At College Summit, we strongly agree with the adage, "What gets measured gets managed." College Summit's main metric is externally validated college enrollment rates. Since this measure is available only months after the fact, we also have developed a system of ‘leading indicators’ to tell us and our schools how things are going during the year. Here's a look at how our data positively impacts students and schools throughout the year.

WEST VIRGINIA: Schools Use Ongoing Data to Innovate

Through our School Partnership Managers, College Summit analyzes and communicates school data monthly to show completion rates on all key tasks that students must complete to go to college. Twice a year in "Milestones Meetings," College Summit meets with school district leaders and principals to discuss these results and to spark innovation.

In 2004, South Charleston High School, a partner high school in Kanawha County West Virginia was seeing great results on key indicators from one year to the next.  Students completing their essays had risen from 37% to 60% in one year.  Even more--by January of 2006, they were already at 56%--well on their way to surpass the previous year's cumulative results.

In contrast, Riverside High School, another College Summit partner, was struggling. They were only a quarter of the way to hitting their goal and only 12% of the students had completed their essays.

The data was interesting. But what is more interesting was what the principals did with it. The principal from Riverside, Paula Potter said to the principal at South Charleston, “What are you doing that we aren’t doing?” Principal Bill Walton said, “We’re giving course credit for CS and it’s scheduled into the school day.” The data helped the school leaders become problem solvers. In response, the principal from Riverside, after implementing the strategies from South Charleston, saw a 40% increase in the percent of her students completing applications. 

ST. LOUIS: Strong Leading Indicators Reflect a Successful First Year

Beaumont High School is one of four traditional, comprehensive high schools in the St. Louis Public School system (note: there are several other specialty high schools within the district). Prior to College Summit, as reported to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, less than 40% of the graduating class at Beaumont went on to two or four-year colleges.

In 2005-06, in its first full year of College Summit implementation, nearly every senior participated in the College Summit curriculum. Beaumont's seniors exceeded their goals in nearly all of College Summit's leading indicators: 78% completed college lists online, 68% completed common applications online and 89% of the senior class sent out at least one college application! According to student acceptance letters, of Beaumont's 164 graduating seniors enrolled in College Summit, 80 students were accepted to at least one college last May.  The staff and students at Beaumont have been extremely successful in using the College Summit tools.

COLORADO: Reducing the burden on guidance counselors

At Skyview High School in Thornton, Colorado, it would be impossible for the two guidance counselors to check in with the school's 450 students. In 2005-06, College Summit trained 12 Skyview teachers to provide postsecondary transition support to all seniors through their College Summit class. The result: the ratio of college-experienced educators providing support and guidance to all seniors was reduced from 225:1 to 38:1.

SOUTH CAROLINA and the NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION dramatically increase students served

South Carolina was involved in an intense pilot year of initial programming serving 216 seniors in seven schools across four districts.  After a successful pilot year and program launch, South Carolina will serve 516 students in 10 schools across six districts in 2006-07—more than 150% growth.

Similarly, the National Capital Region served 780 students in 11 schools across 3 districts in 2005-06. With new leadership and a strategy for growth in place, the region has grown by more than 50% in one year, serving 1200 students in 11 schools across 4 districts (and 3 states!) in 2006-07.

College Summit thanks the High School Partners featured here for their permission to share their successes on CollegeSummit.org