Research on What Student Skills, Behaviors, and Other Characteristics Can Help Predict Student Success

Doug Conwell Superintendent USD 417

In preparation for my role in a meeting to be held with sophomore parents later this month, I reviewed many documents.  One article in particular, “Predictors of Postsecondary Success” from the College and Career Readiness & Success Center at the American Institutes for Research caused me to want to share some information with all parents.  The crux of this article, and what I want to share with you, is a discussion regarding research that identifies student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics that tell us if a student has the potential to find post-secondary success in school and the workplace.  I love to read these types of articles and summaries of the cited research.  I hope you find this information interesting and useful as well.

The first portion of the article is focused on early childhood research, birth through age 5.  While the research is sparse (as it probably should be considering the age of child), there are some predictors and other factors that can provide us information applicable to a child’s potential for success in grades K-3^rd grade.  This is the list:

• The child displays persistence, regulation of emotions, and attentiveness;
• S/he participates in school-readiness screenings and pre-school programs;
• S/he is physically healthy and has appropriate social-emotional development;
• Language and cognitive development is occurring through parents and/or other caregivers providing time for reading and developing vocabulary with their children.  This is critically important in the development and preparation for children to attend school.

Next, this research looked at student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics during a child’s elementary years, grades kindergarten through 3^rd grade.  This research addressed student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics in relation to predicted success for students in grades 4 through 8.

• Achieving literacy by third grade is correlated with proficiency in the middle grades with reading and English Language Arts;

• Students absent fewer than 10 percent of all school days are more likely to be promoted in school and to receive higher grades in core subject areas;
• Being rated highly on the following social skills:  cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

The third part of this research focused on the middle levels of education, grades 4 through 8.This research focused on those student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics that have an impact on potential success not only at the high school level but also post-secondary success.

• Attendance rates have a relationship with on-time graduation from high school;

• Student mobility impacts future success.  Staying at the same school through these years is important;
• Meeting the following benchmarks on the ACT Aspire assessment (we give this assessment to our 7^th grade students so the scores below reflect that grade level):
  • English 421
  • Math 422
  • Science 425
  • Reading 423
  • Writing 428
• Receiving no unsatisfactory behavior grades in sixth grade;
• Taking rigorous coursework in the middle grades;
• Meeting benchmark scores on cognitive assessments such as the Grit Scale (we do not use this assessment in our district), a self-assessment tool that measures a student’s focus, interest levels, commitment, and follow-through.

Last, there are numerous indicators that have been found for high school age students.  These include the following:

• School attendance, missing no more than 10% of school days per grade level is correlated with on-track high school graduation;
• Completing a four-year math sequence that will prepare a student to find success in College Algebra.  One of the keys here is the high school student taking a math course all four years of school.
• Scoring a 3 or higher on Advance Placement exams;
• Dual enrollment participation in college classes;
• Meeting the following benchmarks on the ACT Aspire assessment (we give this assessment to our 9^th grade students so the scores below reflect that grade level):
  • English 428
  • Math 432
  • Reading 428
  • Science 432
  • Writing 428
• Meeting the following benchmarks on the ACT test:
  • English 18
  • Math   22
  • Reading 21
  • Science 24
• Completion of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

Again, please note that these are predictors and as such simply give us a good estimation as to how our students will do when it comes to success at various levels of education.  As I have stated before, I have known students whose test scores did not meet these ACT marks but their high level of efficacy, self-determination, and confidence led to college completion.  Further, though very rare, I have seen students who drop out of high school go on to have a great deal of economic success in life.  So please take these as intended, these predictors are a very good gauge for how your child is progressing in regards to preparation for their next levels of education.

            It is important for parents to realize that what they do and the expectations they hold for their children do make a difference when it comes to education.  It actually starts at childbirth through parent modeling of language development then progresses through parent assistance to parent coaching.  All the while, parents are expressing their respective expectations to their children when it comes to educational success.  Keep in mind that it is as easy to convey low expectations but more challenging to express high expectations throughout a child’s first 21 years of life.  The key is to see your vision of your child’s educational and life success then work to help them make it happen.