How to Read the 2004 CPS College Enrollment Reports Based on the National Student Clearinghouse Data The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) is a non-for-profit corporation that serves as a national, central repository of information on postsecondary student enrollment, degrees and diplomas. More than 2,800 US colleges and universities are included in the NSC database including 91% of higher education students. NSC is FERPA compliant. To ensure comparability across time and to national data, we used the term start date provided in the NSC data to only include students who enrolled in a postsecondary institution after August 15, 2004 and prior to November 1, 2004. NSC changed the format of their files and no longer provides any college enrollment information on students who block their records. Thus they are no longer counted as enrolled in college. Students included in these reports Graduates of charter and alternative schools are included in all of the 3 reports listed below. All students: This report includes all students who graduated from CPS by fall of 2004. Students with disabilities: This report includes students who graduated from CPS by fall of 2004 who have a disability code or 504 plan on the Student Information System. Students without disabilities: This report includes students who graduated from CPS by fall of 2004 who do NOT have a disability code or a 504 plan on SI. Concrete College Plans Students with concrete college plans are students who on the 2004 Senior Exit Questionnaire stated their primary plan was to continue their education, knew which college they planned to attend and had been accepted to that college. Demographic and academic groups Gender and race/ethnicity groups: We used the information from the Student Information System to place students into their respective gender and racial/ethnicity group. ACT groups: We matched the ACT scores to each graduate. The ACT categories were created based on the typical students’ ACT scores at colleges of various competitive levels according to Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 27th edition, 2003. The numbers do not reflect how CPS students as a whole performed on the ACT. Source: CPS PSAE April files. Multiple years of data were used to capture as much information as possible. A number of students were not found in the PSAE files. The Class of 2005 is the first class whose graduation is contingent on taking the PSAE. GPA groups: We used a number of spring semester course files and matched the data to each graduate. A number of the students in the missing GPA group are charter school students. Source: CPS semester course files. 2 AP classes: If graduates took 2 or more AP classes (based on course number and level) they are counted in this category. Source: CPS semester course files. IB: Graduates of IB authorized schools who took at least 9 IB classes as defined by course codes are included in this group. Sources: CPS semester course files and Academic Enhancement. College Bridge: College Bridge (CB) colleges provide Postsecondary Education with a list of students who take a College Bridge course during high school. Any student who took a CB course is included in this group. Excel class: We examined the courses graduates took and based on the course number noted which graduates took an Excel class. ETC program completers: Any graduate who has enrolled and passed all three course levels in the same program during Grades 9th through 12th are in this category. Data and definition were provided by the Office of Education to Careers. Selectivity Categories We grouped the Barron’s competitiveness levels into 4 groups: Most and highly competitive comprise the very selective category, very competitive is considered selective, competitive is considered somewhat selective, and less and non competitive comprise the non selective category. Department of Postsecondary Education Office of High School Programs, Chicago Public Schools Page 1 of 2 Friday, May 05, 2006 How to Read the 2004 CPS College Enrollment Reports Based on the National Student Clearinghouse Data Level of competitiveness Source: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, 2003. Level of competitiveness is an indicator of how difficult it will be for students to gain admittance to the college. The criteria used in the competitiveness include median entrance exam scores, the percentage of freshmen who were ranked in the upper fifth and upper two-fifths of their high school graduating classes, minimum class rank and grade point average if any are required for admission, and the percent of freshmen who were accepted. All data is reflective of the 2001-02 entering freshmen. How Barron’s defines competitiveness should be used only as a guide. Each college emphasizes different factors in making their admission decisions and may sometimes overlook a lower GPA or a lower ACT scores if the student is strong on all other factors. Level of competitiveness Most competitive Definition Sample of colleges in each category A typical student at these colleges ranks in top 10% or 20% of their high school class and has average high school grades of A or B+. Students tend to score a 29 plus on the ACT. These colleges usually admit fewer than 1/3 of applicants. Amherst College (MA), Boston University (MA), Bowdoin College (ME), Carnegie Mellon University (PA), Colgate University (NY), Davidson College (NC), Georgetown University (DC), Harvard University (MA), Northwestern University (IL), Pomona College (CA), Rice University (TX), University of Chicag (IL), University of Notre Dame (IN), Wake Forest University (NC) Highly competitive A typical student at these colleges ranks in the top 20% to 35% of their high school class and has average high school grades of B+ or B. The median ACT score is a 27 or 28. These colleges usually admit between 1/3 and 1/2 of applicants. Bucknell University (PA), Clark University (MA), Gallaudet University (DC), Grinnell College (IA), Illinois Institute of Technology (IL), Macalester College (MN), Pitzer College (CA), Reed College (OR), U of I at Urbana-Champaign (IL), University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (MI), Wheaton College (IL) Very competitive A typical student at these colleges ranks in the top 35% to 50% of their high school class and has average high school grades of no less than a B-. The median ACT scores are between 24 and 26. These colleges usually admit between 1/2 and 3/4 of applicants. Baylor University (TX), Cornell College (IA), DePaul University (IL), Earlham College (IN), Lake Forest College (IL), Ohio State University (OH), Pacific Union College (CA), Purdue University at West Lafayette (IN), Skidmore College (NY), University of California at Santa Cruz (CA), University of Illinois at Chicago (IL), University of Minnesota at Morris (MN), Webster University Competitive This is a broad category. A typical student at these colleges ranks in the 50% to 65% of their high school class and has average high school grades of a B- or better with some having C or C+. The median ACT scores are between 21 and 23. These colleges usually admit between 75% and 85% of applicants. Aquinas College (MI), Aurora University (IL), Bennett College (NC), California State University at Sacramento (CA), Chicago State University (IL), Clark Atlanta (GA), George Mason University (VA), Hampton University (VA), Mills College (CA), Northern Michigan University (MI), Pacific University (OR), University of Alabama at Birmingham (GA), University of Vermont (VT) Less competitive A typical student at these colleges ranks in the top 65% of their high school class and has average high school grades below C. Median ACT scores are below a 21. These colleges usually admit more than 85% of applicants. Alabama State University (AL), Bethel College (TN), Columbia College Chicago (IL), DeVry Institute of Technology (IL), Kendall College (IL), Marshall University (WV), Roosevelt University (IL), Rochester College (MI), University of Southern Colorado (CO), Webber College (FL) Noncompetitive Students must have graduated from an accredited high school. Some colleges may require completion of certain high school curriculum. Colleges with higher than a 98% admittance rate automatically fall in this category. If colleges do not have requirements for state residents but do have requirements for out-of state residents they are placed in this category. Some colleges require that students take a college entrance exam. Calvin College (MI), City Colleges of Chicago-all (IL), College of DuPage (IL), Fairmont State College (WV), Grambling State University (LA), Miles College (AL), National-Louis University (IL), Northeastern Illinois University (IL), Peru State College (NE), Pittsburg State University (KS), Purdue University at Calumet (IN), Triton College (IL), Wayne State College (NE), Special These colleges have specialized programs of study and/or professional schools of art, music, nursing and other disciplines. Admission usually requires evidence of the talent or special interest. Colleges that serve working adults are assigned to this level. Burlington College (VT), Berklee College of Music (MA), Center for Creative Studies (MI), Cleveland Institute of Music (OH), Kendall College of Art and Design (MI), Martin University (IN), Rhode Island School of Design (RI), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL), SUNY-Empire State College (NY) Department of Postsecondary Education Office of High School Programs, Chicago Public Schools Page 2 of 2 Friday, May 05, 2006