With funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, and in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) Office of Higher Education, the goal of this project is to improve the college readiness of Delaware students by (a) better understanding the factors that influence students’ readiness for college, (b) identifying promising strategies in high schools with lower-than-expected rates of college remediation, and (c) exploring the potential for earlier intervention through enhancements to Delaware’s existing systems, policies, and practices.

The research plan is guided by the following research questions:

1. What are the most prevalent course trajectories in middle and high schools in math, English and science?
   1. Of these, which trajectories have the highest rates of college enrollment and the lowest rates of college remediation?
2. How do students’ state testing results (proficient vs. below proficient) influence their course trajectories in middle and high school (e.g., Algebra in 8th grade) and subsequent college readiness classification (e.g., SAT scores)?
3. How do 9th and 12th graders describe their reactions and experiences after being labelled proficient versus not on the 8th grade state test, or college-ready versus not on the 11th grade SAT?
4. How do schools influence students’ course trajectories?
   1. How do high schools use prior assessment scores to track students into courses?
   2. To what extent are schools “under-matching” students regarding college preparatory courses?
   3. What are the most promising strategies implemented in schools that are “beating the odds” (i.e., have higher college attendance rates and/or lower college remediation rates than predicted)?
5. Can Delaware’s existing early warning system (currently focused on predicting academic failure or dropout) be enhanced by adding information about on-track status for college readiness?

Research Design

The answers to these research questions will be based on a research design and analytic strategy intended to identify malleable factors by exploring potential effects of current policy and practice on student outcomes, including rigorous evidence of causal impacts of the proficiency labels produced by the SBA and the college readiness labels produced by the PSAT and SAT. More specifically, the study includes a regression discontinuity design coupled with a mixed methods approach using a sequential explanatory design (QUANT→qual) (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2010) to deepen our understanding of large-scale quantitative findings through qualitative inquiry.

Data Sources

Much of the data for this study come from the DOE’s statewide longitudinal data system and the National Student Clearinghouse database. The data are anonymized (student’s names, ID numbers, and other identifiers were removed and replaced with anonymous ID numbers) and are linked year to year from 2011 onward (eventually through 2026), which enables analyses over time of individual students’ test scores, course enrollments, grades, attendance, and other factors related to success in high school and enrollment in college. We are also conducting interviews with students and school staff to better understand how the experiences of students vary in difference schools and contexts, and how district and school policies and practices around course offerings and academic programs may influence students’ trajectories through high school and into college.

Publications & Presentations

May, H., Van Horne, S., & Headley, M. G. (2024, September). School Value-Added Effects on College Readiness and Enrollment: A Statewide Analysis in Delaware. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE), September 19, 2024, Washington, DC.

Lu, C. Y., May, H., & Morrison, K. K. (2023, September). Equitable access to rigorous courses in high school? A statewide analysis of course offerings, access, and enrollment in Delaware. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE), September 29, 2023, Washington, DC.

Lu, C. Y., May, H., Headley, M. G., & Klein, J. R. (2023, April). Using Qualitative Analysis of High School Course Catalog to Develop Categories for Quantitative Analysis. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 15, 2023, Chicago, IL.

Headley, M. G., May, H., Klein, J. R., Morrison, K. K., & Carey, R. L. (2023, April). Designing a Longitudinal and Multilevel Mixed-Methods Study. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 15, 2023, Chicago, IL.

Headley, M. G., Lu, C. Y., & May, H., (2023, April). Comparing Qualitatively and Quantitatively Defined Trajectories: Available Versus Traveled Trajectories. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 15, 2023, Chicago, IL.

Lu, C. Y., May, H., Headley, M. G., Klein, J. R., Morrison, K. K., & Carey, R. L. (2023, April). A Longitudinal Study of High School Students’ Math Course Trajectories. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 13, 2023, Chicago, IL.

Lu, C. Y. & May, H. (2023, April). Using High School Course Catalogs to Understand Student Access to Advanced English Language Arts and Math Courses. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 13, 2023, Chicago, IL.

Morrison, K. K., Headley, M. G., May, H., Klein, J. R., & Carey, R. L. (2023, April). The House and the Bridge: Underlying Aims of College Readiness Supports, a Statewide Longitudinal Study. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association, April 13, 2023, Chicago, IL.