Improving Equity In College And Career Readiness Outcomes In Texas

TEXAS BOASTS THE SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES AND HAS HAD THE LONGEST SUSTAINED ECONOMIC EXPANSION IN AMERICAN HISTORY.[ 1 ]

But today, around 65% of jobs nationwide require at least some postsecondary education. And like all states, Texas has current average attainment levels below those required for the jobs of the future.[ 2 ] The increasing demand for a postsecondary credential means that Texas will have to do more to sustain economic growth long-term. To keep the momentum going and prepare young people for the future economy, Texas set a goal for 60% of young adults in the state to obtain a postsecondary credential by 2030.[ 3 ] But postsecondary completion growth has slowed in recent years among Black students, Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds in Texas.[ 4 ] The state is only halfway toward meeting its postsecondary completion goal for students from low-income backgrounds, 55% toward its goal for Black students, and only 41% toward its goal for Latino students.[ 5 ] These inequities in education have direct economic consequences.[ 6 ]

In addition, COVID-19 has upended Texas’ economic future and threatens to further derail the state’s postsecondary goals. The pandemic has disrupted students’ academic trajectories and has already negatively impacted college plans, especially those of students from low-income backgrounds, Black students, and Latino students.[ 7 ] Texas undergraduate enrollment for fall 2020 is down 3.4% from last year, according to recent reporting.[ 8 ] As schools and districts work to deliver remote or in-person instruction, it is critical that students have opportunities to prepare for their future. Advanced and rigorous courses can offer students a clear path toward college and career by preparing students with challenging curriculum and allowing students to earn college credit. But nationally, Black and Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds are assigned at much lower rates to advanced courses than their peers.[ 9 ] The same is true in Texas. To get Texas on track to meet its postsecondary goals, state efforts must be made to increase access to and success in rigorous and advanced courses for students who are persistently excluded.

POSTSECONDARY COMPLETION GROWTH HAS SLOWED IN RECENT YEARS AMONG BLACK STUDENTS, LATINO STUDENTS, AND STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS IN TEXAS

TO WEATHER THE CURRENT RECESSION AND SECURE THE STATE’S ECONOMIC VITALITY, TEXAS MUST DOUBLE DOWN ON ITS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND ENSURE ALL TEXAS STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY

Absent COVID-19, Texas was already far from achieving its goal to increase the number of Texans with a college degree or certificate. In 2018, less than half of Texas young adults (39%) held a postsecondary degree, and that percentage hides persistent gaps in opportunities for students of color. [ 12 ] While 51% of White adults held a postsecondary degree, only 34% of Black adults, and 24% of Latino adults in Texas ages 25-34 held a degree.[ 13 ] As Texas grows more diverse, the state must target opportunity gaps to prepare its population and workforce for the future.

TEXAS HAS LESS THAN 10 YEARS TO REACH ITS 60X30TX GOAL. BUILDING A STRONG EDUCATION PIPELINE FROM P-12 TO HIGHER EDUCATION IS CRITICAL

Texas must set its sights beyond high school graduation and on preparing and supporting all students to be successful in higher education. Texas has historically high graduation rates compared to the rest of the country, but these are not translating to high matriculation or college completion rates.[ 18 ] Half of Texas students do not enroll in college immediately after high school, and this trend has remained largely unchanged since the introduction of 60x30TX. And Black and Latino students continue to have lower immediate postsecondary enrollment rates than their Asian and White peers (Figure 1).

Academic instruction, curriculum, and performance in high school are powerful predictors of college completion.[ 19 ] Even when Texas students do graduate high school, too many have not been prepared to succeed in college, and consequently, are not completing their degree. Nearly 40% of students entering a Texas public higher education institution did not meet college-readiness standards established by the Texas Success Initiative (Figure 2). And of those students, only 58% returned to college for their second year, compared to 83% of students who were college ready (Figure 2). Unprepared students go on to take remedial courses, which cost money, and do not earn students credit, which makes it harder for students to progress toward a degree. If unsupported, students who are not college ready can get stuck in remedial courses and never complete coll ege (Figure 2).

While Texas’ P-12 schools must prepare students for postsecondary, higher education institutions must be intentional about providing access and supporting students to complete college. Of the degree-seeking students who enrolled in a Texas public university or two-year college in 2013, just half (52%) graduated from a Texas university within six years, and there are significant racial disparities. Only 36% of Black students and 48% of Latino students graduated within six years, compared with 60% of White students.[ 20 ] This should not be the case. Closing funding gaps across higher education institutions would be a step toward greater equity. Texas institutions providing the best access for students of color, like historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) receive less state funding (an average of $2,500 less per student) than predominately White state flagships, which means fewer resources to support college completion.[ 21 ] With investment, Texas can improve Black and Latino student success.

At every step along the path to and through college, Texas schools let students, especially Black and Latino students, fall off the path to college completion. The data shows that fewer than a quarter of the 2009 eighth grade class graduated from a Texas higher education institution 10 years later. Even fewer Black students (15%), Latino students (18%), and students from low-income backgrounds (14%) graduated from a Texas college that same year (Figure 3). These outcomes paint a bleak picture for Texas’ future. There is an urgent need to address postsecondary attainment gaps and ensure students are prepared to transition to college and the workforce.

TEXAS MUST SUPPORT STUDENT POSTSECONDARY READINESS BY PROVIDING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO ADVANCED COURSES

Texas students need access to rigorous and advanced courses to be prepared for college and careers in Texas’ future economy. Research shows that students who take college-level courses in high school are more likely to graduate, go on to college, and earn a degree.[ 24 ] Data shows that Texas Black and Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds can be successful if given the opportunity, but are denied equitable access to critical opportunities at every stage — gifted and talented programs in elementary school; Algebra I courses in middle school; and Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, and dual credit programs in high school.[ 25 ]

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS

The vast majority (95%) of elementary schools in T exas offer gifted and talented programs. [ 26 ] These programs can open the door for future advanced coursework opportunities and can change educators’ perceptions of students, especially students of color.[ 27 ] Nationally, there are barriers to gifted and talented programs (referral, identification, and enrollment) for Black and Latino students. [ 28 ] Texas has taken positive steps to ensure that students are equitably identified, for example, by requiring all kindergarten students be automatically considered for gifted and talented, requiring that schools use multiple measures to determine eligibility (e.g., data is collected through three or more methods and used to determine whether a student qualifies for g ifted and talented services), and requiring districts to communicate assessment policies to families.[ 29 ]

Even with these policies in place, Black and Latino students remain underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. A 2019 Ed Trust report found that enrollment in gifted and talented programs in elementary school does not reflect overall student enrollment in Texas: There are 80 Latino students and just 59 Black students enrolled for every 100 students who should be enrolled to be fairly represented.[ 30 ] Texas leaders should focus attention on identifying remaining barriers that block Black and Latino students from gifted and talented programs and support program implementation in districts and schools that serve under-identified students.

EIGHTH GRADE ALGEBRA I
By middle school, many Texas students encounter barriers to enrollment in advanced, rigorous math courses, like eighth grade algebra. Enrollment in Algebra I in middle school is a “gateway” to advanced math courses in high school and can ensure students are on a college- and career-ready path. Research also shows that students who take eighth grade algebra are more likely to experience a host of positive outcomes, including graduating high school on-time.[ 31 ]

But Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds are under-placed into advanced math pathways, [ 32 ] and were less likely to be enrolled in Algebra I in eighth grade than their White and higher-income peers in 2019 (Figure 4). The role that implicit and explicit bias pl ays in producing this pattern cannot be denied, especially since even the highest-performing Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds, are underrepresented in advanced math in Texas.[ 33 ]

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

In high school, Advanced Placement and dual credit courses play a critical role in making postsecondary education accessible and affordable by offering students college-level content and granting them both college and high school credit.[ 40 ] Students who earn AP, International Baccalaureate, or academic dual enrollment credits in the 12th grade are more likely to attend college and complete a degree than students who earn none.[ 41 ]

The majority of students in Texas (85%) attend schools that offer a diverse range of AP cour ses in math, science, and other content areas.[ 42 ] But despite the widespread availability of these courses, many Black students, Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds, are excluded from AP courses (Figure 5).

Of course, access is not enough. Too few high school students from low-income backgrounds, Black students, and Latino students in Texas earn college credit through AP courses. Of all Texas high school students, only 3% of Black students, 6% of Latino students, and 5% of students from low-income backgrounds were supported to take AP and earn college credit in 2017 (Figure 5). Texas schools are not supporting its Black and Latino students t o succeed in advanced coursework as well as other states. In 2019, Texas AP passing exam rates were below the national average for Black students and Latino students.[ 43 ]

DUAL CREDIT

Similar to AP, dual credit courses offer high school students the opportunity to earn college credit through rigorous, college-level courses. These courses have become increasingly popular in Texas: Between 1999 and 2019, the number of high school students taking at least one dual credit course rose from about 12,000 to more than 200,000; this represents about 13% of the Texas high school population.[ 44 ] The percentage of high school students taking dual credit courses in Texas has risen for all student groups and, as a result of the changing demographic makeup of Texas, has grown more ethnically and racially diverse.[ 45 ] However, disparities in dual credit participation persist and may be driven by access barriers across Texas high schools according to a study that found White students, higher income students, and students who were enrolled in gifted and talented programs were significantly more likely to participate in dual credit, relative to Black students, Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds in Texas. Between 2012 and 2015, Black students were about 9 percentage points and Latino students 5 percentage points less likely than White students with similar characteristics to participate in dual credit in 12th grade.[ 46 ]

Dual credit seniors have higher college-going rates than the average high school student but, even when taking these courses, not every student goes on to college, and Black and Latino dual credit seniors have lower collegegoing rates than White dual credit seniors (Figure 7). The main purpose of taking dual credit or AP courses is to earn postsecondary credit, so it would be expected that students taking these courses go on to college. Unfortunately, schools may not be providing the guidance needed for students to make that transition.

BETWEEN 2012 AND 2015, BLACK STUDENTS WERE ABOUT 9 PERCENTAGE POINTS AND LATINO STUDENTS 5 PERCENTAGE POINTS LESS LIKELY THAN WHITE STUDENTS WITH SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS TO PARTICIPATE IN DUAL CREDIT IN 12TH GRADE

This can be partly due to a lack of transparency in data collection, reporting, and accountability, which has failed to keep pace with dual credit program growth. Confusion and inconsistencies exist around dual credit course sequences and transferability to higher education institutions.[ 47 ] Unlike AP, dual credit standards are inconsistent or unclear, which can harm dual credit students’ ability to gain the full benefits of these courses, like earning college credit, saving money, and reducing college debt burdens in the long term.[ 48 ]

Texas’ P-12 system has the responsibility to lay the groundwork for college and career success. But the data shows that students from low-income backgrounds, Black students, and Latino students face persistent barriers — from elementary to high school — to accessing advanced and rigorous courses that prepare them for critical educational transitions. Without targeted policy efforts, Texas risks falling short of its 60x30TX higher education goals.

TEXAS MUST STRENGTHEN POLICY EFFORTS TO PROMOTE EQUITY IN CCMR AND CLOSE LONGSTANDING POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT GAPS
Texas’ 2019 Legislature established CCMR Outcomes Bonuses in HB3, to incentivize and reward districts that graduate students, particularly students from low-income backgrounds and students served by special education programs, who demonstrate readiness for postsecondary pathways.[ 49 ] The bill instates bonuses for each annual graduate above a specific percentage threshold who meets the definition of college ready, career ready, or military ready. The program also provides reimbursements for free college preparatory assessments or industry recognized certification exams, educator professional development, student counseling, preparation, and FAFSA or TASFA form support, among other allowable uses that promote CCMR.[ 50 ] The Texas Legislature intended the HB3 CCMR efforts to further the state’s 60x30TX goals. While Texas can leverage CCMR bonuses and reimbursements to expand district efforts to prepare students for postsecondary success, the state can do much more to build on this effort. Texas must protect and continue to invest in programs that expand access to advanced coursework, such as the Texas Tri-Agency Pathways resources, which support districts and educators in creating college and career pathways for their students.[ 51 ] More statewide data and alignment is needed to build on Texas’ SB25, which mandates that colleges and universities report dual credit courses that don’t transfer and requires Texas colleges to develop at least one recommended course sequence for every certificate or degree program. These actions can help address the lack of transparency in dual credit programs and the accumulation of non-transferrable credits. Overall, Texas initiatives and funding should be targeted to the states’ underserved Black students, Latino students, and students from low-income backgrounds who currently face barriers to opportunity and will make up a larger share of Texas’ future population.

TEXAS MUST RE-COMMIT TO ITS 60X30TX GOALS AND ACT NOW TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS

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