5555 E Maple Ave.

Enid, OK 73701

July 27, 2017

The Honorable Representative Jadine Nollan

Oklahoma City Office
333 State Capitol
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Dear Representative Jadine Nollan,

I hope that you are doing well. My name is Summer Cole and I reside at 5555 E. Maple Ave. in
Enid, Oklahoma. I am currently a student at Northern Oklahoma College and the mother of a
future college student. I am writing this letter in support of the recently passed legislation of HB
2155 requiring the State Board of Education to adopt a new statewide system of college and
career planning tools.

I believe that the career planning tool known as the Individual Career Academic Plan (ICAP) will
be beneficial to all the potential college students in my district and all of Oklahoma. Prior to my
research, I was not aware that Oklahoma was only one of seven states without a statewide
initiative focused on personalized student academic planning. State Superintendent of Public
Instruction, Joy Hofmeister, praised lawmakers for this statewide initiative. Hofmeister stated,
an ICAP will ensure every student has a personalized plan to build the necessary academic,
technical and employability skills to meet their career and academic aspirations (Hofmeister
praises, n.p.).

I was drawn to this bill for several reasons. Recently, I assisted my niece with her first-year
college enrollment. I was appalled at the lack of understanding she demonstrated during this
process. She was unaware of the simple steps that were needed to apply for financial aid, how
to enroll in college, and the basic skills needed to succeed in college. In my pursuit of continuing
my college education, I felt as though I was not provided sufficient knowledge to help me
succeed. There is a substantial need for something to make this important life journey easier.
As I was searching for legislation that would benefit higher education, I was intrigued by the
Individual Career Academic Plan. I feel that children need the additional guidance that the ICAP
will provide. This bill will greatly impact the future college students of Oklahoma by preparing
them for their journey to higher education after completing high school.

In a 2015 U.S. News report, studies have shown that only thirty-seven percent of high school
seniors are prepared for college-level coursework in math and reading (Camera, n.p.). The
results of this study support the chilling fact that students are not being taught the required
coursework throughout high school that would eventually prepare them for college. These
statistics were assessed using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is
the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what Americas students
know and understand in various subject areas (NAEP, n.p.). Granted not all students are able to
be tested, but the small sample selected accurately represents the characteristics of the
students in the nation. Another factor affecting the success of a high school student continuing
to college is the education level of their parents. The National Institutes of Health supports the
claim tying the education level of a parent as being a significant predictor of the childs
educational achievements (NAEP, n.p.). According to Eccles, parents with higher education
levels have stronger confidence in their childs academic abilities, and they also have higher
expectations of their child (Seifert, n.p.).

I believe that the guidance the ICAP system will provide the parents and students will prove to
be beneficial in the success of our future college students. Providing students with an
individualized academic plan will certainly decrease the enormous gap in the unpreparedness
of future college students. Thank you again for creating this tremendous plan to help better
prepare the future college students of Oklahoma.

Sincerely,

Summer Cole
 Works Cited

Camera, Lauren. " High School Seniors Aren't College-Ready." U.S. News & World Report. N.p.,

27 Apr. 2016. Web. 27 July 2017. <https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-

27/high-school-seniors-arent-college-ready-naep-data-show>.

"Hofmeister praises lawmakers for vote that shifts education focus to individualized student

academic plans." Sde.ok.gov. N.p., 3 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 July 2017.

<http://sde.ok.gov/sde/newsblog/2017-04-03/hofmeister-praises-lawmakers-vote-

shifts-education-focus-individualized-student>.

"NAEP Overview." NAEP - Overview. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 27 July 2017.

<https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/>.

Seifert, Carly. "Does the Education Level of a Parent Affect a Child's Achievement in

School?" Our Everyday Life. Leaf Group, n.d. Web. 27 July 2017.

<http://oureverydaylife.com/education-level-parent-affect-childs-achievement-school-

6869.html>.