Most interviewed CPS seniors describe senior year as unchallenging and easier than previous years¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Regardless of achievement level and advanced coursetaking, the overwhelming majority of seniors in the qualitative study described senior year as unchallenging, with multiple classes requiring little work. → Melissa Roderick 2013

Evidence¶

Melissa Roderick 2013¶

Melissa Roderick, Vanessa Coca, Eliza Moeller, and Thomas Kelley-Kemple. (2013). From High School to the Future: The Challenge of Senior Year in Chicago Public Schools. UChicago CCSR Research Report. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/high-school-future-challenge-senior-year-chicago-public-schools

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Qualitative interviews with seniors in three CPS high schools (from a longitudinal study begun in 2005) found students characterized senior year as easier than previous years, with classes where little work was required and students feeling they might as well have skipped the grade.

"A surprising finding is that regardless of achievement level and regardless of whether students took advanced courses, the overwhelming majority of the seniors in our qualitative study describe senior year as unchallenging."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Among similarly qualified seniors, the high school attended largely determines coursetaking patterns — related
• Taking AP courses or fourth-year math in senior year is associated with higher college enrollment but not with college retention — related
• Senior-year advanced coursework is unevenly distributed by race/ethnicity among CPS graduates — related
• CPS students' ACT scores fall below both their college aspirations and their own expectations, and most interviewed students scored lower than they expected — related
• More than 83 percent of Chicago public high school seniors plan to continue their education in the fall, and nearly 80 percent aspire to at least a four-year degree — related
• Almost 90 percent of college-continuing seniors intend to work while continuing their education, and 35 percent plan to work more than 20 hours per week — related
• Students show the highest learning gains in classes that are both challenging and where students actually do work aligned with teachers' expectations; grades are higher in challenging classrooms with high support than in easier classrooms with little support — related
• Students with strong qualifications took themselves out of four-year college planning, choosing early two-year enrollment as a low-risk solution when searches felt overwhelming and costly — related