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Kentucky Study Shows Lasting Impact of NMSI's College Readiness Program

National Math and Science Initiative partner AdvanceKentucky continues to make great strides in improving student access to and achievement in rigorous Advanced Placement coursework through expansion of NMSI’s College Readiness Program into high schools across Kentucky. According to a recent longitudinal study conducted by the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics, the program is also having positive impacts that extend beyond high school.
 
The study compared AdvanceKentucky students from the 2012 high school graduating class with 2012 graduates not involved in the program and found that AdvanceKentucky students were better prepared for college and needed far less remediation than their peers. Specifically, AdvanceKentucky students:
 
· Achieved a 1.5-point advantage on average ACT scores
 
· Scored 10 percentage point higher in college/career readiness
 
· Enrolled in remedial classes in college at a substantially lower rate (10% vs. 50% for non-AdvanceKentucky     students)
 
The research study also included analysis of college persistence and graduation rates among 2009 high schools graduates. Compared with non-AdvanceKentucky students, AdvanceKentucky students:  
 
· Persisted into their second year of college at a higher rate (13% vs. 7% for the comparison group)
 
· Graduated from college in four years at twice the rate (34% vs. 17% for the comparison group)
 
AdvanceKentucky is one of six original statewide partner programs selected by NMSI in 2007 to expand implementation of the College Readiness Program. The addition of nine new high schools in the 2015-16 school year will bring the total number of schools impacted by the program through AdvanceKentucky to 101, or 46% of all public high schools across the state.