Secondary-to-Postsecondary Persistence and College Preparedness: Results from the Annual Survey of College in the Schools Alumni (2023 Graduates)

Abstract

In order to better understand the effect that offering concurrent enrollment courses through the College in the Schools (CIS) Program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has, an annual survey is sent to students approximately one year after high school graduation. This survey asks respondents about their demographics, post-high school pursuits, their preparedness for college by completing UMN courses through CIS, their overall experience with CIS and the transferability of credits.

With the goal of continually improving the program in mind, these survey results help paint a picture of the experiences that students have while both enrolled in courses and after completion of courses. The survey results show a significant positive impact on students' transition to higher education and a high success rate in secondary to postsecondary persistence, with participants matriculating into higher education, predominantly attending four-year colleges.

Survey results indicate that CIS is highly effective at preparing students for college, as respondents reported feeling better prepared academically and more confident about their ability to succeed in college. The program provides substantial value by equipping students with better study skills. The program enjoys strong student satisfaction, with students rating their overall experience as "Excellent" or “Good.” The credits earned through CIS are highly transferable and successful in transfer attempts. These credits offer tangible benefits by counting toward a degree, exempting students from required courses and enabling enrollment in more advanced courses. This success can potentially lead to significant financial savings and an accelerated path to graduation.

Methodology

The survey for students one year after high school graduation consists of 12–14 questions which include both quantitative and qualitative questions. While the survey has been in use for many years, Tiff Thayer, MA in Evaluation Studies and CCAPS IT Project Manager, updated the previously proscribed NACEP student surveys in 2019. Annika Moe, PhD, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and CCAPS IT Project Manager, revised and made improvements to the 2019 Qualtrics survey for use in 2024. Emily Hanson and Molly Olson served as subject matter experts for both survey redesign efforts.

This most-recent version of the survey retains some of the original questions for consistency across the years of surveys completed while also including some new questions to help streamline the survey and increase response rates. For example, online survey tools were used to reduce the length of the survey and improve reporting.

In April 2024, we surveyed students who graduated high school in 2023, about 10–11 months after high school graduation. If they attended college, this provided some time for them to reflect on at least one completed semester of college and report how their college credits, earned through concurrent enrollment, may or may not have transferred to their institution.

The survey was deployed using Qualtrics, the University’s survey tool, allowing for demographic data to be embedded in the survey distribution process. Responses were aligned with individual student data and reminder emails were scheduled to be sent automatically to those who had not yet responded. Survey logic was used, so that certain questions were asked depending on responses given.

The survey was open April 12–May 12, 2024, with reminder emails sent twice within the timeframe to those who hadn’t responded. An incentive of three $25 gift cards drawn randomly was provided to encourage survey completion.

Response Rates

This survey had a response rate of 12% (n=389). One factor limiting responses was that from 2020 through 2022, the CIS registration process encouraged students to use their high school email address, which are typically decommissioned after high school graduation. As a result, CIS did not have active email addresses for many of the 2023 high school graduates to be surveyed, unless the students used a personal email address or matriculated to the UMN system. This may have lowered the overall number of valid emails and potentially skewed the valid emails to include more UMN students. Beginning in 2023, new students are encouraged to use a personal email address, which may improve future response rates.

Results

(from 1-year survey): n=389

A. Secondary to Postsecondary Persistence:

98% respondents matriculated into higher education within a year of high school graduation

  • 4% of respondents attended a 2-year community or technical college
  • 94% of respondents attended a 4-year college

“College in the Schools prepared me for the higher level of education and learning style I needed to succeed in my college career. The classes I took through College in the Schools influenced me to attend the college I took classes through.”

B. Preparedness for College:

86% of respondents answered with agree or strongly agree: “By completing a U of M course(s) through College in the Schools, I … was better prepared academically for college”

82% of respondents answered with agree or strongly agree: “By completing a U of M course(s) through College in the Schools, I … was more confident about my ability to succeed in college”

68% of respondents answered with agree or strongly agree: “By completing a U of M course(s) through College in the Schools, I …improved my study skills”

“There really is no reason to not take CIS. Composition (WRIT 1301) improved my writing skills dramatically. I was and am able to write better college application essays, job applications, and scientific reports. It’s free college, so take advantage of it.”

C. Satisfaction with the Program:

“How would you rate your overall experience with College in the Schools?” – 94% of respondents answered with Excellent or Good

“Would you recommend College in the Schools courses to current high school students?” – 98% said Yes

“It was a very difficult program/s, but the work was well worth the reward and it has made me so much more successful in college and gave me a head start.”

D. Credit Transferability:

“I attempted to transfer some or all of the U of M credits I earned through College in the Schools to my current college or university” – 95% said Yes

Of those 354, 94% were able to successfully transfer some or all of the U of M credits.

The credits:

  • 43% Enabled me to enroll in a more advanced course
  • 66% Exempted me from a required course
  • 76% Counted as a credit toward my college degree
  • 4% Other:
    • “Moved up my enrollment date”
    • “Allowed me to sign an ROTC contract first semester”
    • “Helped improve understanding in a calc-based physics course I had to take anyway”
    • “Elective credit”
    • “Didn’t do much since they aren’t applicable to my degree”

“My experience with College in the Schools has helped save me a lot of money in the long run. I am graduating with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Elementary Education in just 2.5 years, compared to the regular 4 years because of College in the Schools.”

E. Respondent Demographics:

Embedded data and additional survey questions about demographics help illustrate some characteristics of the student population that responded to this survey about their participation in College in the Schools. Student race/ethnicity data is collected during the course registration process and thus was embedded in the survey.

  • 249 (64%) White
  • 59 (15%) Asian
  • 29 (7%) Hispanic/Latino
  • 25 (6%) Black
  • 19 (5%) Two or more races
  • 1 (<1%) American Indian or Alaskan Native
  • 7 (2%) Not reported

When compared against the race/ethnicity of all CIS participants during the ’23–’24 academic year, these percentages indicate that White students were more likely to participate in the survey, Asian students were slightly more likely to participate and Black/African American students and Hispanic/Latino students were slightly less likely to participate.

Additional demographic data

In response to the question “The highest education level achieved by at least one of my parents is …”

  • 3% High school not completed
  • 11% High school diploma or equivalent
  • 3% Vocational/technical certificate or diploma
  • 7% Associate’s Degree (2-year)
  • 39% Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
  • 26% Master’s Degree
  • 5% Doctoral Degree
  • 5% Professional Degree
  • 1% I do not know

Discussion

Through this survey, many implications were discovered surrounding both the study and about the results received.

Survey design and distribution

We continually seek to improve the quality and response rates of the survey, while maintaining longitudinal consistency in the questions. In looking at the quality of the questions asked, we are receiving feedback that provides us with actionable insights such as matriculation rates, preparedness for college, credit transferability and satisfaction with the program. This feedback is further discussed below in the implications section.

In terms of response rates, while we are receiving insightful results, we need to complete a few steps to improve the number received. First, we will continue to collect personal email addresses from students at the time of registration so that these can be used in survey distribution. As mentioned in the methodology section above, students currently enrolled at the UMN system campuses were more likely to respond to the survey because their UMN email accounts remained active after they registered for CIS courses. Second, with continued change in how people consume information and feel compelled to complete surveys, we will use our CIS Advisory Board to help us to identify what methods/communication we might use to reach more of our audience and receive more responses.

Implication of the results

The results from the one-year post-graduation survey of College in the Schools (CIS) participants demonstrate the program's significant positive impact on students' transition to higher education. The program exhibits a high success rate in secondary-to-postsecondary persistence, with 98% of respondents matriculating into higher education within a year, predominantly attending four-year colleges (94%). Furthermore, CIS is highly effective at preparing students for college, as 86% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were better prepared academically and 82% felt more confident about their ability to succeed in college. The program enjoys strong student satisfaction, with 94% rating their overall experience as "Excellent" or "Good" and an overwhelming 98% stating they would recommend the courses to current high school students. Crucially, the credits earned through CIS are highly transferable: Of the 95% who attempted to transfer credits, 94% were successful. These credits offered tangible benefits, with 76% counting toward a degree, 66% exempting students from required courses and 43% enabling enrollment in more advanced courses. Ultimately, CIS provides substantial value, equipping students with better study skills and potentially leading to significant financial savings and an accelerated path to graduation.