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The John Locke Foundation
is a501(c)(3) nonproft, nonpartisan researchinstitute dedicated to improving public policy debate in North Carolina. Viewpoints expressed by authors do not necessarilyreect those o the sta or board o the Locke Foundation.
200 W. Morgan, #200Raleigh, NC 27601
phone:
919-828-3876
fax:
919-821-5117www.johnlocke.org
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spot
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orth Carolina’s high school graduation rate has increased from 68.3percent in 2006 to 77.8 percent in 2011. While the graduation per-centages are straightforward, the factors contributing to this increaseare not.Theories about the causes of the state’s graduation rate increases abound.State education leaders credit dropout prevention programs and other stateand local graduation efforts. Others contend that the dismal job market en-courages potential dropouts to stay in school and obtain a high school diploma.Proponents of e-learning and online schooling argue that the North Carolina Virtual Public School allows struggling and at-risk students to individualizetheir learning environments, as well as recover course credits lost through ab-sences or failed classes. Finally, some attribute the rising graduation rate toenrollment and demographic changes in school districts. These four issues —state and local programs, economic conditions, e-learning, and school districtdemographics — will be assessed in forthcoming studies of North Carolina’sgraduation rate.This study will examine the quality of high school graduates by focusingon students who enroll in a North Carolina community college and take a re-
No. 413 – September 20, 2011
H
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raduation
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Quantity over quality?
ky fc:• Between 2006 and 2009, North carolina’s graduationrate inreased b 2.3 perent. t the same time, the ommunit ollege reme-diation rate inreased b 7 perent.• Low aademi standards and expetations are one o a number o atorsthat provide marginal students an easier path to graduation, thereb help-ing to inrease North carolina’s graduation rate.• Nearl two out o three high shool graduates who subsequentl enrolledin a ommunit ollege needed to tae remedial ourses in nglish, reading,and/or mathematis beore the were read or ollege-level wor. igni-ant perentages o students enrolled in remedial ourses suggest that thestandards or high shool graduation remain alarmingl low.
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medial or so-called “Developmental” English, reading, and/or mathematics course[s] from 2007 to 2009.
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Data from theNC Community College System (NCCCS) show that an increasing number of graduates from North Carolina publicschools lack the basic skills needed to enroll in college-level courses required for their chosen program. Signicantincreases in English and mathematics remediation suggest that the standards for high school graduation remainalarmingly low. These low standards are one of a number of factors that provide marginal students an easier path tograduation, thereby helping to increase North Carolina’s graduation rate.Unfortunately, remediation and graduation data are limited. Thus, the purpose of this study is to provide an over-view of a complex issue that deserves greater attention from the educational research community. Researchers shouldconduct a comprehensive study of the relationship between graduation and remediation using multiple, multi-yearstudent performance metrics. Additional studies should include an assessment of the costs of remediation, successfulinitiatives that decrease the remediation rate, and a closer examination of the quality of Developmental instructionat all post-secondary institutions.
Limitations o this stud
This study is limited to students enrolled in an NC Community College System institution. It does not includestudents who are required to enroll in a remedial class at a four-year college or university. It also does not account forstudents who do not possess the requisite skills or knowledge to function in a workplace. A focus on community college students is advantageous for several reasons. First, the NCCCS does an admirable job of maintaining data on student enrollment for all institutions in the state’s community college system. Second,North Carolina’s 58 community colleges are nancially and geographically accessible to most of the state’s high schoolgraduates. Finally, community colleges enroll students with a broad range of academic goals and interests — fromcareer and technical education to eventual enrollment in a four-year college or university. In sum, community collegesprovide a better representation of the “typical” North Carolina high school graduate than students who enroll in atraditional, four-year college or university.
tatewide Graduation Rates and Developmental course nrollment
According to the NC Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina’s four-year graduation rate increased by2.3 percent — from 69.5 percent to 71.8 percent — between 2007 and 2009 (see Table 1).
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The graduation rate formulatracks the number of students who begin ninth-grade and graduate four years later. This includes students who trans-ferred into the state and does not include students who transferred out of the state or died. The U.S. Department of Education does not permit school districts or states to count GED students as high school graduates.
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As a percentage of the total graduating population, students who enroll in a Developmental class account for ap-proximately 20 percent of all high school graduates in North Carolina.
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Of course, that does not include students whoenroll in a remedial course in another institution of higher education, such as a four-year college, university, or tradeschool. Thus, the full proportion of high school graduates who do not possess the requisite English, reading, and math-ematics ability likely exceeds 20 percent.Between 2007 and 2009, the percentage of students who enrolled in one or more Developmental courses at an NCcommunity college increased by seven percent (see Table 2). Between 2007 and 2009, an additional 2,400 studentsenrolled in remedial English. Developmental reading added over 1,300 students, and Developmental mathematicsincrease by over 2,400 students.
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During the 2009-10 school year, over one-half of students enrolled in a North Carolina community college took aremedial mathematics course. Nearly 40 percent of students enrolled in a remedial English course. In sum, 64 percent
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of new community college students enrolled in one or more remedial courses, a 7 percent increase from the 2007-08school year. (For school-level data, see the Appendix to this report.) According to one NCCCS ofcial, “Developmental education has been called a graveyard of dreams for many low-skilled students.”
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It is not difcult to see why. Of the thousands of students required to enroll in a DevelopmentalEnglish, reading, or mathematics course, an average of 20 percent of them do not earn a “C” or better.
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Pass rates forDevelopmental mathematics courses approached 75 percent. Fortunately, 2009 pass rates in these courses have re-mained at or below their 2007 levels.
Table 3. Pass Rates of Students in Developmental Courses
CommunityCollege Year Dev. English(Percent) Dev. Reading(Percent) Dev. Math(Percent)Total(Percent)
2009-1081%83%74%78%2008-0983%83%77%80%2007-0879%84%74%77%Change, 07-10+2%-1%0%+1%
Conclusion
During this year’s state budget debate, Chairman of the State Board of Education Bill Harrison contended, “NorthCarolina’s system of education is not broken. In fact, North Carolina’s system of education is a model for states acrossthe country.”
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He pointed to “years of steady increases” in North Carolina’s graduation rate, including “the highestlevel ever recorded in 2009-10, at 74.2 percent.” On the surface, North Carolina’s increasing graduation rate appearsto signal a systematic improvement in our public schools. But quantity is not the same as quality. As North Carolina’s
Table 1. Statewide Graduation and High School Graduates Who Enrolled in At Least OneDevelopmental Course at an NCCCS Institution
GraduationYear Denominator(9th Graders) Numerator(Graduates)Graduation RateCommunityCollege Year HS Grads Enrolled in NCCCS Dev. Course Percent of Total Grads in NCCCS Dev. Course
2008-09113,47181,42471.8%2009-1017,10221%2007-08108,85276,56170.3%2008-0915,86521%2006-07105,79973,55369.5%2007-0813,90219%Change, 2006-09+7,672+7,871+2.3%Change, 2007-10+3,200+2%
Table 2. High School Students Who Graduated, Enrolled in an NCCCS Institution,and Took Developmental Courses
CommunityCollegeYearTotalStudentCount Dev. EnglishStudents Dev. English(Percent) Dev. ReadingStudents Dev. Reading(Percent) Dev. MathStudents Dev. Math(Percent)One or More Dev. CoursesStudentsOne or More Dev. Courses(Percent)
2009-1026,5989,99338%7,07027%13,98653%17,10264%2008-0926,2499,08135%6,34924%13,14850%15,86560%2007-0824,2457,59931%5,72624%11,55748%13,90257%Change, 2007-10+2,353+2,394+7%+1,344+3%+2,429+5%+3,200+7%
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Spotlight 413 High School Graduation in NC: Quantity over quality?
Key facts:
• Between 2006 and 2009, North Carolina’s graduation rate increased by 2.3 percent. At the same time, the community college remediation rate increased by 7 percent.
• Low academic standards and expectations are one… (More)
• Between 2006 and 2009, North Carolina’s graduation rate increased by 2.3 percent. At the same time, the community college remediation rate increased by 7 percent.
• Low academic standards and expectations are one… (More)
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