Adaptive Behavior of College Students With Autism

As an increasing number of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) matriculate on college campuses, all stakeholders should be prepared to meet their needs. Despite a body of literature describing adaptive behavior deficits of those with ASD, there is a paucity of research examining these skills among those who are college-ready. The present study investigated the adaptive behavior of a diverse group ( N = 27) of incoming college students with ASD and examined to what extent these skills could predict initial academic success. Despite average intelligence and good academic indicators, deficits in communication, socialization, and daily living skills were found. No models, even those which included intelligence quotient (IQ) and SAT scores, were predictive of first-semester or first-year grade point average (GPA). Importantly, freshman-to-sophomore retention appeared higher than the university average. Findings suggest that practitioners and families should consider adaptive behavior in addition to intellectual and academic capabilities when considering postsecondary opportunities and available supports.

Librarians: Bridges to College Readiness

Teacher librarians often have to show their value in order to continue to provide their services, so being able to demonstrate how they help prepare students to be college-ready would reinforce the importance of professionally-led school libraries. This situation led to the research question: what relationship exists between the presence of a high school teacher librarian and freshmen college students’ academic success? To answer this question, this study examined five years of a large comprehensive university’s freshmen data about their course load, their first semester GPA, and characteristics of the high school from which they graduated. Findings revealed the impact of the high school librarian and students’ economic status.

Are students with disabilities ready for college? The influence of college readiness to college engagement

Inclusive education is seen as promising way to accommodate students with disabilities in accessing higher education; yet, the implementation leaves challenges for the students with disabilities and also the faculties. Regarding the secondary education curriculum that is not preparing students with disabilities to attend higher education, students with disabilities are struggling in adjusting college life. This research aimed at confirming the influence of college readiness to college engagement of students with disabilities. There were 61 college students with disabilities participated in the survey on college readiness and college engagement. Independent T-Test and simple regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesis. The result showed that the college readiness influence college engagement with large effect size (r=.769>0.50, F=85.494, p (.000) <0.01) which indicates that the more students are college-ready, the more they are engaged. Subsection’s variables of gender and education background do not statistically significant affect the college readiness and engagement of students with disabilities. As the opportunity for students with disabilities attending college is uprising, college transition program is highly suggested to prepare students with disability for college life.

Ready for College? Examining the Effectiveness of Targeted Interventions in High School

Kentucky’s Targeted Interventions (TI) program is a statewide intervention intended to prepare non-college-ready high school students for college-level coursework. Using a difference-in-regression discontinuity design, we find that TI reduces the likelihood that students enroll in remedial courses by 8 to 10 percentage points in math. These effects are similar or stronger among students who are eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, students with remediation needs in multiple subjects, and students in lower performing schools. TI also increases the likelihood that students enroll in and pass college math before the end of the first year in 4-year universities by 4 percentage points and by 9 percentage points among free/reduced-price lunch eligible students. However, we do not find evidence of TI affecting credit accumulation or persistence.

College Ready or Not?

In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on ensuring that high schools across the United States focus on college readiness standards and skills, with the goal that more students will persist and find greater success in college. Despite this focus, there are still significant gaps among the students who are deemed “ready” and are actually persisting and finding that success, specifically for English language learners (ELLs). In this article, we illustrate the landscape of ELLs enrolled in institutions of higher education. We then explore how ELL students are classified and how these different profiles intersect with the limited range and types of English as a Second Language (ESL) support available at the institutional level. Finally, we contribute to the very limited practical knowledge base on ELLs in the college setting, with a summary of promising best practices for college faculty across disciplines to consider in their instruction.

What Does It Mean to Be College-Ready for Career Technical Education?

Objective/Research Question: Surprisingly, little research explores the literacy practices specific to career technical education (CTE) courses at the postsecondary level, yet the number of students coming to college needing literacy support continues to increase. There is a need for focused research on what constitutes college-readiness. The study described in this article addresses this overarching issue by exploring the text expectations, including text types, tasks, and goals in both CTE courses and developmental reading (DR) courses to determine whether, how, and to what extent text expectations align across the DR and CTE courses. Methods: This multisite research project involved three community colleges in one Midwestern state. Data sources included surveys, focus groups, and textbooks for all courses. Data collection procedures were comparable for each type of data, across all study sites, focal tracks, and constituency groups. Results: This study’s findings suggest a lack of alignment between the DR courses and the introductory-level CTE courses, on a number of levels. Conclusions/Contributions: This study’s findings suggest a need to continue investigating what constitutes college-ready for reading, across multiple disciplinary and career technical areas.

Effects of Timely Enrollment in College-Level Mathematics on Degree Completion

In this study, we explored the effect of delayed enrollment in college-level mathematics upon entry into a 4-year university for students who were not placed into remedial mathematics (i.e. college ready). For students who attempted a mathematics course, delayed enrollment in mathematics did not have an effect on GPA, graduating within 6-years or passing and failing their first mathematics course suggesting a delay in mathematics enrollment may benefit some students. However, the majority of students who did not graduate within 6-years never attempted a mathematics course. Almost all of those students were non-STEM majors. An implication of our study is that students in non-STEM should be encouraged to complete a mathematics course early within their degree versus avoiding mathematics.

Academic and Social Expectations of Incoming College Students

Students’ beliefs about themselves and their abilities shape their first-semester college experience. Previous studies have connected growth mindset and grit with increased graduation and retention relates, but mindset is likely to relate to other factors besides academic performance and re-enrollment. This article examines incoming students’ beliefs about their intelligence, social skills, work habits, and effort. Students (N = 332) also rated their likely reactions to a variety of hypothetical academic and social situations they might encounter during their first year of college. Our goal is to expand the conversation about the “college-ready” student mindset and develop a more accurate picture of the various beliefs students have when they enter college. The results demonstrate significant ethnicity, gender, and ACT score differences across the major measures, but not first-generational status differences. These results suggest that student support programming should take into consideration variations in student mindset.

The Summer Before College: A Case Study of First-Generation, Urban High School Graduates

Often without guidance in completing college-related tasks, first-generation students face unique challenges during the summer before college. This case study investigates this critical time period by studying a cohort of 33 newly graduated students from the same urban, public high school. Guided by social capital, college readiness, and nepantla frameworks, results shed light on students’ barriers and pathways to transitioning to postsecondary education. The authors call for an extension of college readiness frameworks to the summer before college and also problematize the notion of a college-ready student.