The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has been reviewing state report cards for the past seven years. They continue to examine the landscape of state report cards because they believe states must increase transparency and build trust by sharing information. But after many years, it was time to look at state report cards with fresh eyes. In addition to…

In this article, the author reflects upon the changes assessment professionals have faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Against the background of stressed faculty and staff and falling student enrollment, lower retention, and graduation rates, assessment professional must consider how to talk about the "quality" of student learning…

School grades provide an easily understandable metric to measure the performance of a school. Parents and the general public can use the school grade and its associated components to understand how well each school is serving its students. The purpose of this technical guide is to provide a description of the procedures used to determine school…

"Scaling Completion" highlights Complete College America (CCA)'s work in 2023 to: (1) Lead the field to improve college completion rates, particularly for historically underserved students; (2) Engage and bring together leaders to eliminate institutional performance gaps; and (3) Build capacity to create and implement data-informed…

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page sheets on a variety of subjects. This fact sheet focuses on: (1) State-Level High School Graduation Rate Percentages for English Learners: School Year 2017-18; (2) Graduation Rate Percentages for English Learners by State: School Year…

Dual credit instruction allows academically prepared high school students to simultaneously earn credits that count toward a high school diploma and a college degree. Dual credit instruction delivers a "win-win" arrangement for all parties: students gain access to challenging college-level coursework to make their junior and senior years…

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma state system of higher education has focused on two overarching objectives: expanding workforce development efforts and creating paths to a better life for Oklahomans. Oklahoma public institutions and elected officials are partners in developing an educated, engaged workforce prepared to meet the state's current and…

Increasing college attainment offers tremendous promise for increasing social mobility, tackling poverty, and reducing racial and income inequality, aspirations that are more vital than ever as the devastating impact of the pandemic has fallen disproportionately on people of color. Yet for too many policymakers and practitioners, the path to…

A substantial body of research shows that when families can use state-sanctioned funds to pay for private school and other academic experiences, everyone wins. Students graduate high school and attain college degrees at higher rates, schools improve academic achievement and become more diverse, parents are satisfied, and taxpayers save money. A…

The 2024 Joint Chairmen's Report issued a charge to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to report on the State's progress toward its goal to have at least 55% of Maryland residents ages 25 to 64 holding at least an associate's degree by 2025. This report, the 2024 Report on Best Practices and Annual Progress toward the 55% Completion…

This article describes the Catch the Next Ascender model, developed under the aegis of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as a corrective to increase persistence and completion rates among the Texas Latinx college population.

The enclosed materials contain fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) responses from Illinois' public Community College System to the "Native American Employment Plan Survey" (Public Act 101-0534). The legislation requests that each community college provide an annual assessment of strategies and progress in the hiring and…

Inclusive, quality education promotes understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among individuals and communities. Education holds the potential to reduce the likelihood of conflicts by fostering critical thinking, encouraging open dialogue and creating economic growth opportunities. The world urgently needs to recognize the role of…

This Fact Sheet highlights English learner students in secondary schools who are career and technical education participants (received at least one CTE credit in that year) and concentrators (received three credits within a career cluster during high school).

The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between institutional administrators, University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding…