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PREPARATION
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HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION
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High School Credential
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K-12 COURSE TAKING
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Math Course Taking
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Science Course Taking
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Algebra in 8th Grade
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Math Course Taking in 12th Grade
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K-12 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
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Math Proficiency
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Reading Proficiency
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Science Proficiency
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Writing Proficiency
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Math Proficiency among Low-Income
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College Entrance Exams
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Advanced Placement Exams
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How adequately are students in each state being prepared for education and training beyond high school?
Most young people in the United States attain a high school diploma, but the courses
they take and the level of mastery they show over core subjects vary widely
among states. In only a few states do large proportions of students take
rigorous courses, demonstrate high levels of achievement, and graduate
from high school.
High School Completion
Most states perform well in assuring that young people attain a high
school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) diploma by age
24. But there are large gaps in the attainment of different ethnic and
income groups within states.
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States range from a
high of 95% (Maine) to a low of 74% (Arizona) on the percentage
of their residents who earn a high school diploma or a General Education
Development (GED) diploma by age 24. |
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In 18 states,
more than 90% of young people have a high school or GED diploma.
In 29 states, more than 80% have one. |
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In Arizona, 87% of white
young adults have a high school or GED diploma, compared with 59%
for all other races. |
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In Georgia, 98% of young
adults from high-income families have a high school or GED diploma,
compared with 61% of young adults from low-income families. |
K-12 Course Taking
Students who take and do well in rigorous high school courses tend
to enroll in and graduate from college in greater numbers than other
students. State performance on these measures indicates that a low proportion
of all students are taking these kinds of challenging courses.
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The best-performing state in math
course taking is North Carolina, where 61% of students take at least
one upper-level math course. In New Mexico, the percentage of students
who do so is about half that, 31%. |
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In only 13 states do more than
half of all high school students take an upper-level math course.
No states reach this threshold in science course taking. |
K-12 Student Achievement
The demonstrated proficiency of students on national assessments, college
entrance exams, and Advanced Placement exams varies widely; for some
of these tests, performance in the best states is four times that of
the lowest-scoring states. Gaps within states are also high.
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In Connecticut, 44% of eighth graders
score at or above proficient on national assessments of writing.
In Mississippi, only 11% do so. |
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Among all Connecticut eighth graders,
the proportion demonstrating proficiency on national math assessments
is 34%. However, the proportion of low-income eighth graders in
Connecticut doing so is only 7%. |
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| Grades measure a state's performance in relation to other states. |
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Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, Utah, Wisconsin |
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Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington |
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California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming |
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Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee |
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Louisiana |
| Massachusetts is the top-performing state in preparation. |
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