This document discusses key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring college and career readiness. It notes several national challenges in higher education completion rates and workforce preparedness. The author advocates developing KPIs that measure student engagement, academic outcomes, and return on investment. Participants are asked to brainstorm and prioritize KPIs for their school district focusing on inputs, processes, and outputs at the student level. The document also provides context on current thinking around developing a federal college ratings system to inform student choices and link ratings to federal financial aid starting in 2018.

1. Key Performance Indicators for
College & Career Readiness
Todd Bloom, Ph.D.
July 17, 2014

2. Welcome & Overview
• Introductions
• Contextualized Need for KPIs
• Current Research & Thinking About KPIs
• Your Key Performance Indicators
• College Ratings System
• Wrap
2

3. Contextualized Need for KPIs:
From Macro Trends to Local Response

4. 4
Clear National Challenges
Only
1/2
of all
undergraduates
complete a
college degree
in six years.
38%
of all U.S.
students take
a remedial course
in their first or
second year.
More than
60%
of jobs will
require a
postsecondary
education.
Students with a
bachelor’s degree
will earn
40%
more in their lifetime
(29% more with
a community
college degree)
than students with
only high school
diplomas.
The U.S. is
9th
in the world
in college
attainment
for the
25-34 year old
population.

5. 5
A Coherent National Goal
Dramatically increase the number/proportion of
U.S. citizens with an undergraduate degree by...
Some variability on how to reach the goal

6. 6
Challenging Macro Forces
Student Expectations (SROI)
Cost of College (Cost of no college)
Global competition
State Revenues
Public Ability/Desire to Pay
Median Family Income

7. Talent Pipeline Now
7 Based on http://www.changemag.org/Archives/Back
Issues/2011/May-June 2011/first-in-the-world-full.html
Education Pipeline
• Importance of transitions
• Need for P-20W collaboration
• Student success should be focus

8. Current Research & Thinking About
KPIs

9. Reliable Sources for KPIs
9
http://annenberginstitute.org/project/cris

10. Reliable Sources for KPIs
10
School Districts’ Scorecards

11. Reliable Sources for KPIs
11
Council of the
Great City Schools

12. Reliable Sources for KPIs
12
Current Research, for example…
www.completecollege.org/state_data/
Findings:
• Student characteristics are
changing
• Part-time students struggle to
graduate
• Many students take too many
credits
• Poor students and students
of color struggle the most to
graduate
• Remediation isn’t effective at
helping students graduate

13. What We Know – It’s Not Simple
13

14. Discussion: Your Key Performance
Indicators

15. KPIs for College & Career
• Inputs, process, and outputs
• Non-academic, engagement,
and academic
• Innovative measures and
what stakeholders expect
• What we know matters
Let’s
focus
on:
15

16. Inputs, Outputs, Process KPIs
16
Course
rigor
Attendance
Course
sequencing
Inputs
Planning
Grades
Student
Survey
Process
GPA
Alumni
results
SAT
Outputs

17. BRAINSTORM: CPS KPIs
Goal: Develop a list of college and career
readiness KPIs that will inform YOUR
DISTRICT’S progress (e.g. district, school, class/group,
student and parent)
GROUP 1: Student Engagement and Non-Academic
GROUP 2: Academic
NOTE: Be sure to consider input, process, and output measures
17

18. PRIORITIZE: CPS KPIs
Goal: Refine the list of college and career
readiness KPIs that will inform YOUR
DISTRICT’S progress
GROUP 1: Student engagement and Non-Academic
GROUP 2: Academic
Process: Rank-order in terms of: perceived strength of indicator
(i.e. validity). Think at the student level of success, not school
level.
18

19. Student Return on Investment
(SROI)

20. Ensuring a Return on Investment
20
“We have not even begun to develop the college
ratings system yet, and we are only in the beginning
stages of soliciting input from a wide range of
stakeholders about the metrics that should or should
not be used in the ratings system…
No later than December of 2014, we’ll use the feedback
we receive to finalize the college ratings system.”
September 20, 2013, Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan

21. Common ED Approach
21
Focus on student:
• Access
• Affordability
• Outcomes
By way of:
• Innovation
• Carrots and future stick

22. Fed’s College Ratings System
22
• November 2013: 4 OPEN FORUMS
• January 22, 2014: Technical Experts Symposium
• December 2014: Final version
• 2015: Implement
• 2018: Results tied to Federal aid (about $150B)

23. Thank You!
23
Todd Bloom
Chief Academic Officer
tbloom@hobsons.com
(952) 807-5345
@Todd_Bloom