State Reports: (Ohio, 2006)

• Strengths &
  Weaknesses
• Preparation
   
• Participation
   
• Affordability
   
• Completion
   
• Benefits
   
• Learning
   
• International
  Comparisons
• State Facts
   

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Ohio performs fairly well in preparing students for college. Compared with leading states, however, relatively few high school students in Ohio go directly on to college after graduating. Ohio trails other states in providing college-level education and training opportunities for working-age adults. In addition, there are large disparities in opportunity based on income and ethnicity. Internationally, Ohio ranks low in the proportion of certificates and degrees produced, and is outpaced by such low-performing nations as Poland and the Slovak Republic. Since the early 1990s, higher education has become considerably less affordable in Ohio. If these trends are not addressed, they could limit the state’s access to an educated, competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time.

2006 REPORT CARD Preparation Participation Affordability Completion Benefits Learning

CHANGE IN OHIO SINCE 1992

Preparation	Participation	Affordability	Completion	Benefits	Learning

What do the arrows mean?

	The state has improved on more than half of the indicators in the category.
	The state has improved on some, but no more than half, of the indicators in the category.
	The state has declined on most or all indicators.

STRENGTHS

Preparation

• Ohio 8th graders perform well on national assessments in math, science, reading, and writing. Their performance on math has improved substantially over the past 13 years.
• A very large proportion of high school students are enrolled in upper-level math courses.
• Ohio has consistently performed very well on the proportions of 11th and 12th graders who take and score well on college entrance exams.

Participation

• Over the past decade, the chance that a 9th grader will enroll in college by age 19 has increased, in contrast to a nationwide decline. Although the percentage of students graduating from high school within four years remains the same, more of those who graduate go directly on to college.

Completion

• Large percentages of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities return for their sophomore year.
• A large percentage of students complete certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled.
• A gap remains between whites and blacks in the proportion of students completing certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled, even though Ohio has narrowed this gap over the past decade.

Benefits

• Over the past 12 years, the economic benefits that Ohio enjoys as a result of having an educated population have increased substantially.

WEAKNESSES

Preparation

• A small percentage of 8th graders take algebra, despite substantial improvement over the past 12 years.
• Very small proportions of 11th and 12th graders take and score well on Advanced Placement tests.
• Blacks in the 9th to 12th grades are only about two-thirds as likely as whites to enroll in upper-level math and science courses.

Participation

• A small proportion of working-age adults enroll part-time in college-level education or training, and this proportion has declined over the past decade, mirroring the nationwide decline.
• Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the gap in college participation between whites and non-whites has widened substantially.
• Young adults (ages 18-24) from high-income families are about three times as likely as those from low-income families to attend college. This is among the widest gaps in the nation on this measure.

Affordability

• Net college costs for low- and middle-income students to attend community colleges represent nearly 44% of their annual family income. (Net college costs equal tuition, room, and board after financial aid.) For these students at public four-year colleges and universities, net college costs represent 62% of their annual family income. These two sectors enroll three out of every four students in the state.
• The state makes a very low investment in need-based financial aid compared with top-performing states, and Ohio offers no low-tuition college opportunities.

Completion

• Ohio performs poorly on international comparisons of enrolled students who complete certificate and degree programs, trailing Poland and the Slovak Republic, among other nations.