Indicator: Access to college preparatory coursework

Definition

Students have access to the full set of courses needed to meet the requirements for admission at most colleges.

Recommended Metric(s)

Percentage of middle schools offering Algebra I

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Percentage of middle schools offering Algebra I

CEDS Connections offer guidance, including data elements and step-by-step analysis recommendations, for how to calculate select metrics.

Percentage of high schools offering each of the following sets of college preparatory courses: 

  • Four years of English
  • Four years of math (including at least four of the following: pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, Algebra II or trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, statistics, quantitative reasoning, and data science)
  • Three years of laboratory science (including biology, chemistry, physics)
  • Two years of social science
  • Two years of foreign language
  • One year of visual or performing arts
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Percentage of high schools offering college preparatory courses in English, math, laboratory science, social science, foreign language, and visual or performing arts

CEDS Connections offer guidance, including data elements and step-by-step analysis recommendations, for how to calculate select metrics.

Type(s) of Data Needed

Administrative data

Why it matters

Most four-year colleges and universities require students to have completed a core set of college preparatory high school coursework to be eligible for admission.1 In many states, however, the requirements for a high school diploma fall short of these admissions criteria.2 For example, almost half of states require less than college expectations when it comes to foreign language coursework. Moreover, students sometimes lack access to certain required courses in their high schools. In California, for example, the University of California (UC) and California State University systems require students to complete a set of courses in seven areas, from history (“A”) to a college preparatory elective (“G”). An analysis from 2017 found that not all high schools offered the full A–G sequence, with small and rural schools, in particular, being much less likely to do so.3 Uneven access to college preparatory coursework can start as early as middle school, particularly in access to advanced math courses such as Algebra I that enable students to complete higher-level math before they graduate high school.4, 5 Nationwide, only 59 percent of middle schools offer Algebra I.6

What to know about measurement

Districts record information about the courses and programs offered in schools as part of their regular operations, and report school-level data to Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) on the number of Advanced Placement (AP), science, and math courses offered at each high school. Districts also report data to the CRDC on the number of Algebra I courses offered in middle schools.

Source frameworks

Several frameworks reviewed for this report discussed the importance of academic rigor in high school. Our definition draws from the Center for Collaborative Education’s criteria for student-centered learning.  Our recommended metric draws on college preparatory course recommendations by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.

References