Examining Factors That Contribute To College Readiness And Success In American Samoa Using Multilevel Logistic Modeling

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which student- and teacher-level characteristics in high school and college are associated empirically with high school students’ college readiness and success in American Samoa. More specifically, multilevel ordinal logistic regressions were employed to understand the extent to which these characteristics predict five distinct outcomes of college readiness and success. These outcome measures include grades in high school Algebra 2 and English 12 courses, initial English and math course enrollment in college, and earning a degree within three years of initial enrollment (a measure of college success). Results from the analyses revealed that high school grade point average was related with each of the five outcomes examined in this study. Grade 9 cumulative GPA was postively related with both high school Algebra 2 and English 12 course grades. SAT-10 performance was positively related with grades in Algebra 2 and English 12 courses while student absenteeism had a negative effect on each of the grades in Algebra 2 and English 12 courses. The relationship between SAT-10 performance and student absenteeism and grades in Algebra 2 and English 12 courses however, varied by high school cohorts. Additionally, teacher absenteeism was negatively related with students’ grades in Algebra 2 and English 12 courses. High school cumulative GPA, grade 12 SAT-10 Reading score and grade 12 absenteeism were associated with students’ initial enrollment in a college-level English course. In addition to high school cumulative GPA, attempting more rigorous math courses above Algebra 2 had a positive effect on enrolling directly into a college-level math course. The findings of this study offer local leaders in American Samoa empirical evidence to support efforts aimed at improving students’ college readiness and success. More specifically, raising the academic preparation trajectory in high school and using high school data, including high school GPA, course taking, and test performance for placement decisions may help improve students’ transition from high school to college in American Samoa.