QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT MEASURING UP 2002 |
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Who is being graded in this report card, and why? Measuring Up 2002 grades states-not individual colleges and universities-on their performance in higher education. The states are responsible for preparing students for higher education through sound K-12 systems, and they provide most of the public financial support-$64 billion in 2001-for colleges and universities. Through their oversight of public colleges and universities, state leaders affect the number and kinds of education programs in the state. They determine the limits of financial support and often influence tuition and fees for public colleges and universities. They determine how much state-based financial aid to make available to students and their families, which affects students attending public and private colleges and universities. And state economic development policies influence the income advantage that residents receive from having some college experience or a college degree. Why is a state-by-state report card needed for higher education? Measuring Up provides state leaders with objective information they need to assess and improve higher education. After the publication of Measuring Up 2000 two years ago, state leaders for the first time could objectively assess comparative information on state performance in higher education-information that helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of higher education in their state. Many state leaders have used this information as a starting point to gather additional performance information about higher education in their state, and to build support for improvements in higher education.  This newest report card on higher education (1) provides
state leaders with a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of higher education in their state in relation to other states,
and (2) identifies areas of improvement or decline since the last report card.
Who is this report card for? Measuring Up was developed for governors, legislators, and other state officials charged with responsibility for higher education. It is also made available to higher education leaders, business leaders, the media, and members of the general public who care about the performance of higher education. What is graded in the report card? The report card grades states in six performance categories: academic preparation, participation, affordability, completion, benefits, and student learning. Preparation measures how well a state's K-12 schools
prepare students for college-level education and training. The opportunities that residents have to enroll in and benefit
from higher education depend heavily on the performance of their state's high schools. Participation addresses the opportunities for state
residents to enroll in higher education. A strong grade in participation generally indicates that the state residents have
high individual expectations for education and that the state provides enough spaces and types of educational programs for its residents.Affordability measures whether students and families
can afford to pay for higher education, given economic circumstances, financial aid, and the types of colleges and universities in the state. Completion addresses whether students continue
through their educational programs and earn certificates or degrees in a timely manner. Certificates and degrees from
one- and two-year programs as well as the bachelor's degree are included. Benefits includes the economic and societal
benefits that the state receives as the result of having well-educated residents. Learning is intended to address the level of
educational capital that states possess as a result of their policies for education and training beyond high school. High
performance in this category would indicate that states are developing talent to its fullest. Why do all the states receive an Incomplete for their performance in student learning? Measuring Up 2000 gave all states an Incomplete in student learning because there are no common benchmarks for student learning that would allow meaningful state-by-state comparisons. This year, Measuring Up 2002 likewise gives all states an Incomplete in this area, for the same reason. However, recent efforts to develop better measures of college-level learning are promising (for more information, please see "A Message from Governor Paul Patton", "Measuring Up and Student Learning," and "Grading Student Learning"). The degree to which students' skills and abilities are improved as a result of states' policies for education and training beyond high school is perhaps the most important criterion for measuring state performance in higher education. The Incomplete in learning highlights a gap in our ability to make systematic state-by-state comparisons in this area. How are states graded? States receive grades in each performance category. Each performance category is made up of several indicators or quantitative measures-a total of 34 in the five categories. Grades are calculated based on each state's performance on these indicators, relative to other states (see "How We Grade States"). What information is provided but not graded? The State Profiles provide important information that is not graded-either because the data are not available for all the states or because the information, though useful, is not based on performance outcomes. For instance, the State Profiles highlight gaps in state performance in providing opportunities for various income and ethnic groups, and they identify substantial changes in state performance over the last ten years. In addition, the "Improvement since Measuring Up 2000"
information summarized in the National Picture section, shows which states have improved their results in each performance category in the data years 1998 to 2000,
and which states have not improved their results. This progress, while useful in tracking change within each state, is not included in grading. Additional information-for instance, the state's population,
the size of its economy and its system of higher education-that is helpful in providing a context for understanding performance is provided on the National Center's Web site at
www.highereducation.org.What sources of information are used to determine the grades? All the information in Measuring Up 2002 was collected from national, reliable sources, including the U.S. Census and the U.S. Department of Education. All data are the most current available for state-by-state comparisons (in most cases from 2000), are in the public domain, and were collected in ways that allow effective comparisons among the states. The technical guide has information about sources for each indicator. What do you mean by "higher education"? Higher education refers to all education and training beyond high school, including all public and private, two- and four-year, nonprofit and for-profit institutions. Why are private institutions included in the report card? Measuring Up provides states with an overall picture of their performance in higher education. Since private colleges and universities play a crucial role in providing opportunity and helping students achieve their educational goals, state higher education policy should be responsive to the opportunities offered by private institutions. Most states provide financial aid for students who enroll in either public or private colleges and universities; some states provide direct support to their private colleges. Measuring Up documents the effects these state policies have on opportunity for and achievement in higher education in the state. Do states receive "credit" for effort or for facing difficult economic or educational circumstances? No. The grades are based solely on performance. Since we base performance on outcome measures, states do not receive credit for effort or for facing difficult economic or educational circumstances, only for results. On the National Center's Web site, however, "leading indicators" are provided in State Profiles, including economic projections and societal measures, to identify some of the long-term policy challenges facing the state. Does Measuring Up take into account new state policies that have recently been introduced? Measuring Up reports on performance and changes in performance. New state policies often do not change performance immediately. As these policies influence state results, changes will be reflected in the indicators and grades. Is it possible for a state to receive a higher grade but to make "No Improvement since Measuring Up 2000"? Yes. Since grades measure how states perform relative to other states, a state's grade can improve or drop depending upon the performance of other states-even if its own results on the indicators, or performance measures, remain constant or decline. Does the report card grade on a curve? No. Grades are calculated by comparing each state to the best-performing states for each indicator. What grading scale is used? As shown in "How We Grade States," the grades are based on the familiar 100-point scale: An "A" represents a score of 90 or above, and an "F" represents a score below 60. Why do we include both five-year and six-year bachelor's degree completion? The five-year degree completion indicator refers to first-time, full-time students completing a bachelor's degree within five years of finishing high school, whereas the six-year indicator refers to first-time, full-time students completing a bachelor's degree within six years of enrolling in college. The six-year measure refers to all students, not just recent high school students entering college. Does the report card use data unique to a particular state? Measuring Up 2002 uses data that are comparable for all the states. As a result, some states may find that their own internal data present a fuller picture of the state's strengths and weaknesses in higher education. The National Center encourages states to add their own data to the report card's categories to create a more detailed picture of state performance. What happens if data are missing for a state? When information is not available on a particular indicator, we assume, for the purposes of grading, that a state is doing no better or worse on that particular indicator than it is on the other indicators in that performance category. However, the report card uses the most recent data available.
In the event that a state has reported data in Measuring Up 2000, but not in Measuring Up 2002, the data from Measuring Up 2000 are used since they are the
most recent data available for state-by-state comparisons.Are there some sources that have not updated their data since the last report card? Yes. For instance, in relation to the preparation category, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducts surveys regularly but has not conducted surveys in reading and writing proficiency since Measuring Up 2000. Therefore, these indicator results remain unchanged. Also, in relation to the benefits category, the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) is now being administered as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), but its results are not yet available. For these indicators, results from the previous edition of the report card are reported in this edition as well. To what extent do the grades reflect the wealth or the race and ethnicity of the state's population? An independent analysis of Measuring Up 2000 data showed that factors like wealth and economic vitality had about a 25% influence on grades, and that race and ethnicity had about a 10% influence. (See A Review of Tests Performed on the Data in Measuring Up 2000, by Peter Ewell, available at www.highereducation.org.) How does the report card account for the migration of people across state lines? Migration affects two of the performance categories: participation and benefits. One of the indicators in the participation category accounts for the migration of young people, but the other indicator, due to limitations in the collection of the data, does not. To provide a context for the grades in participation, please see net migration for each state reported in the State Profiles section of Measuring Up 2002 on the National Center's Web site. In the benefits category, states receive credit for having an educated population since states reap the economic and societal rewards whether or not residents received their education in that state. With the exception of the benefits category, all other graded performance categories recognize states for developing rather than importing talent. Does the report card evaluate graduate education and research? No. Colleges and universities perform many valuable functions besides those measured in Measuring Up 2002, including research, graduate and professional education, public service, and economic development. Measuring Up focuses on education and training through the bachelor's degree because this is an area where all states have major policy responsibilities whether or not they have substantial commitment to other higher education functions. Systematic measures for the evaluation of research and graduate education are already available on a national basis. How frequently are the report cards published? Every two years. The next report cards will be released in 2004 and 2006. How can I find out more about the report card or about my state's performance? Visit the National Center's Web site at www.highereducation.org to:
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