Oklahoma
Challenge: Oklahoma high school students were graduating largely unprepared for entry-level college courses. Wide achievement gaps existed between racial/ethnic groups in Oklahoma schools.
Solution: In addition to raising college admission standards from 11 to 15 required units of core coursework in high school, in 1993 the State Regents implemented all three components of EPAS®—EXPLORE® (grade 8), PLAN® (grade 10), and the ACT® test (grade 11 or 12).
Results:
- Nearly 85,000 students benefited from the program in 2003.
- Rigorous coursetaking increased, particularly among minority students.
- Students' educational aspirations rise following administration of each EPAS component.
- More students are taking the ACT.
- ACT scores rose.
- Gaps between and among demographic subgroups narrowed.
- College attendance rates went up.
- College remediation rates dropped in all content areas.
Print the full report: Preparing Oklahoma Students for the Future (PDF; 116KB, 3 pages)