REGENTS REPORT 

South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment. Great Future. NO. 96, 02/24/99

The Board of Regents, working with the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, developed the High School Feedback Report that provides important data to secondary educators about the performance of their graduates in the state’s public universities. The purpose of the Feedback Report is to enhance communication between high schools and the public universities, provide high schools with information about their graduates’ readiness for post-secondary study, and help educators at all levels work together to ensure that students are prepared to be productive in college.

More Students Awarded AP Credit

Students receiving Advanced Placement (AP) credit increased from 2.79% in 1995 to 3.86% in 1997. The Advanced Placement program administered by the College Board offers high school students a chance to study courses that are equivalent to first-year college courses. Following instruction in special AP classes, in honors classes, or in extra independent study, the students can take examinations that demonstrate that they have obtained the knowledge and skills of comparable college courses. Those students can present their AP scores when they enroll in a South Dakota university or other colleges and universities that accept AP credit.

Student Performance

The Feedback Report shows that the composite ACT scores for 1997 South Dakota high school graduates entering regental institutions is 21.8, slightly lower than the 1996 score of 21.96. The 1997 South Dakota ACT Composite average is still higher than the national average composite ACT score of 21.0.  

Enrollment in remedial math increased slightly in 1997 and for the fourth straight year enrollment in remedial English continued to rise. The unduplicated total of first-time students enrolled in remedial English and mathematics courses increased 2.02% from 1996. Remedial enrollment in South Dakota is still well below the national norm. In a 1995 study by the National Center for Education Statistics it was reported that nationally 25% of first-time freshmen enrolled in remedial classes.

The number of high schools whose graduates enrolled in remedial education increased. Of the 165 high schools included in the 1997 report, 71 (43.03%) had no students required to enroll in remedial courses. Approximately 96 (58.18%) of the state’s high schools had less than 10% of their students receiving some remedial education.

The average end of the year Grade Point Average (GPA) of first-time students who entered regental universities increased slightly from 2.68 in 1996 to 2.69 in 1997. The end of the year average only includes those students who completed both semesters.

Conclusion

The universities will continue to communicate to high school educators the knowledge and tools needed for graduates to be prepared for university level work. They will also continue to improve educational opportunity by encouraging the delivery of dual-credit and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.