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Measuring Success

Establishing the Indicators

The indicators of student success used by the Road Map Project are data elements important to a student’s education success. They can be influenced by focused action and can be consistently tracked over time using available data. In 2010, several work groups, with help from the Education Results Network, studied the research and examined the indicators used by Strive in Cincinnati and other cradle-to-college-and-career initiatives. Each work group nominated a set of indicators and the final list was approved by the Road Map Project Sponsors. The same groups that created the list of indicators are currently reviewing and amending those indicators. During this process, the Data Advisors Group will finalize the targets where applicable.

Road Map Targets

In 2011, the Road Map data advisors helped to select a subset of Road Map indicators as on-track indicators. When taken together, these on-track indicators give a view of how students are doing from cradle to college and career. We are setting interim 2014 and 2017 targets and final 2020 targets for the on-track indicators. We hope these will help mobilize and motivate our broader community to accomplish our overall goal. The 2020 performance targets for the on-track indicators were developed by analyzing the achievement of students from Washington state’s top 10 performing school districts with 20 students or more. Overall, students from these districts already attain postsecondary degrees or credentials at twice the rate of students in South King County and South Seattle. Road Map Project aims to close achievement gaps by 2020, so the final targets are the same for all groups of students. To accomplish this goal, however, the rates of progress required will be higher for students of color and low-income students than the improvement rate required for all students.

On-Track Targets

Using the 2009–2010 school year as a baseline, we calculated the rate of change needed to reach the targets. Special consideration was required when setting the interim targets for the high school class of 2014. This class, though also subject to compounding growth, needs a boost in performance early in the program period so a sufficient number of students enter the post-secondary system. There, they can be influenced to reach the 2020 postsecondary completion target.

Please click the links below to view PDFs of the Road Map Project’s Indicators of Student Success. We’ve organized the indicators into two formats: on-track and contributing indicators, and academic and student support indicators. Below the links, you’ll find the indicators displayed in a list.

Road Map On-Track Indicators

The following is a list of the Road Map Project on-track indicators. These are reported annually against specific targets.

% of children ready to succeed in school by kindergarten
% of students proficient in:
3rd grade reading
4th grade math
5th grade science
6th grade reading
7th grade math
8th grade science
% of students triggering Early Warning Indicator #1*
% of students triggering Early Warning Indicator #2*
% of students who graduate high school on time
% of graduating high school students meeting minimum requirements to apply to a Washington State 4-year college
% of students at community and technical colleges enrolling in pre-college coursework
% of students who enroll in postsecondary education by age 24
% of students continuing past the first year of postsecondary
% students who earn a postsecondary credential by age 24

* Early warning indicators are for 9th grade students. Early Warning Indicator #1 is six or more absences and one or more course failure(s). Early Warning Indicator #2 is one or more suspension(s) or expulsion(s).

Other Indicators to be Reported

The following is a list of the Road Map Project contributing indicators. These are reported annually or whenever possible, but do not have specific targets. These contributing indicators combined with the on-track indicators make up the full list of Road map Project indicators.

% of children born weighing less than 5.5 pounds
% of eligible children enrolled in select formal early learning programs
% of licensed child care centers meeting quality criteria
% of families reading to their children daily
% of children meeting age-level expectations at the end of preschool
% of children enrolled in full-day kindergarten
% of students taking algebra by the 8th grade
% of students passing the exams required for high school graduation
% of students taking one or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course(s)
% of students absent 20 or more days per year
% of students who make a non-promotional school change
% of students who are motivated and engaged to succeed in school
% of students attending schools with low state achievement index ratings
% of students exhibiting 21st century skills
% of English language learning students making progress in learning English
% of females age 15-17 giving birth
% of 8th graders reporting select risk factors on the Healthy Youth Survey
% parents who actively support their child’s education and believe a college degree is important
% of students who graduate high school by age 21
% of high school graduates completing a formal career and technical education program
% of eligible students who complete the College Bound application by the end of 8th grade
% of graduating College Bound students who have completed the FAFSA
% of students who directly enroll in postsecondary education
% of students who did not complete high school on time who achieve a postsecondary credential
% of students employed within 1 and 5 years of completing or leaving postsecondary education, including wage

CCER Data Nondisclosure Policy

CCER collects and analyzes education data for only research purposes. Research can be very beneficial to help improve school systems, programs and practices. CCER puts a premium on the protection of student confidentiality and identity. All information about students that CCER accesses is handled in compliance with data-privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). Strong internal safeguards are in place regarding who can use the information and for what purpose. No unauthorized sharing of information will occur. Only individuals who work directly with CCER to support the Road Map Project’s research and reporting are granted access to the information – and only for that purpose. Research reports to the community and third-parties present the data in a way where no individual students could be identified.

OSPI now requires districts to report courses using shared course names. Prior to this policy there were 115 different names used for Spanish classes by Road Map school districts, now there are 13 — making data crunching much easier!

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