE) Statewide Remedial Education Policy.

This procedure provides guidance for implementation of assessment for college readiness in reading, writing, and mathematics of students within CCCS.

DEFINITIONS

·      “College Readiness” is the determination that a student has the skills necessary to be successful in a college-level course.

·      “Default Placement” is the practice of direct placement into a college-level course with a paired SAI support course unless the student provides evidence for college-level placement.

·      “Developmental Education” means courses that are prerequisites to the level of work expected at a postsecondary institution and include academic skills courses and preparatory courses.

·      “Guided Self-Placement (GSP)” is a locally developed tool or process that allows students, in consultation with advisors and/or faculty, to determine the appropriate starting coursework in mathematics, English, and English as a Second Language (ESL). GSP encourages students’ personal metacognitive evaluation and self-determination as a part of the placement process. GSP tools provide students with basic information about multiple measures and help them, through questions, examples, and course descriptions, determine the appropriate level of placement aligned with the student’s educational goals.

·      “Supplemental Academic Instruction (SAI)” means co-requisite courses, modified co-requisite courses, and academic support models that use peer or instructor study sessions, or individualized in-class academic support to improve student learning, retention, or success.

PROCEDURE

Requirement for Assessment:
   Degree-seeking undergraduate students must be assessed in mathematics, writing, and reading prior to or during the first semester of their college career.

   All students (whether degree-seeking, non-degree-seeking, concurrent enrollment, exchange students, etc.) must be assessed in the applicable subject if they enroll in a course that has a specific math, English, or reading prerequisite.

Exemptions from Assessment:
Students who would normally be required to be assessed can demonstrate college readiness or are otherwise exempt from the assessment requirement if the student:

1. Has completed either a college-level transfer mathematics and college-level transfer writing course or a remedial course (if required) in mathematics, writing, and reading;
2. Earned a baccalaureate degree;
3. Earned an associate degree;
4. Is pursuing a vocational certificate, unless the individual college requires assessment of certificate-seekers; or
5. Has a combination of recent high school unweighted GPA and related high school coursework at or above the levels established by CCCS.

Assessment Methods and Minimum College Readiness Standards:

   Colleges may use any of the primary indicators of college readiness and cut scores as defined by the CCHE Remedial Education Policy. Colleges may also use GSP and/or Default Placement in lieu of other assessment methods. A student who scores at the indicated score or above, within the five years prior to enrollment, is determined to be college ready and therefore is not in need of college readiness instruction. If students retake an assessment, Colleges will accept the higher of their two testing scores, even if that is the original test score.

   For students who come to CCCS as “Ability to Benefit” students, a federally certified assessment should be used to determine college readiness.

   If a student, 1) has not taken one of these tests to demonstrate college readiness, 2) brings a college readiness score that falls below the CCHE identified score for a primary indicator of college readiness, or 3) has taken a test that is more than five years old, the student must take a CCCS-approved assessment, which includes GSP and/or Default Placement. Students must score at or above the levels established by CCCS on such assessment in order to be considered college ready. 

Supplemental Academic Instruction and Developmental Education:

1. Colleges must advise students in the appropriate level course work upon assessment. Students meeting the specified minimum cut score may enroll in college-level courses and be reported as such.
2. Colleges must advise students to enroll in SAI courses or Developmental Education/remedial skills classes during the first semester following a placement test when assessment scores indicate inadequate college preparation in any or all of these areas. Colleges must advise students of their responsibility to complete SAI courses or Developmental Education/remedial course work within the first 30 credit hours.
3. Colleges must ensure that each enrolled student identified as needing Developmental Education or remedial course work is provided with written notification identifying which state institutions offer such Developmental Education courses, including online courses.
4. All students whose assessment scores do not meet the standards established by CCCS are responsible for completing Developmental Education instruction during their first thirty (30) credit hours of attendance at the College. For students with unmet remedial needs who have completed 30 or more credit hours, Colleges must require that such students meet with an academic advisor on the need to address college readiness deficiencies before registering for additional course work.

https://cccs.edu/about/governance/policies-procedures/sp-9-41-assessment-for-college-readiness/

 

Addendum G

 Students choose their courses

 Community College of Denver and Colorado Northwestern Community College

 

1.     From Community College of Denver

https://www.ccd.edu/testing-center/determine-course-placement

Determine Course Placement

Determine which English and Math course is best for you. There are different ways to make this determination, choose the one you are most comfortable with.

Options to Determine Your Course Placement

Option 1 - College Credit Transfer

Option 2 - High School GPA or Coursework

Option 3 - High School Equivalency Test Scores

Option 4 - ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer Scores

Option 5 - Guided Self-Placement

English

After taking this survey*, you decide if you should take a college-level English course, a college-level English course WITH a support course, or a pre-college level English course first.  Selecting one of these paths will help inform which English class you will take.

Math

The EXCEL Zone offers math boot camps in the week preceding each fall, spring, and summer term. After completing a boot camp, you can enroll in a gateway-level math course without a support course.

Or after taking this assessment, you learn if you should take a gateway-level math course without a support course, a gateway-level math course with a support course, or a developmental-level math course first. Then you will select your specific class.

[*Survey – could not download; only available to students. See the example for CNCC below.]

 

2.     From Guided Self-Placement used by Colorado Northwestern Community College 

https://cncc.formstack.com/forms/guidedselfassessment

OPTION 5 – Guided Self-Placement                                                 

English  [This part is the same as CCD's language.]

   After taking this survey, you decide if you should take a college-level English course, a college-level English course WITH a support course, or a pre-college level English course first....

   These questions refer to your English language ability:

	Always (I)	Often (II)	Sometimes (III)	Never (IV)
I read for pleasure and for work or school.
I am confident about my ability to comprehend new or unfamiliar texts.
I have written multiple drafts of papers, revised, and edited them.
I have written papers longer than three or four pages.
I am comfortable writing papers for classes other than English.
In the past, some of my papers have required research and citation of sources.
I am comfortable using standard written English; including correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction.

 Student Type I - If most of your checkmarks are in the first column (I), you feel you have strong reading and writing skills and are comfortable taking English Composition I (ENG 1021) or Technical Writing (ENG 1020), the first of two required college-level writing courses most students will need.  ENG 1021 focuses on analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing along with reading complex texts.

Student Type II - …

Student Type III - …

Student Type IV - If most of your checkmarks are in the fourth column (IV) or if you have no clear majority column, you may feel your reading and writing skills need significant development or you are just unsure about your skills.  ENG 0091: Composition and Writing AND ENG 0091: Composition and Reading Lab provides additional support to allow you to increase the likelihood of your success in ENG 0092.

Using the student type descriptions and your previous answers, select the course(s) in which you would like to enroll.

Using the student type descriptions and your previous answers, select the course(s) in which you would like to enroll.

Student Type I = ENG 1021: English Composition I

Student Type II = ENG 1021: English Composition I and ENG 0094: Studio I21

Student Type III = ENG 0092: Composition and Reading

Student Type IV = ENG 0091: Composition and Writing AND ENG 0092: Composition and Reading Lab

I'm not sure. I would like to speak with an advisor.

 

Endnotes 

---

[i] “Postsecondary Access and Success For Colorado’s High School Graduates – 2023 Report,” https://highered.colorado.gov/publications/Reports/Legislative/PostSecondary/2023_CDHE_Postsecondary_Report.pdf

[ii] https://highered.colorado.gov/publications/Reports/Legislative/PostSecondary/2023_CDHE_Postsecondary_Report.pdf

[iii] A Plus Colorado - Higher graduation rates? A word of caution before we celebrate, June 10, 2015 - https://apluscolorado.org/blog/another-view-grad-rates-peter-huidekoper/)

The Denver Post – Huidekoper: High school graduation rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate, April 24, 2016 -  https://www.denverpost.com/2015/07/02/huidekoper-high-school-graduation-rates-arent-necessarily-a-reason-to-celebrate/.

Another View #88  (2012 ), #131 (2015),  #182 (2018),  #213 (2020),  #225 (2021).

[iv] NAEP, The Nation’s Report, State Profile – Colorado, https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile/overview/CO?sfj=NP&chort=2&sub=RED&sj=CO&st=MN&year=2024R3&cti=PgTab_OT

[v] https://highered.colorado.gov/publications/Reports/Legislative/PostSecondary/2023_CDHE_Postsecondary_Report.pdf, page 34.

[vi] Colorado Department of Education, Graduation Guidelines, Menu of Options - https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-menu

[vii] Another View #264 - Colorado’s new graduation guidelines – early warning signs that they fall short

       State’s Menu of Options: greater flexibility – and a lower bar

       Case in point: District Capstones (where we have no “guidelines”)

Excerpt from #264 -

Defining our terms – the Graduation Guidelines are flexible and expansive, but here is what they SAY

   The Colorado Department of Education’s “Menu of Options” states: “Students must demonstrate readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing, and Communication, and one measure in Mathematics.” It defines a District Capstone as:

…  the culminating exhibition of a student’s project or experience that demonstrates academic and intellectual learning. Capstone projects are district determined and often include a portfolio of a student’s best work.                                                                                        

   “District determined” is the key phrase. For most of the other 11 options on the “Menu,” we see a “Minimum Score Required” for demonstrating Reading, Writing and Communicating, and for Math. In Math we see a number; for example, SAT Math - 500; ACT Math - 19; Accuplacer Math – 61. Even the ASVAB and ACT WorkKeys options give hard numbers as the minimum score needed to pass.

   But for the District Capstone, as CDE’s Menu of Options shows, there is no Minimum Score. It simply states: Individualized. Districts determine their own criteria. Thus the problem. We have no clearly defined minimum expectation for the quality and depth of the “academic and intellectual” learning in English and in Math that students will be asked to demonstrate. We allow for 185 ways to “demonstrate competency.” https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2023/10/av-264-colorados-new-graduation.html

[viii] “More Colorado high school students are graduating, and fewer are dropping out,” by Jenny Brundin, Colorado Public Radio, Jan. 22, 2025, https://www.cpr.org/2025/01/22/more-colorado-high-school-students-are-graduating-and-fewer-are-dropping-out/. 

[ix] https://www.denverpost.com/2008/12/29/1-in-3-new-college-students-need-remedial-classes/

[x] https://www.denverpost.com/2013/06/09/new-denver-public-schools-remedial-classes-aimed-at-college-success/

[xi] https://www.denverpost.com/2016/05/27/college-remediation-classes-increase/

[xii] https://www.denverpost.com/2019/08/12/colorado-education-remediation-rates/

[xiii] https://www.denverpost.com/2018/06/20/colorado-high-school-remedial-education/

[xiv] https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2019/3/21/21108484/phasing-out-remedial-college-education-could-help-more-colorado-students-earn-their-degrees/

[xv] https://www.denverpost.com/2019/08/12/colorado-education-remediation-rates/#:~:text=A%20new%20law%20getting%20rid,they%20can%20start%20earning%20credits.

[xvi] https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/Reports/Remedial/FY2017/2017_Remedial_relJune2018.pdf, p. 17.

[xvii] Boardhawk, https://boardhawk.org/2024/11/data-reveals-the-shocking-breadth-and-depth-of-colorados-reading-crisis/