With the new Colorado Graduation Guidelines in place … as of 2021, graduates will “demonstrate competency in English and math” … what will the consequences be?

The Colorado State Board of Education set new high school Graduate Guidelines in 2015. This year’s sophomores, the class of 2021, are expected to meet them. We read these Guidelines and wonder if we realize that our ever-higher graduation rates might soon drop dramatically. Equally true when we read of the 2015 federal law, Every Student Succeeds Act, requiring states to “align their ‘challenging academic standards’ … with entrance requirements for credit bearing coursework in higher education.”[i]

Look at the most recent Colorado Department of Higher Education (DHE) report[ii] on the number and percentage of graduates (35.3%) who needed developmental English or math classes before they could take college level classes. 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. In such cases, if the Graduation Guidelines are read one way, graduation rates won’t reach 50%.

Perhaps I do not understand these new Guidelines, or I read them too literally. Maybe I fail to appreciate that the “list of options that students may use to demonstrate their readiness for college and careers in order to graduate from high school” will be interpreted in ways that do not reflect any solid base line (e.g. capstone projects and “collaboratively-developed, standards-based performance assessments”). But here are key phrases in those Guidelines.[iii] They reflect a clear base line, do they not? (From the Colorado Department of Education’s explanation. More in Addendum A.)

1. “Ninth-graders in fall 2017 will be the first class to demonstrate competency—or show what they know—in English and math in order to graduate from high school.”

2. “… (in 2015) the Colorado State Board of Education adopted a comprehensive set of guidelines to be used by each school district’s board of education in establishing requirements for students to receive a high school diploma.”

“While a higher percentage of American teenagers are graduating from high school than ever before, many students are leaving high school ill-prepared for college and/or the workplace.”

“College and Career Readiness – Dispelling the Myths,” by Hoonuit, March 2018

3. “The state’s guidelines include minimum career and college-ready determinations in English and math. Scores were benchmarked on 1) the minimum scores accepted by Colorado institutions of higher education for entry into college courses (no-need for remediation and recognition of college credit), and 2) for consideration of careers in the military.”

Those pages show us that the “minimum scores accepted” are, on the ACT English - 18, on the ACT Math - 19.[iv] (I realize we shifted to the PSAT/SAT assessments in 2017. But June’s DHE report on developmental education looks at the class of 2016, so this is the class where we can compare three separate data points: remediation rates, graduation figures, and college entrance test scores.) [UPDATE: Addendum E provides 2018 SAT scores made public two weeks ago for 15 of these schools.]

(Higher) graduation rates versus (depressing) remediation rates – can they both be true?

A. Graduation rates - “Getting so much better all the time!” (The Beatles, 1967)

Across the nation, throughout Colorado, and in Denver Public Schools – for several years now we have read of better and better graduation rates.

4-year high school graduation rate

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
United States[v]	81.4%	82.3%	83.2%	84.1%	N.A.
Colorado[vi]	76.9%	77.3%	77.3%	78.9%	79%
Denver Public Schools[vii]	61%	62.8%	64.8%	67.2%	66.6%

B. Remediation rates (shorthand in this newsletter for % needing developmental education)[viii]

From Legislative Report on Developmental Education for the High School Class of 2016, by DHE

8,271 out of 24,096 (35.3%) high school graduates from the class of 2016 enrolled in Colorado public colleges and “were placed into developmental education of any type (English, Math, or both).”
DHE report[ix]

See also The Denver Post’s summary (June 20, 2018) of the DHE report in Addendum B.

As I wrote in The Denver Post three years ago (see box below*), the percentage of students “earning” a high school degree tells us little about the academic skills of our graduates. Not if you compare graduation rates to remediation rates. I agree that how Colorado has assessed college readiness using ACT scores (in 2016) or an Accuplacer test has been imperfect at best.[x] Nevertheless, each year the DHE report tells us the remediation rate for every high school in the state (with a count of 17 or more students). Why is this report significant? 1) Unlike some states, Colorado does not require students to pass certain tests to earn a high school degree.[xi] 2) Unlike graduation rates, remediation rates reflect a student’s performance on a test of his or her skills. 3) Local control can mean significant differences in graduation requirements. The DHE report provides one common measure of college readiness.

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

*AV #183 updates points I have made before. 1) “ACT Results Show: High School Graduation ≠ College Ready,”[xiii] a blog for A Plus Colorado (Sep. 13, 2016).

2) “High school graduation rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate,”[xiv] The Denver Post (July 2, 2015) - a look at DHE’s 2014 Development Education report. There I wrote:

“In Colorado, high school graduation statistics tell us little about what that degree means in terms of a graduate’s knowledge and skills. The recently published 2014 Legislative Report on Remedial Education again makes that clear, especially if you look at several high schools where the four-year graduation rate is impressive but the (low) ACT scores and (high) remediation rates are not…

“ACT results and remediation rates tell us something important about the skills and knowledge of soon-to-be-graduates and just-graduated students. But in Colorado, in measuring the ‘quality of the learning,’ our high school graduation rates say little.”

You might say I make too much of the DHE report. Perhaps, but it is what we have, and what it tells me is deeply troubling. If you say it does not worry you, what measure should we use to prove that a much higher percentage of Colorado high school graduates are college ready? (For more details from the report – equity, costs, etc.— see Addendum C.)

And if you believe in and celebrate our “higher graduation rates,” what do you make of the data here?

Colorado high schools with at least 60 recent graduates (from class of 2016) who went on to enroll in a higher education institution in Colorado, and where 50% or more found they needed to take at least one developmental education class. (From DHE Legislative Report on Development Education, Class of 2016)

School	District	Cohort 2016 (total # students)	Development Education (# students)	Development Ed Class of 2016 %
Thornton H.S.	Adams 12	101	51	50.5%
Northglenn H.S.		102	59	57.8%
Adams City H.S.	Adams 14	107	68	63.6%
Aurora Central H.S.	Aurora	105	68	64.8%
Gateway H.S.		112	72	64.3%
Alamosa H.S.	Alamosa RE-11J	78	42	53.9%
Mitchell H.S.	Colorado Springs 11	67	41	61.2%
Abraham Lincoln H.S.	Denver	82	54	65.9%
John F. Kennedy H.S.		120	72	60%
South H.S.		149	88	59.1%
GOAL Academy	Falcon 49	84	49	58.3%
Sand Creek H.S.		99	50	50.5%
Fort Morgan H.S.	Fort Morgan RE-3	97	51	52.6%
Northridge H.S.	Greeley 6	77	60	77.9%
Greeley West H.S.		136	71	52.2%
Greeley Central H.S.		147	92	62.6%
Alameda International Junior/Senior High	Jefferson County	61	43	70.5%
Roosevelt H.S.	Johnston-Milliken RE-5J	82	48	58.5%
Central H.S.	Pueblo 60	68	38	55.9%
South H.S.		129	71	55%
Centennial H.S.		137	72	52.6%
Pueblo County H.S.	Pueblo 70	80	41	51.3%
Brighton H.S.	School District 27J	134	75	56%
Prairie View H.S.		164	98	59.8%
Frederick Senior H.S.	St. Vrain Valley RE 1J	70	40	57.1%
Weld Central Senior High	Weld County S. D. RE-3J	62	31	50%
Westminster H.S.	Westminster	122	75	61.5%
Mesa Ridge H.S.	Widefield 3	91	50	55%
Widefield H.S.		98	49	50%

*Addendum D shows how remediation rates align well with ACT results at these schools on the two subjects, English and math, where the Graduation Guidelines list “minimum scores.” Virtually all scores were below the minimum.

Smaller schools or schools with a small graduating class – with remediation rates of 50% or more

The list above does not include many of Colorado’s smaller high schools where fewer than 60 graduates from the class of 2016 sought to enroll in college, but where—as above—50% or more of that class was not seen as college-ready and needed development education courses. Let’s look at these smaller schools. Given their size, of course, a few numbers can alter the percentages a good deal from year to year; in addition, many of these schools offer alternative programs for students who are behind and/or who have dropped out at some point, a partial explanation for the high remediation rates. Nevertheless, I am asking a simple question: no matter how big or small a school, no matter its mission or location, of the students who received a Colorado high school diploma in 2016, were most “college-ready”—or not?

The list of small schools with high remediation rates in 2016 is quite long. In Denver Public Schools alone, DHE’s report includes eight small schools with remediation rates of 50% or more, including two where the percentage is over 80%. (For all DPS grads, the remediation rate was unchanged from 2015 to 2016: 45.4%.)

QUESTION: What does a high school degree mean when over 80% of the graduates who seek to go on to college require a remedial class?

Manual High (87% - 20/23 graduates)

West Early College (82.4% - 14/17 graduates)

“It seems there is a fundamental and systemic problem when students are given diplomas from some high schools/districts and more than half require remediation.

Not only is it a huge cost for the state, but it is totally unfair to students (who) thought their high school diploma meant they were ready for college level work.”

Van Schoales, CEO, A Plus Colorado,

Chalkbeat Colorado, response to

“College remediation rates rise,”

February 2012

Other DPS high schools with remediation rates over 50%:

DCIS at Montbello

Emily Griffith H.S

Noel Community Arts School

Southwest Early College

West Leadership Academy

Vista Academy

Across the state, the list includes:

Jefferson Jr./Sr. H.S. [Greeley 6] (94.4% - 34/36 graduates – highest rate in Colorado)

Center H.S. (81.8% - 18/22 graduates)

QUESTION: Again - what does a high school degree mean when over 80% of the graduates ….?

Other Colorado high schools with remediation rates over 50%:

Achieve Online

Crowley County Jr. & Sr. High

Endeavor Academy (66.7% - 12/18 graduates)

Fort Lupton H.S.

Grand Valley H.S.

Highland High School

Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts

Monte Vista Senior H.S. (72.5% - 29/40 graduates)

Pathways Future Center

Rocky Ford Jr./Sr. H.S.

Sangre de Cristo Undivided H.S.

Sheridan H.S.

Sierra H. S. (60.4% - 32/53 graduates)

Trinidad H.S.

Valley H.S. (66% - 31/47 graduates)

“… according to the Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute, roughly two-thirds of public high school graduates are not adequately prepared to go to college.” -

“The State of College and Career Readiness,”[xv] March 2018

You would be correct to say that one year is not a track record. So let’s look at three years, not in schools, but in 17 Colorado districts. A disturbing pattern emerges: on average, over three academic years, nearly 50% or more of those going on to college were required to take at least one remedial class.

QUESTION: In such districts, when most high school graduates who DO seek to go on to college find they are assessed as NOT READY for a college class, what does a high school degree mean? Does the “decent” graduation rate look at all suspect in light of the remediation figure for this same class?

Remediation rates (over 3 years) and 2016 Graduation rate

District	Cohort 2014	Cohort 2015	Cohort 2016	Grad rate - 2016
School District 27J (Brighton)	52.3%	54%	54.8%	77.5%
Pueblo 60	54.4%	54.9%	52.2%	73.9%

(GUESS WHAT THESE TWO DISTRICTS HAVE IN COMMON? In a state where the school year is already among the shortest in the United States[xvi], they find 5-days of school a week too much, and so begin the new year on a four-day schedule. Exactly what will help improve academic outcomes – right? “School District 27J begins 4-day school week for first time,” Aug. 10, 2018 – Fox 31 News.)

But they are not the only medium-sized districts (at least 7,000 students) with remediation rates over 50%:

District	Cohort 2014	Cohort 2015	Cohort 2016	Grad rate – 2016
Adams 14	65.4%	69.5%	65.5%	65.8%
Westminster	65.5%	71.6%	62.5%	56%
Greeley 6	48.9%	53.1%	57.9%	77.1%
Widefield 3	45.2%	46.8%	52.6%	80.1%
Falcon 49	45.1%	47%	50.4%	60.6%

QUESTIONS: So two-thirds of the seniors graduated in Adams 14 (65.8%), and of those who went on to matriculate in college, two-thirds (65.5%) needed remediation classes. In Adams 14, or in Westminster, where again nearly two-thirds of the students who go on to apply to college are found not college ready, what does a high school degree mean?

Graduation rates in Greeley 6 (77.1%) and Widefield 3 (80.1%) look good. But how meaningful are they, when so many of their graduates require remediation?

And then, consider the three-year trend in 10 of our smaller districts—in all 10 cases where there is essentially only one high school for students to choose from. Average remediation rate: over 50%.

District	Cohort 2014	Cohort 2015	Cohort 2016	Grad rate – 2016
*Center 26JT	66.7%	73.7%	76%	73.5%
*Monte Vista C-8	50%	65.4%	70.8%	76.6%
*Weld County RE1	68.9%	52.8%	66%	80.5%
Ault Highland RE-9	61.9%	53.6%	60.7%	96.1%
Weld County SD RE 8	58.5%	65.5%	59.5%	74.1%
Sheridan	49%	55.6%	56.5%	69.1%
*Trinidad	69.4%	83.3%	55.6%	86.2%
Rocky Ford RE-2	60%	52.9%	55.6%	81.6%
Alamosa RE-11J	45.6%	51.8%	54.4%	79.6%
*Sangre de Cristo RE-22J	50%	58.3%	52.9%	100%

*NOTE: These districts also have a 4-day school week.[xvii] A model for the rest of the state? Are School District 27J and Pueblo 60 looking at these results?

QUESTION: In districts with such impressive graduation rates, well above the state average - Sangre de Cristo (100% grad rate), Ault-Highland (96.1%), and Trinidad (86.2%) – since they also show remediation rates for their recent graduates to be over 50%, what will be the consequences once the new Graduation Guidelines go into effect?

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.

Many of us cheered the intent of the new Graduation Guidelines. They raised the bar. 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 Guidelines with sufficient rigor, the consequences will be huge. Are we ready?

Addendum A

Colorado Graduation Guidelines

From Colorado Graduation Guidelines Toolkit[xviii] - CDE website (Bold mine)

Colorado Graduation Guidelines mean changes for students, school districts, and local boards of education

Life beyond high school is different from what it used to be. Most jobs in Colorado now and in the future require training or education beyond high school. Students who graduate and work in Colorado will need in-demand skills that meet business, industry, and higher education standards…

The guidelines have two purposes, the first is to articulate Colorado’s shared beliefs about the value and meaning of a high school diploma. The second is to outline the minimum components, expectations, and responsibilities of local districts and the state to support students in attaining their high school diploma. The guidelines mean changes for students, school districts and local boards of education. Ninth-graders in fall 2017 will be the first class to demonstrate competency—or show what they know—in English and math in order to graduate from high school.

… The guidelines include a state menu of college and career-ready demonstrations. Local school boards and districts may select from this menu to create a list of options their students will use to demonstrate competency in subjects that reflect Colorado standards and 21st century skills in order to graduate from high school.

Fundamental shifts in Colorado’s high school graduation guidelines—and local policies and practices— are intended to ensure that all students are prepared for success in a globally competitive workforce:

TODAY	TOMORROW
Carnegie units Fixed time and place	Competencies and standards-based education Flexible time and place

From Graduation Guidelines FAQ’s[xix] – CDE’s website

What are the Colorado Graduation Guidelines?

Colorado Graduation Guidelines provide a road map to help students and their families plan for success after high school. The graduation guidelines take effect with ninth-graders in fall 2017. Please see the graduation guidelines section of the CDE website.

As required by state statute (in section 22-2-106, C.R.S.), in September 2015, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted a comprehensive set of guidelines to be used by each school district’s board of education in establishing requirements for students to receive a high school diploma. The guidelines have two purposes. The first is to articulate Colorado’s shared beliefs about the value and meaning of a high school diploma. The second is to outline the minimum components, expectations, and responsibilities of local districts and the state to support students in attaining their high school diploma and in providing evidence to employers, military recruiters, training program and college admission teams that they are ready for the next step after high school.

How were the targets set?

The state’s guidelines include minimum career and college-ready determinations in English and math. Scores were benchmarked on 1) the minimum scores accepted by Colorado institutions of higher education for entry into college courses (no-need for remediation and recognition of college credit) and 2) for consideration of careers in the military.

What is the role of our local school board? And how much flexibility do districts have in establishing graduation requirements for their students?

Each local school district’s board of education has the authority to establish its own high school graduation requirements that meet or exceed the minimum expectations outlined in the state graduation guidelines

What research informed these Graduation Guidelines?

Current admissions requirements for students to enter a Colorado public college or university, ready to take a credit bearing course, are an ACT no lower than 18 for English, 19 for math, 470 on the SAT or a C- on a college course for credit.

Addendum B

“Report shows lower remedial education rates for Colorado high school graduates,”[xx]

The Denver Post, by Monte Whaley, June 20, 2018

“In all, 56,238 students graduated from a Colorado high school in 2016-2017 and of those graduates, 55.8 percent enrolled into a postsecondary institution, according to the CDHE. The majority, or about 77 percent of the college enrollees, remained in state, while about 23 percent of Colorado high school graduates enrolled out-of-state, according to the CDHE.

“Colorado’s remedial education rates are comparable with the nation and typically hover below 40 percent, officials said. Students in Colorado can enroll in traditional remedial courses that do not count as credit toward a degree and traditionally take English and math courses and meet again for extra tutoring, labs and one-on-one mentoring.”

Addendum C

Excerpts from Legislative Report on Developmental Education for the High School Class of 2016 [xxi] (Bold mine)

This report provides data on the effects of developmental education* on students at Colorado’s public higher education institutions and aims to inform the ongoing dialogue regarding preparation for college.

When examining developmental needs by race/ethnicity, minority students are more likely to be placed into developmental education compared to White, non-Hispanic students. … At two-year institutions, 76.4 percent of African American students were placed into developmental education …(and) 65.1 percent of Hispanic students were placed into developmental education …

Of Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) participants, 52.9 percent were placed into developmental education…

As outlined in this report, students placed into developmental education have lower retention rates compared to nondevelopmental education students. Research conducted by the Colorado Community College System shows that only 8 percent of students who took a traditional remedial Math course completed their degree within six years. Collectively, these data point to a need for stronger academic preparation to ensure Colorado’s students enter a postsecondary institution college-ready.

COST - $33.2 MILLION

When examining developmental education by subject, students almost equally required support in Math and English. … Developmental Education Rates by Subject Placement in developmental education shows 45.3 percent of 2016 high school graduates needing developmental education in Math and 54.7 percent needing developmental education in English.

Developmental Education Credit-Hour Costs

The estimated total cost for instruction associated with developmental education enrollments is $33.2 million. This total is comprised of an estimated state cost of $12.8 million and an estimated student cost of $20.4 million. … The FY 2016-2017 developmental education cost is 12 percent higher compared to last year’s estimated cost of $29.6 million.

Addendum D – 2016 ACT scores in 29 Colorado high schools:

Virtually all below “minimum scores accepted” in Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines[xxii]

School	Percent Development Ed Class of 2016	ACT English 2016	ACT Math 2016
Minimum scores accepted in new Graduation Guidelines		18	19
Thornton H.S.	50.5%	15.8	17.6
Northglenn H.S.	57.8%	16.6	18.3
Adams City H.S.	63.6%	15.2	17
Aurora Central H.S.	64.8%	14.4	16.1
Gateway H.S.	64.3%	14.8	16.3
Alamosa H.S.	53.9%	17.4	18.6
Mitchell H.S.	61.2%	14.8	16.5
Abraham Lincoln H.S.	65.9%	14.9	17
John F. Kennedy H.S.	60%	16.6	18
South H.S.	59.1%	16.6	18
GOAL Academy	58.3%	13.7	15.2
Sand Creek H.S.	50.5%	19.2*	18.8
Fort Morgan H.S.	52.6%	17.2	19*
Northridge H.S.	77.9%	15.5	17.5
Greeley West H.S.	52.2%	16.1	17.2
Greeley Central H.S.	62.6%	17.2	17.8
Alameda International Junior/Senior High	70.5%	15.5	16.8
Roosevelt H.S.	58.5%	17.8	19.5*
Central H.S.	55.9%	15	16.3
South H.S.	55%	17.6	18.3
Centennial H.S.	52.6%	18	18.3
Pueblo County H.S.	51.3%	18.3	18.8
Brighton H.S.	56%	17	18.3
Prairie View H.S.	59.8%	17.5	18.5
Frederick Senior H.S.	57.1%	18.6	18.5
Weld Central Senior High	50%	17	17.2
Westminster H.S.	61.5%	14.9	16
Mesa Ridge H.S.	55%	17.3	18.7
Widefield H.S.	50%	16.8	18.5

*6 cases where the students’ average scores at this high school met the “minimum score” needed, in this subject, to avoid development education classes.

Addendum E – 2018 SAT scores in 15 Colorado high schools:

All well below “minimum scores accepted” in Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines[xxiii]

FROM GRADUATION GUIDELINES / FACT SHEET (CDE)

“MENU OF OPTIONS: This menu lists the minimum score required.”

“SAT scores - English 470 Math 500”

Here are the 2018 SAT scores for 15 of the schools listed on pp. 3-4 with high remediation rates in 2016.[xxiv]

MINIMUM SCORE from NEW GRADS GUIDELINES	ENGLISH - 470	MATH - 500
Thornton High School (Adams 12)	443	428
Adams City High (Adams 14)	441	430
Aurora Central High (Aurora)	421	409
Gateway High	438	417
Center High (Center)	432	420

Abraham Lincoln High School (DPS)	427	433
Manual High	438	433
Noel Community Arts School	424	419
West Leadership Academy	418	432
Vista Academy	416	413

GOAL Academy (Falcon – District 49)	432	400
Jefferson Jr/Sr. High (Greeley 6)	428	415
Mitchell High (Colorado Springs 11)	445	425
Central High (Pueblo 60)	441	423
Westminster High (Westminster)	443	425

[i] https://www.hoonuit.com/resources/white-paper-dispelling-college-career-readiness-myths

[ii] Legislative Report on Developmental Education for the High School Class of 2016 - https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/Reports/Remedial/FY2017/2017_Remedial_relJune2018.pdf

[iii] http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/gradguidelinesfaqs

[iv] “ACT is a national college admissions exam. It measures four subjects - English, reading, math and science. The highest possible score for each subject is 36.” Colorado Department of Education - https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-act

[v] United States- Building a Grad Nation – (June 2018) - http://gradnation.americaspromise.org/2018-building-grad-nation-report#part-i-high-school-graduation-trends-across-the-nation

“Part I: High School Graduation Trends Across the Nation - The nation continues to see steady growth in high school graduation rates….”

[vi] Colorado –

2013 - http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/gradrates1314

2014-17 - http://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/20180118gradrates

“State's graduation rate improves slightly to 79 percent

“Colorado achieves highest four-year graduation rate since 2010

“DENVER – Colorado’s four-year graduation rate increased to 79 percent for the Class of 2017 and is the highest rate since 2010, according to data released today by the Colorado Department of Education. The Class of 2017 had 858 more graduates than the Class of 2016 or 0.1 percentage points higher than the 2015-16 four-year graduation rate of 78.9 percent. Since 2010, Colorado’s high school graduation rate has increased a total of 6.6 percentage points. Extended year rates for students taking five, six and seven years to graduate also showed improvement.”

[vii] Denver Public Schools –

2013 – https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/713/documents/2014_Data--Lisa/DPS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

2014-2017 - http://www2.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/graduationdatamap.asp

[viii] The DHE report makes a distinction that my use of “remediation rate” as being equivalent to needing “developmental education” fails to do. The DHE states: “Developmental education is used throughout this report and includes assessment of a need for remediation, participation in traditional remedial education courses, and participation in co-requisite remediation (Supplemental Academic Instruction).”

[ix] https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/Reports/Remedial/FY2017/2017_Remedial_relJune2018.pdf

[x] Having taught at Arapahoe Community College where I could see how my students did on the Accuplacer test, often used to indicate if an incoming college student is deemed ready to take a college level class in English or math, I will not argue that it is an excellent measurement. Nor was their ACT score, also available for some students. And now that we’ve moved to PSAT/SAT, I won’t say they are ideal either. They are, however, what we have agreed to use, and “the minimum” scores required are modest, to say the least.