ACADEMICS

What exactly is college ready?According to a recent report from the Educational Policy Im-provement Center distributed by the Texas Education Agency, college readiness can be defined as “the level of preparation a student needs to enroll and succeed—without remediation-in a credit-bearing general education course at a postsecondary insti-tution that offers a baccalaureate degree or transfer to a baccalau-reate program.” In other words, college readiness is the ability to enroll in and complete coursework without the help of remedial courses.

Unfortunately, staggering state and nation-wide statistics indi-cate that many college freshmen are less than college ready. The American Research Institute investigated this trend and in Octo-ber of 2010 published the report “Finishing the First Lap: The Cost of First Year Student Attrition in America’s Four Year Colleges and Universities.” In spite of the fact that the United States spends more on higher education than any other country, the following were determined based upon statistics from 2003-2008: 30% of students who start college in the fall will not return

to that college next year. Only 60% of students graduate from “four-year” colleges

and universities within six years. Texas, ranked third in the country for state money spent on

first-year dropouts, and had total expenditures on these non-returning students of $470.5 million.

States appropriated almost $6.2 billion to colleges and universities to help pay for the education of students who did not return for a second year.1

How does IWA compare to college readiness indicators?The SAT and ACT are the most commonly used benchmarks for college admission. For almost a decade, IWA students have outperformed the state and national averages on both of these exams, and the Class of 2011 was no exception.

What’s an IWA Diploma Really Worth?

With a national participation rate of 47%, the benchmark for SAT performance for 2011, set at 1550, indicates that students have 65% likelihood of scoring a B- or higher average for the first year of college. With 98% of the Class of 2011 participating in the SAT and an average score of 1674, IWA graduates are likely to outperform their peers during the first year college.

The SAT supports the importance of rigorous high school preparation by providing additional data on scores of students

who complete a core curriculum and honors or AP courses. Students who met these criteria scored an average of 143 points higher overall, with an average of 163 points higher in English and an average of 204 points higher in math.2 IWA meets a core curriculum with both diploma plans and offers a combined 33 honors/AP courses.

Based on recent reports, an IWA diploma could be worth up to two full years of college tuition. At an average cost of $40,000 per year, those two years are worth about $80,000 if your child finishes high school “college ready.”

$240,000. . . that’s what 6 years of college will cost on average for most graduates because of remediation and incomplete courses.

$160,000. . . that’s what 4 years of college will cost on average for IWA graduates because they are college ready !

In other words . . . $30,000 for 4 years of high school tuition will end up saving most IWA graduates $80,000 in college costs !

Class of 2011 Average SAT Scores

IWA State National

Overall 1674 1446 1500

Critical Reading 553 479 497

Mathematics 565 502 514

Writing 556 465 489

Class of 2011 Average ACT Scores

IWA State National

Composite 25.3 20.8 21.1

English 25.8 19.6 20.6

Reading 25.0 20.7 21.3

Science 23.7 20.8 20.9

Math 26.0 21.5 21.1

Class of 2011 Average ACT ScoresThe benchmark for ACT performance for 2011 in the state of Texas, set at a composite 20.8, indicates that students have a 75% or higher likelihood of scoring a C or higher average for the first year of college. The ACT is less commonly taken by students with only 36% of the Texas Class of 2011 participating. The IWA Class of 2011 had a participation rate of 43% and outscored the composite average nationally by 4.2 points and state-wide by 4.5 points (The Condition of College and Career Readiness Texas, 2011).What makes IWA graduates college ready?At Incarnate Word Academy, education is a fundamental pillar in the formation of our students for a life of achievement, purpose, and leadership. IWA attributes its success at college preparation and readiness to many factors. The faculty and staff are com-mitted to providing an excellent and challenging education. The academically enhanced curriculum encourages students to strive for higher achievement. The continuous technology enhance-ments made at all levels enable students to make the most of 21st century resources, including the latest introduction of the College and Career Guidance Center supported with Naviance software. Finally, students foster a competitive and supportive environment that inspires confidence in the capacity for individual achieve-ment. Regardless of how each unique component adds up, the overall results are graduates equipped, prepared, confident, and READY to take on college. ■

Footnotes:1. Conley, D.T. (2001). Redefining College Readiness, Volume 5. Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center.2. Camara, Wayne J.; Kobrin, Jennifer; Porestler, Nina; Wiley, Andrew; and Wyatt, Jeffrey. (2011). SAT Benchmarks;

Development of a College Readiness Benchmark and its Relationship to Secondary and Postsecondary School Performance. College Board News Release, Sept. 14, 2011.