Stopping out was common and associated with non-completion: about 90 percent of CPS graduates who took a semester off did not finish a degree within six years¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Approximately 90 percent of CPS graduates who stopped out for at least one semester did not complete a degree within six years, and most students stopped out at least once. → Nagaoka 2021

Evidence¶

Nagaoka 2021¶

Nagaoka, J., Lee, J.S., Usher, A., & Seeskin, A. (2021). Navigating the maze: Understanding CPS graduates' paths through college. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/navigating-the-maze

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Observational analysis of stop-out behavior among CPS graduates in the classes of 2010-2012 over six years. The study reports "Approximately 90 percent" of stop-outs did not complete, and characterizes stopping out as a possible early-warning indicator of non-graduation.

"Approximately 90 percent of CPS graduates who took a semester off (or "stopped out") did not complete a degree within six years. Most students took time off—about one-half of four-year college enrollees and more than 80 percent of two-year college enrollees stopped out at least once within six years."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• CPS graduates took more than 6,000 distinct post-secondary paths, so continuous enrollment at one college was not the standard route to a credential — related
• Delaying college enrollment was associated with low completion: only 8 percent of CPS students who delayed completed a degree or credential within six years — related
• Among 2014 CPS graduates who immediately enrolled in college, 46% completed a credential within six years, with large gaps by enrollment pathway — related
• Four-year enrollees had stronger academic qualifications than two-year enrollees and non-enrollees, yet many non-enrollees and two-year entrants had credentials sufficient for four-year access — related
• Each additional semester of continuous college enrollment is associated with a higher completion rate, but no specific semesters carry distinctive predictive value — related
• A majority of NFTE alumni respondents were attending or had finished college, and 91 percent of college finishers completed a four-year degree or higher — related
• Former students who dropped out want colleges to proactively invite them to return and explain how to return — related
• Most CPS completers who took longer than four years were enrolled more than eight terms: 67% finished in nine or ten terms and 12% in eleven or twelve — related
• A record high 7,368 students from the CPS class of 2018 graduated from college with a degree or certificate — related