Expanding and Enriching College Admissions Opportunities for High-Potential Youth the Goldman Sachs Foundation’S Signature Initiative

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Gaining Acceptance: Expanding and Enriching College Admissions Opportunities for High-Potential Youth The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative

Catherine M. Millett and Michael T. Nettles

Policy Evaluation & Research Center Educational Testing Service November 2006 Princeton, New Jersey RR06-32

Gaining Acceptance: Expanding and Enriching College Admissions Opportunities for High-Potential Youth The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative

Catherine M. Millett and Michael T. Nettles

Policy Evaluation & Research Center Educational Testing Service Princeton, New Jersey

November 2006 RR-06-32 As part of its educational and social mission and in fulfilling the organization’s nonprofit charter and bylaws, ETS has and continues to learn from and also to lead research that furthers educational and measurement research to advance quality and equity in education and assessment for all users of the organization’s products and services. ETS Research Reports provide preliminary and limited dissemination of ETS research prior to publication. To obtain a PDF or a print copy of a report, please visit: http://www.ets.org/research/contact.html Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...... 1 Introduction...... 4 The Educational Realities of Many Underrepresented Students in the United States...... 4 Creating Opportunities: Selective Colleges ...... 6 The Signature Initiative...... 7 Planning for Evaluation From the Beginning...... 7 A Profile of The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Students...... 9 School Partnerships...... 11 Why Work With 7th-, 8th- and 9th-Graders?...... 11 Becoming a Goldman Sachs Foundation Student...... 12 Applying to a Signature Initiative Program ...... 14 Profiles of the Four Programs...... 14 A Better Chance ...... 15 I-LEAD...... 18 CTY...... 21 NYMRLA...... 24 Who Goes the Distance?...... 28 Looking Beyond Their Numeric Credentials...... 29 The Student Perspective...... 29 The Parent Perspective ...... 30 Enrollment at Selective Colleges ...... 31 What Did We Find When We Took a Closer Look?...... 34 Considerations for the Future...... 35 Appendix A: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges ...... 36 Appendix B: Signature Initiative Programs’ 2001 Evaluation Plans ...... 40 A Better Chance’s Evaluation Plan — 2001...... 41 I-LEAD’s Evaluation Plan — 2001...... 42 Center for Talented Youth’s Evaluation Plan — 2001...... 44 NYMRLA’s Evaluation Plan — 2001...... 47 Appendix C: Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend ...... 50 Appendix D: Tests Used in the Program Selection Process...... 55 Admission Tests Used by Programs...... 56 Appendix E: Additional A Better Chance Information...... 62 Appendix F: Additional I-LEAD Information ...... 66 Appendix G: Additional CTY Information...... 74 Appendix H: Additional NYMRLA Information...... 79 Reference List...... 85

— — Table of Tables

Table 1: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Signature Initiative Grantees ...... 7 Table 2: Profile of Newly Matriculated Goldman Sachs Foundation Students by Program as of 2006...... 10 Table 3: Profile of Prospective Goldman Sachs Foundation Students by Program ...... 12 Table 4: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Signature Initiative Program Talent-Identification Process...... 13 Table 5: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Program Application Process...... 14 Table 6: Colleges Where Goldman Sachs Foundation Students Are Enrolled as of Fall 2006...... 32 Table 7: Colleges and Universities Where I-LEAD Students Were Accepted Compared to Students in the Prior Class at Their High Schools ...... 34 Table 8: Colleges and Universities Where I-LEAD Students Were Enrolled Compared to the Comparison Group. . . . 34 Table A1: First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen Attending Four-Year Colleges and Universities By Selectivity: Fall 2004...... 37 Table A2: Most Competitive and Highly Competitive Colleges and Universities in 2005...... 38 Table A3: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 Admissions Selectivity Criteria...... 39 Table C1: Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend...... 51 Table D1: Admissions Tests Required by Signature Initiative Programs...... 57 Table D2: A Better Chance Student Performance on Admissions Tests...... 58 Table D3: I-LEAD Student Performance on Admissions Tests...... 59 Table D4: CTY Student Performance on the SAT® at Admission ...... 60 Table D5: NYMRLA Student Performance on Admissions Tests...... 61 Table E1: Profile of Enrolled A Better Chance Students ...... 63 Table E2: A Better Chance Student Performance on the PSAT®, SAT and AP® Course Enrollment...... 64 Table E3: A Better Chance Grade Point Average by Grade...... 65 Table F1: Profile of Enrolled I-LEAD Students...... 67 Table F2: Profile of I-LEAD Students and Comparison Group Students...... 68 Table F3: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Performance on the PSAT...... 69 Table F4: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Performance on the SAT...... 70 Table F5: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Enrollment in Advanced Placement® Courses...... 71 Table F6: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Grade Point Average by Grade...... 72 Table F7: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Enrollment in Honors and AP Courses by Grade ...... 73 Table G1: Profile of Enrolled CTY Students ...... 75 Table G2: Profile of CTY...... 76 Table G3: CTY Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment...... 77 Table H1: Profile of Enrolled NYMRLA Students...... 80 Table H2: NYMRLA Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment...... 81 Table H3: NYMRLA Grade Point Average by Grade ...... 83 Table H4: NYMRLA Enrollment in Honors and AP Courses by Grade ...... 84 Table H5: NYMRLA Enrollment in Accelerated Courses in Middle School...... 84

— ii — Table of Figures

Figure 1: Academic Planning for Admission and Enrollment in Selective Colleges...... 11 Figure 2: A Better Chance Students’ Performance on the PSAT...... 16 Figure 3: A Better Chance Students’ Performance on the SAT ...... 17 Figure 4: A Better Chance Student Enrollment in AP Courses ...... 17 Figure 5: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Class 1 and Class 2 Student Enrollment in AP Courses...... 19 Figure 6: I-LEAD Class 1 and Class 2 Achievement on the SAT...... 20 Figure 7: Matriculated CTY Students’ Performance on the SAT Compared to the National Pool of 7th- & 8th-Graders Who Take the SAT ...... 22 Figure 8: CTY Student Performance on the SAT...... 23 Figure 9: CTY Student Enrollment in AP Courses...... 23 Figure 10: NYMRLA Students’ Performance on the SAT Compared to the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 National Pool of 8th-Grade SAT Test Takers...... 25 Figure 11: NYMRLA Class 1 and Class 2 Enrollment in AP Courses...... 26 Figure 12: NYMRLA Class 1 SAT Performance...... 27 Figure 13: Number of Starters and Persisters by Program...... 28

— iii — Acknowledgements

We would like to thank A Better Chance, Inc., Bank Street College of Education, Center for Talented Youth, and Prep for Prep for their good will and cooperation throughout the evaluation.

We are grateful to our ETS research colleagues Brent Bridgeman, Daniel Eignor, Linda Scatton and Tiffany Smith for their careful reading of early drafts of this report. We acknowledge Hyeyoung Oh and Heather Corcoran for their data analysis work and review of penultimate and final drafts of this report. We are thankful to The Goldman Sachs Foundation for its support and involvement throughout the evaluation.

— iv — Executive Summary

In 1999, the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. launched The Goldman Sachs Foundation with a mission to promote excellence and innovation in education worldwide. Among the first programs supported by the Foundation was the Signature Initiative: Developing High-Potential Youth for Excellence and Leadership.

The Signature Initiative sought to develop the academic talents, abilities and entrepreneurial skills of underrepresented middle school and high school students. The idea was to prepare these students to be more competitive participants in the admissions processes of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities and, in turn, equipping them to compete more effectively for positions with the nation’s leading corporations.

In 2000, the Foundation awarded grants to four institutions as a part of the Signature Initiative — The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University, A Better Chance, Inc., Bank Street College of Education and Prep for Prep. To date, the four organizations have received a combined total of $10.7 million in grant support. Each institution developed its own program model to increase the number of underrepresented students admitted to highly selective colleges.

Since the program’s inception, 1,228 students have participated in a Goldman Sachs Foundation- sponsored program. Four-fifths of the students are African American or Hispanic. Slightly more than half are girls (54%). The students are from various sectors of education — 21% attend parochial schools, 38% attend public schools and 40% attend independent schools.

The median family income of students in the Signature Initiative is $45,000, but 22% are members of families with annual incomes below $19,999, and only slightly above the poverty threshold. Half of the students come from households where one parent has a college degree and many parents and students are navigating the college admissions process for the first time.

Students in underrepresented groups face challenges at every stage of their academic careers as they progress through the educational system. These challenges often combine to make admission to a highly selective college difficult, if not impossible.

As of September 2006, however, 74% of the 330 Signature Initiative students for whom college enrollment data are available enrolled in the most competitive and highly selective colleges in the United States as ranked by Barron’s, and 54 students are attending Ivy League institutions. Surveys indicate that students participating in Foundation-sponsored programs also experienced great personal, emotional and social development.

Based on the program’s success, it is recommended that the Signature Initiative be expand- ed to other geographic regions of the country and that the Foundation support a series of curriculum changes and program refinements to better equip more underrepresented students to compete for admission to selective colleges and universities.

— — Executive Summary Highlights

Inception • In 1999, the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. launched The Goldman Sachs Foundation • A mission to promote excellence and innovation in education worldwide

The Signature Initiative • Develop the academic talents, abilities and entrepreneurial skills of underrepresented middle school and high school students • Establish them as more competitive participants in the admissions processes of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities • Equip them, long-term, to compete more effectively for positions with the nation’s leading corporations

Foundation Grants • In 2000, The Goldman Sachs Foundation awarded grants to four institutions – The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University – A Better Chance, Inc. – Bank Street College of Education – Prep for Prep • To date, the four organizations have received a combined total of $10.7 million in grant support. • Each institution designed its own program

The Students • 1,228 students have participated since 2000 • Four-fifths of the students are African American or Hispanic • Slightly more than half are girls (54%) • A variety of schools: 21% attend parochial schools, 38% attend public schools and 40% attend independent schools • Median family income is $45,000 • 22% come from families with annual incomes below $19,999 (slightly above poverty threshold for a family of four) • Half of the students come from households where one parent has a college degree • Many are navigating the college admissions process for the first time • Are faced with challenges at every stage of their academic careers • Difficult, if not impossible, for them to obtain admission to a selective college

Successful Results • In each of the four Signature Initiative Programs students had high rates of enrollment in Advanced Placement courses • In each of the four Signature Initiative Programs students’ average SAT scores were higher than the national pool of College Bound Test Takers • 74% of 330 Signature Initiative students are enrolled in the most competitive and highly selective colleges • 54 students are attending Ivy League institutions • Students also experienced great personal, emotional and social development

— — Recommendation • Expand to other geographic regions • Support curriculum changes and program refinements to better equip more underrepresented students to compete for admission to selective colleges and universities • Research what happens to students after they enter college: The real success of the Signature Initiative will be students’ successful completion of college

— — Introduction

Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, New York University — many 7th-, 8th- and 9th-grade students dream of being admitted to these colleges, however most cannot hope for admission. Those students from African American and Hispanic backgrounds have had the least hope. The odds are stacked against them. In 2004, African American students represented less than 6% of the first-time, full-time freshmen at the nation’s most competitive and highly competitive institutions and Hispanic students represented less than 7% compared to White students who represented almost 66% (see Table A1). Many African American and Hispanic students come from families with low incomes and not much experience navigating admission to selective colleges (see Table A2 for a list of selective colleges). Their teachers often do not consider them for the honors track, let alone as competitive candidates for admission to such academically rigorous universities as Harvard or Yale. Yet, we know that there are African American and Hispanic students who have the potential to enroll and succeed at the most prestigious colleges and universities in the United States. They just have not had the opportunity to tap into their academic potential. With the support of The Goldman Sachs Foundation, four leading educational organizations took a closer look at these often overlooked students, saw their potential, and worked with more than 1,200 students to give them the tools to realize their educational dreams.

The Educational Realities of Many Underrepresented Students in the United States

While a defining characteristic of life in the United States is that a person of humble origins can rise to the top of society, the obstacles to reach these heights are greater for underrepresented youth. Certainly a survey of U.S. history abounds with the tales of individuals such as Colin Powell, the first African American Secretary of State; David Satcher, former Surgeon General of the United States; Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican Congresswoman; or Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, all of whom came from modest backgrounds and rose to live lives filled with professional and economic success. Many U.S. students and their parents believe that with hard work and effort any student can attend the best colleges and universities in the United States. Yet, the admissions standards at the most prestigious schools make it a long shot, especially for certain groups of students. Some students overcome the odds of their personal background and academic preparation while others come from families where from birth they are strongly positioned for admission to the nation’s most prestigious colleges. The national data paint a depressing picture of the challenges that many underrepresented students confront as they progress through the U.S. educational system. The Elementary and Middle School Challenges: • Low-Income Status as Indexed by Eligibility for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch: A profile of 4th-graders in 2005 shows that while 41% of 4th-graders overall are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 70% of Black 4th-graders and 73% of Hispanic 4th-graders are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2006). • Racial Composition of School: Another profile of 4th-graders in 2005 reveals that 71% of Black 4th-graders and 75% of Hispanic 4th-graders attend schools that have more than 50% minority students, compared to 11% of White students who attend schools with more than 50% minority students (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2006). • Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): Black and Hispanic 4th- and 8th-graders had lower average scale scores in Reading and Mathematics on the National Assessment of Education Progress than White and Asian/Pacific Islander 4th- and 8th- graders (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2006).

1. African American, Hispanic and Native American students are included in this definition of underrepresented students. — — The High School Challenges: • Out-of-Subject Teaching: In 1999-2000, high school students who attended high-minority and high-poverty schools were more often taught English, science and mathematics by teachers who have neither a major nor certification in the subjects they teach (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). • Guidance Staff Ratio: In 2002, students who attended high schools with only 10% or less minority enrollment had the best student-guidance staff ratio (231:1). Conversely, schools with 75% or more minority enrollment had a much higher student-guidance staff ratio (269:1). This shows that each guidance counselor has considerably less time to spend with students in schools with high minority enrollment (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). • Enrollment in Advanced Math Courses: In spring 2000, Black, Hispanic, and Native Ameri- can high school graduates were less likely than White and Asian high school graduates to have taken advanced math courses in high school (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). • Enrollment in Advanced Science Courses: In spring 2000, Black, Hispanic, Native Ameri- can and White high school graduates were less likely than Asian high school graduates to have taken advanced science courses in high school. (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). • Performance on the Preliminary SAT® (PSAT®): In 2003, approximately 2.4 million high school sophomores and juniors took the Preliminary SAT (PSAT). The PSAT is one of the first gauges for both students and colleges of students’ abilities. Nationally, high school sophomores and juniors on average scored 455 on the Verbal section, 463 on the Math section and 483 on the Writing section. Hispanic students earned lower scores on the PSAT (396 on the Verbal section, 403 on the Math and 432 on the Writing section). African American students had the lowest PSAT scores of any racial/ ethnic group (378 on the Verbal section, 378 on the Math section and 416 on the Writing section) (College Board, 2004b). • Participation and Performance in Advanced Placement Program® (AP®): In 2005, the College Board administered more than 2 million AP exams, and students achieved an average score of 2.89 on the 34 AP exams. Nationally, African American test takers represented 5% of AP test takers and earned a mean score of 2.01 on all AP tests. Hispanic test takers represented 11.5% of AP test takers and earned a mean score of 2.52. White test takers represented 63.3% of AP test takers and earned an average score of 2.99 on AP exams. Asian test takers represented 13.4% of test takers and earned an average of 3.05 on the exam (College Board, 2005a). • Performance on the SAT: Approximately 1.6 million 2005 college-bound seniors took the SAT. On average, students who took the SAT scored 508 on the Verbal section and 520 on the Math section. African American (Verbal 433 and Math 431) and Hispanic (Verbal 458 and Math 465) seniors earned lower scores than their White (Verbal 532 and Math 536) and Asian (Verbal 511 and Math 580) peers (College Board, 2005b). The Postsecondary Challenges: • Remediation: In 1992, a higher proportion of Black (62%) and Hispanic (64%) 12th-graders who enrolled in postsecondary education took remedial courses, compared to Asian (38%) and White (36%) students (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004).

2. The PSAT scores were converted to the SAT metric by multiplying by 10. 3. Students who take more than 1 AP exam are counted multiple times.

— — • Degree Completion: Five years after they enrolled in college, 15% of African American and 15% of Hispanic students earned a bachelor’s degree, compared to 28% of White students and 36% of Asian students (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). • Borrowing to Pay for Undergraduate Education: While the percentage of all bachelor’s degree recipients who borrowed to pay for their undergraduate education rose from 49% in 1992-93 to 65% in 1999-2000, Black and Hispanic bachelor’s degree recipients had higher rates of borrowing than their peers. Eighty percent of Black and 71% of Hispanic 1999-2000 bachelor’s degree recipients borrowed for their undergraduate education, compared to 64% of White and 61% of Asian/Pacific Islander degree recipients (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004).

The Dream Is Still Alive: • Educational Expectations: A 20-year review of the postsecondary expectations of 10th-graders shows that in 2002, 77% of Black 10th-graders expected to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 41% in 1980, and 73% of Hispanic 10th-graders expected to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 33% in 1980. The change in postsecondary expectations for White and Asian students were similar to those of Black students — 81% and 87% expected to attain a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2002 respectively, compared to 41% and 67% in 1980 (U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004).

Creating Opportunities: Selective Colleges

We have no crystal ball to see what the future holds for prospective college students. An education at a selective college is no guarantee that a student will have a full and successful life. Rather, being admitted to a selective college puts students on a path to opportunities. There are many opportunities of which students at selective colleges are able to take advantage at higher rates than their peers at less selective institutions. First and foremost, there are other smart students who can provide both challenge and support for these students. Academically able students will be in their classes as well as in co-curricular programs. Selective colleges enroll students with the highest average SAT and ACT® scores in the nation, and National Merit Scholars are more likely to enroll at selective colleges (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2005). The faculty are more likely to have the highest degrees in their field and are usually the intellectual leaders in their fields (e.g., Nobel Laureates, exten- sively published authors). Resources are more likely to abound at selective colleges. The largest library holdings, the largest federal research-and-development grants, the largest defense department contracts and grants to non-profit institutions, the largest endowments, the highest total support per student, and the highest alumni support are found most frequently at selective colleges. Perhaps most important, selective colleges have the highest graduation rates among four-year colleges and universities. Ninety-three percent of students who begin their college careers at a highly selective college go on to complete their bachelor’s degree, versus 88% of those entering a selective college, and only 65% of those whose first entry is at a non-selective college (Adelman, 1999). The advantages of attending selective colleges extend beyond a student’s undergraduate career as well. Alumni connections can be a crucial resource for graduates as they enter the job market. In some cases, the connection is with a person a student already knows, for example, the parent of his or her first-year roommate. Whether it be the casual mention of a common alma mater at a party, or reading the resume of a potential candidate and fellow alumnus, there is a strong connection which provides a lifelong coveted edge to graduates from these highly selective institutions (Avery, Fairbanks, & Zeckhauser, 2003). Selective colleges are often the main feeder institutions to the nation’s most prestigious graduate and professional schools (Bowen & Bok, 1998). Another post-college benefit is that selective-college graduates earn higher average incomes than graduates from less selective institutions and report high levels of job and life satisfaction (Bowen & Bok, 1998).

— — The Signature Initiative

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., announced the launch of The Goldman Sachs Foundation in December 1999 with the mission of promoting excellence and innovation in education worldwide. Among the first actions of the new Foundation was to announce its Signature Initiative: Developing High-Potential Youth for Excellence and Leadership. The focus of the Signature Initiative is developing the academic talents, abilities and the entrepreneurial skills of underrepresented middle and high school students. The goal is to set underrepresented students on a course to become competitive in the admissions processes of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities, and eventually to have them become competitive for leadership positions in the nation’s leading corporations. In February 2000, the Foundation awarded the first of the four initial grants in its Signature Initiative to the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University (see Table 1). Four months later in June 2000, the Foundation awarded the remaining three grants that completed the initial grantees of the Signature Initiative to: A Better Chance, Inc., Bank Street College of Education, and Prep for Prep. The Goldman Sachs Foundation has allocated $10,700,000 to these four organizations.

Table 1: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Signature Initiative Grantees

A Better Chance, Bank Street Center for Talented Name of Organization Inc. College of Education Youth Prep for Prep Name of Program College Preparatory I-LEAD CTY-Goldman Sachs NYMRLA Schools Program (Institute for Leader- Foundation Scholars (New York Metro ship, Excellence & Program Region Leadership Academic Develop- Academy) ment)

Program Type Existing, Increasing New Program Existing, Increasing New Program Core Capacity Core Capacity

Each of the grant-recipient institutions has chosen to develop a unique program model and to spend the funds in a different way. All of them, however, have kept their eyes on the prize: admission to highly selective colleges. A Better Chance and CTY have used their Goldman Sachs Foundation grant resources to increase the number of students served in their core programs. Both the Bank Street College of Education and Prep for Prep created new programs. Bank Street College of Education created the Institute for Leadership, Excellence & Academic Development (I‑LEAD), and Prep for Prep created New York Metro Region Leadership Academy (NYMRLA). I‑LEAD, CTY and NYMRLA all share a common trait. They are out-of-school programs that operate in different combinations of summer, weekend and after-school programs.

Planning for Evaluation From the Beginning

When the programs began, college attendance was a distant thought for the student participants, as well as the administrators, staff and faculty. It would be at least four years before the first sizeable group of students applied to college. The programs’ primary short-term goals were to identify, recruit, admit and enroll talented students for their respective programs. The secondary goal was for the students to complete the first year. A common element of each of the programs is a lean organizational structure. Only CTY has a professional evaluation staff.

4. Through its grants, The Goldman Sachs Foundation has also provided support for programs that give students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship. These programs are not the focus of this evaluation. For more information on The Goldman Sachs Foundation and the programs it funds, please see www.gs.com/foundation. — — The four program directors were receptive to the idea of evaluation and our initial evaluation conversa- tions concentrated on crafting a tailor-made evaluation plan that would speak to each program’s respective strengths. The goal was to equip each program with the capacity to speak about its success on the basis of facts. The evaluation plans would consider short-term measures of student and program achievement while planning for the long-term and ultimate measures — college admission and enrollment. In 2001, each program decided its preferred criteria for measuring progress and judging success (see Appendix B). The original evaluation plans served as a baseline to facilitate our ability to reach a common goal of showing the achievements of each of the four programs and, most importantly, the achievements of the students. Early on, we realized that the desired facts — academic achievement data, such as grade point averages, course enrollments, and college admissions tests scores — would have to come from two sources: students and their schools. In the beginning, I‑LEAD and NYMRLA staff found that the administrators, teachers and staff at the schools their students attended were cautiously optimistic about these ambitious new college preparation programs with no track record of success. With a common goal of providing educational opportunities to all of the various groups of students with whom they each work, the programs were not designed or implemented using a classical research design methodology, such as random assignment. One of the challenges college preparation programs such as CTY, I-LEAD and NYMRLA confront is how to answer the question of whether and how their programs make a difference in increasing the enrollment of underrepresented students at the nation’s most selective colleges and universities. For example, how much credit for a student’s admission to the University of Pennsylvania can I-LEAD claim as compared to the high school the student attends? For comparison purposes, I-LEAD was successful in gaining the cooperation of the partner high schools to provide limited demographic and academic information for a group of students who are not in the program. The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. For the I-LEAD program, we can look at three measures of academic preparation for college: (a) performance on the PSAT and SAT, (b) enrollment in Advanced Placement courses, and (c) admission to selective colleges. To whom these students can be compared is a vexing question, particularly for CTY and NYMRLA. Applicants to CTY are part of a rather select group of students who take the SAT in the 7th and 8th grades as part of the CTY Talent Search process. Across the country, middle school students take the SAT I to qualify for regional talent-identification programs. According to the College Board, middle school students who take the SAT I are one-half of the non-traditional test-taker population, with adults comprising the other part. The demographic profile of students who take the SAT at this age shows that the majority do not answer the section of the SAT registration form that collects race data. Even among those 7th- and 8th-grade students who do complete the demographic questions on the registration form, nearly 50% of those do not report their race (College Board, 2004b). However, one only had to visit a CTY program six years ago to see that the students were mainly White and from affluent families. The underrepresented students who attend CTY with support from The Goldman Sachs Foundation probably do not have many peers who have their ability and who come from families with comparable family incomes. NYMRLA tackles a similar challenge. At face value it might be easier for NYMRLA because there are other African American and Hispanic students in the public schools NYMRLA students attend. However, their middle and high school peers most likely do not share the NYMRLA students’ academic goals coupled with the NYMRLA students’ abilities (please see the Becoming a Goldman Sachs Foundation Student section on page 12).

5. Students were matched by gender, race/ethnicity and school rank. One limitation of the research is that due to the small number of students who fit this profile, the comparison group includes students who were invited to apply to the I-LEAD program and chose not to apply, as well as students who were not admitted to the I-LEAD program. — — For all the programs, we compared the performances of Goldman Sachs Foundation’s students on the PSAT and SAT with national data from the College Board on student performance. The College Board also produced special analyses for the evaluation to allow us to make comparisons by race/ethnicity for students who take the PSAT in the 10th and/or 11th grades. The current evaluation report is a snapshot of what has been achieved from the program’s inception through June 2006. It addresses the following questions: • Who are the students in The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative? • Why do the programs focus on 7th-, 8th- and 9th-graders? • How well are the projects being implemented? • How does one become a student in one of the four Signature Initiative programs? • What are the activities and accomplishments of each of the four programs? • How is persistence defined in each program and what are the persistence rates for the programs? • How do students and parents view The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative programs? • Where did students enroll in college?

A Profile of The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Students

To date, 1,228 students have participated in one of the four Goldman Sachs Foundation-sponsored programs, with a program distribution of 447 students with A Better Chance, 248 students with the I-LEAD program, 402 students with the CTY Program, and 131 students with the NYMRLA program (see Table 2). For individual program data, please refer to Appendices E to H. The distribution of participants by gender follows national patterns, with slightly more girls participating in the program than boys (54% vs. 46%). Four-fifths of the students in the Signature Initiative programs are either African American or His- panic. Most students in the Signature Initiative are recruited and admitted in 7th, 8th or 9th grade. Students come from the various sectors of education — 21% attend parochial schools, 38% public schools and 40% independent schools (Note: 90% of A Better Chance students and nearly 25% of CTY students attend independent schools). From a geographical perspective, more than half the students are from New York, with an additional 15% from New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Due to the work of A Better Chance and CTY, 17% of the students hail from California. Many students and their parents are navigating the selective college admission process for the first time. While half of the students come from households in which at least one parent has earned a bachelor’s degree, often their parents received degrees from less selective colleges and universities than where they want their children to attend or from institutions outside of the United States. Even at CTY, which had the highest proportion of parents who attended selective colleges, only 14% of CTY fathers and 8% of CTY mothers for whom educational information is available attended a highly competitive or most competitive institution. The median family income of students in the Signature Initiative is $45,000 with 22% of the students from families with incomes below $19,999 which, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, places them slightly above the poverty threshold for a family of four (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). For this group in particular, the tuition sticker price alone of many selective colleges (e.g., $33,030 at Yale for 2006-07), which is higher than their annual family income, may be hard to comprehend.

— — Table 2: Profile of Newly Matriculated Goldman Sachs Foundation Students by Program as of 2006

ABC I-LEAD CTY NYMRLA Total Sex 447 248 402 131 1228 Female 269 117 208 63 657 54% Male 178 131 194 68 571 46% Race 447 248 402 131 1228 African American 294 100 163 46 603 49% Asian American 24 13 36 0 73 6% Hispanic 88 120 129 59 396 32% Native American 1 0 1 0 2 0% White 0 11 27 0 38 3% Other 40 4 46 26 116 9% Admission Grade Level 447 248 402 131 1228 5 and 6 29 0 14 0 43 4% 7 39 0 189 131 359 29% 8 18 0 171 0 189 15% 9 305 248 22 0 575 47% 10 41 0 6 0 47 4% 11 12 0 0 0 12 1% 12 3 0 0 0 3 0% Type of School 447 248 402 131 1228 Missing Data 0 0 9 0 9 1% Public 45 0 288 131 464 38% Parochial 0 248 14 0 262 21% Independent 402 0 91 0 493 40% Home State 447 248 402 127 1224 California 108 0 104 0 212 17% Connecticut 18 0 0 27 45 4% New Jersey 42 0 6 36 84 7% New York 109 248 249 64 670 55% Pennsylvania 23 0 31 0 54 4% Other States 147 0 12 0 159 13% Parents’ Education At least one parent with BA degree 51% 39% 57% 53% 49% (#Yes/#Respondents) (205/402) (89/233) (82/145) (55/104) (431/884) Family Income $0-19,999 21% 19% 28% 9% 22%

(poverty level family – 4) (#Yes/#Respondents) (90/419) (44/231) (96/340) (10/109) (240/1099) Median Income $50,000 $45,000 $35,000 $65,000 $45,000 Total Starters 447 248 402 131 1228 Total Persisters 427 194 317 103 1041 Total Non-persisters 20 54 85 28 187 Overall Persistence Rate 95.5% 78.2% 78.9% 78.6% 84.8%

— 10 — School Partnerships

Each program has partner middle and/or high schools where students are enrolled during the academic year (see Table C1 for a list of schools). The intensity of the school partnerships varies from the extremely close working relationship of I-LEAD to the more hands-off relationship of CTY. One of the reasons for the difference in the depth of the relationships with partner schools is the number of schools involved and the number of students participating from each school. The I-LEAD students attend six schools with between 10 and 15 students per class. By contrast, in a given year, the CTY students are distributed among more than 65 different schools, and many students are likely to be the only ones from a school participating in CTY. Over the course of the grants, I‑LEAD and NYMRLA have issued letters of under- standing, communicating with the partner schools the terms and conditions of their participation.

Why Work With 7th-, 8th- and 9th-Graders?

Borrowing the sage advice of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, if you want to know how to get somewhere, it helps to know where you want to end up. How does this translate into academic planning for admission and enrollment in selective colleges? First and foremost, it translates to students’ academic preparation for college (see Figure 1). Ideally, as early as the 7th grade, students, their parents and guidance counselors should be developing academic plans with an aim toward college readiness. From an academic planning perspective there are three components that demonstrate academic preparedness at admission time: (1) taking a rigorous curriculum, (2) earning good grades and (3) taking the required college admissions tests, as well as some non-required tests. This academic planning usually occurs natu- rally in schools or families where there has been a tradition of high achievers or where at least one family member attended a selective higher education institution. In those families with no such tradition or model, The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative was designed as an alternate information source.

Figure 1: Academic Planning for Admission and Enrollment in Selective Colleges

— 11 — Slightly more than half of the students in the Signature Initiative state that they have always known that they would be going to college, and the vast majority report that their parents strongly encouraged them to continue their education beyond high school. Since many students indicated that admission to Harvard was a college goal, we can take a look at the four-year college preparatory curriculum suggested by the Harvard Admissions Office (Harvard College Admissions, 2006): • four years of English, with extensive practice in writing • four years of math • four years of science: biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced course in one of these subjects • three years of history, including American and European history • four years of one foreign language In addition to satisfying the number of years suggested for the five different subject areas, it is also recommended that students take honors or accelerated courses that are offered at their middle school or high school. Also, there is an increasing number of high school students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school. Therefore, one of the reasons for encouraging students to think about their college goals in 7th and 8th grades is that they need to plan their high school course sequence and selection carefully. For instance, in order to take some honors or AP courses, such as Calculus AB in their senior year, students probably should take algebra in the 8th grade. Second, students need to maintain high grade point averages. While most colleges do not have rigid grade requirements, they do look for students who achieve at a high level, and they take into account the difficulty of the courses taken. For example, a “B” grade in AP U.S. history may be examined and weighted differently than a “B” grade in U.S. history. Third, many colleges consider scores on college admissions tests, such as the SAT or ACT, as one of the indicators of students’ readiness to do college-level work. Some colleges also require that in addition to SAT scores, students submit scores from three different SAT II College Board Subject Tests. Colleges and universities also review student performance on non-required tests, such as AP Tests.

Becoming a Goldman Sachs Foundation Student

Each program begins with a search for high-potential students who are predominantly African American and Hispanic (see Table 3). With the exception of A Better Chance, which works with children from grades 5 to 12, the remaining three programs direct their admissions efforts toward students in the 7th, 8th or 9th grades. While a portion of each program’s population is low-income, only CTY has a family income criterion of $75,000 or lower for admission for three of its four years.

Table 3: Profile of Prospective Goldman Sachs Foundation Students by Program

Criteria A Better Chance I-LEAD CTY NYMRLA Grade 5th thru 12th 9th 7th & 8th 7th

Race African American African American African American African American Hispanic/Latino Hispanic/Latino Hispanic/Latino Hispanic/Latino Asian American Asian American Asian American Native American Native American

Family Income as a No No Under $75,000 No Factor for Program Admittance

6. The College Board offers 37 courses and exams across 22 subject areas. 7. According to the College Board, the SAT II Subject Tests are one-hour, mostly multiple-choice tests that measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge. There are 20 subject tests. — 12 — Each program has a distinctive talent-identification process that is rooted in the tradition of its core structure (see Table 4). Each program has effectively employed its own unique criteria in identifying and recruiting high-potential students. This has allowed them to successfully attract both the number and the quality of students with whom they committed to working, as outlined in their grant proposals to The Gold- man Sachs Foundation. Two criteria are common across the four programs for identifying talent: nomina- tions from the regular schools that students attend, and student performance on standardized achievement tests (see Appendix D for a description of the various admissions tests, as well as student performance by program on the admissions tests).

Table 4: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Signature Initiative Program Talent-Identification Process

A Better Chance

• Distributes applications via a network of 850 feeder middle and junior high schools in areas where poverty is predominant. Students who receive application materials are generally in the top 10% of their class. • Criteria include student performance on the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT).

I-LEAD

• Year 1: The original four Catholic partner schools had latitude in identifying “high achieving” entering-9th-grade students to recommend to I-LEAD. • Year 2: I-LEAD moved the application process to the end of the 9th grade and the criteria included being currently enrolled in honors classes. Student performance on the Cooperative Entrance Exam (COOP) was also reviewed.

CTY

• Identified more than 240 schools, primarily in New York, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, that were willing to participate. • Identified students who scored at or above the 97th percentile on a standardized in-level achievement test or aptitude test (e.g., Cognitive Abilities Test, Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills).

NYMRLA

Wanting to cast a wide net, they invited students who met at least one of the following criteria in 15 suburban New York metro region public school districts: • Scored in the top 20% of all African American and Hispanic students on the most recent standardized test in English-Language Arts or Reading Comprehension. • Talented students who did not score in the top 20% on standardized tests, but who had demonstrated exceptional ability in the classroom — students would have to have a “B+” or “A-” average. • Students (especially those whose native language is not English) who have demonstrated exceptional math ability — who are in the top 5% of all students. • Students (especially those whose native language is not English) who do not fit into the above categories but who show superior ability (no more than three students from each school were allowed in this category).

— 13 — Applying to a Signature Initiative Program

In many respects, the application process for admission to a Signature Initiative program mirrors the college application process (see Table 5). All four Signature Initiative programs have application processes that are successful in attracting and selecting high-potential underrepresented students. All four require student applications and, with the exception of CTY, an additional application for parents to complete. Again, with the exception of CTY, the programs’ applications require teacher-written student recommendations and student submissions of their grades. Some of the other key differences include the following: • I-LEAD requires students to submit essays. • NYMRLA requires a writing sample to be constructed on site. • I-LEAD and NYMRLA require each student to participate in a personal interview. • A Better Chance and CTY require parents to submit family income information. • A Better Chance requires students to submit letters of personal recommendation.

Table 5: The Goldman Sachs Foundation Program Application Process

A Better Chance I-LEAD CTY NYMRLA Student/Family Application Yes Yes Yes Yes Parent Application Yes Yes Yes Essay Yes Yes Interviews Yes Yes 2 Writing Sample Yes Yes Yes Teacher Recommendations 2 2 3 Personal Recommendation Yes Grades Yes Yes Yes Financial Information Yes Yes Yes Admissions Test(s) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Note: Student application may include family information.

Profiles of the Four Programs

The common bond of the four Signature Initiative programs outlined here is a shared goal of increasing the number of African American and Hispanic students who enroll at selective colleges. Another link among the four organizations is a shared belief that the best way to achieve this goal is for students to be academically successful in the middle and high school years. Due to the unique groups of students with whom each program works, as well as the programs’ individual approaches to working with their students and families, it may be helpful to look at the Signature Initiative programs individually. The profiles of each organization are not exhaustive. We have provided supplementary information for each program in Appendices E to H.

— 14 — A Better Chance

Isabel has her feet planted in two different worlds. One world is Texas, where her mom and siblings are. The other world is at a selective New England college. Along the way, she attended an independent boarding school in New England. When Isabel was in the 8th grade she heard about A Better Chance through her church. She and her mother attended an orientation meeting where A Better Chance staff explained what the program would involve. The application and interview process were hard. The decision to go so far from home was difficult for Isabel and her family. It is different in New England. She is one of the few Latina students at her school and in the town. She did well at her independent school. She took the SAT in the 11th grade and earned a very high score. She also took several AP courses. Isabel is in her second year at a selective college in New England. For decades, independent schools have been the academic A Better Chance training ground for many economically advantaged students who attend the nation’s most prestigious colleges and univer- Sandra Timmons National Office sities. Their names and academic reputations are well-known: 240 West 35th Street Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Academy, Choate Rosemary 9th Floor Hall, and the Trinity School. Similar to the demographic and New York, NY 10001-2506 access issues faced at the college level, independent schools Gender: are not overpopulated by underrepresented, low-income U.S. Women: 60% citizens. According to the National Association of Independent Men: 40% Schools (NAIS), in 2003-04, African American students repre- Race: sented less than 6% of students at all NAIS member schools, African American: 66% Hispanic students 3% and Native American students less than 1% Hispanic: 20% (NAIS, 2004). Other: 14% Since 1963, A Better Chance’s mission has been to provide Admission Grades: 6 to 12 access for underrepresented students to an independent school Types of Schools education. A Better Chance candidates are usually in the top 10% Public: 10% of their class, with at least a B average and are placed in grades Private: 90% 6 through 12. A Better Chance has used The Goldman Sachs Number of Schools: 236 Foundation support to achieve two interrelated goals in the independent school area. The first is to increase the number of Home States: CA, CT, NJ, NY, PA, and others member schools, which in turn will provide an opportunity for the second goal — of placing a greater number of students in Median Income: $50,000 independent schools — to be achieved. A Better Chance Percent with family income increased its member schools by 36 (up to a total of 236 mem- under $19,999: 21% ber schools). Among the new member schools are Williston in At least one parent with Northampton, Mass., The Atlanta Girls School in Atlanta, Ga., bachelor’s degree: 51% and the Hun School in Princeton, N.J. While A Better Chance member schools are predominantly independent schools, several communities, such as Amherst, Massachusetts, and Appleton, Wisconsin, have A Better Chance Houses. At A Better Chance Houses, students live in supervised housing and attend the local public schools. In the Signature Initiative, the primary objective of A Better Chance is to identify talented high-potential youth, facilitate their school applications, and place students in high-caliber independent and, to a limited extent, public middle and high schools. Unlike the remaining three programs, which have substantial instructional components that are designed to help high-potential students excel in their regular schools, A Better Chance has a very limited instructional component in the Signature Initiative. A Better Chance’s instructional component is focused on another area of the Signature Initiative, which is teaching students about entrepreneurship.

8. Please see Promoting Entrepreneurship and Business Education for more information about The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s programs that promote entrepreneurship. — 15 — The talent-identification process is a major component of A Better Chance’s work with students and their families. Together with students and their families, A Better Chance compiles a strong application record for each student. A Better Chance also works with its member schools to find good candidates for their particular academic program. With The Goldman Sachs Foundation support, A Better Chance increased the number of applications it received from 2,429 students in 2000-01 to 2,920 in 2002-03, a 20.2% increase. Each year more than 400 A Better Chance students earn admission to independent schools. How do you prepare students to have their worlds changed completely? Every summer, A Better Chance conducts an east and west coast New Scholar Orientation. The purpose of the orientation is to provide students who are admitted to independent schools with an overview of what their experiences will be like in the coming academic years. In order to mark the success of the A Better Chance program, the performances of 447 students were examined. Since the 447 students enrolled in one of the A Better Chance member schools, 20 students have left, resulting in a persistence rate of 96%. With the cooperation of a group of member schools that provided data on some students’ academic achievements, an early achievement picture unfolds. While this is not a complete picture of the now 427 students’ achievements, we have no reason to believe it is not representative (see Appendix E for more information on A Better Chance students). Since A Better Chance enrolls students who are from a range of grades and who have started the program over a three-year period, we focused our attention on the high school years. Many A Better Chance students make the transition to independent schools in the 9th grade. The average GPAs for A Better Chance students in grades 9 to 12 are included (see Appendix E). In grade 9, A Better Chance students earned a 2.92 GPA on average, in grade 10 a 2.89, in grade 11 a 3.00, and in grade 12 a 3.19. As noted earlier, performance on the PSAT is one of the first signals that college admissions offices receive about potential applicants. Schools provided A Better Chance with PSAT performance data for over 20% of the students who might have taken the PSAT in their sophomore or junior year. On average, A Better Chance students earned a 533 Verbal score and a 517 Math score, compared to the national average of 455 on the Verbal section and 463 on the Math section (see Figure 2). A Better Chance students also had higher scores than their African American and Hispanic peers in the national pool of PSAT test takers.

Figure 2: A Better Chance Students’ Performance on the PSAT

Note: Mean scores for 89 (21%) of 414 A Better Chance students who are persisters and are at least in 10th grade (eligible to take at least the PSAT exam in the 10th grade). CB is an abbreviation for the college-bound students. Source: Customized analyses by the College Board for The Goldman Sachs Foundation.

9. Annual changes in students’ GPAs over a four-year period are not reported here. — 16 — A similar performance picture among A Better Chance students is emerging for the SAT. Of 372 students who were at least juniors in high school, SAT information was available for 106 students (28%). While not representative of all of A Better Chance students we followed, the group of 106 students achieved on average a 586 on the Verbal section and 575 on the Math section (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: A Better Chance Students’ Performance on the SAT

Note: Mean scores for 106 (28%) of the 372 A Better Chance students who technically could have taken the SAT as either a high school junior or senior. Source: College Board (2005). 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report. Another important piece of students’ admissions profiles is the rigor of the courses they take inhigh school, with Advanced Placement courses having national currency. Several of the independent schools, or prep schools, A Better Chance students attend — Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy and Lawrenceville — actually participated in the original pilot studies that created the Advanced Placement program (College Board, 2004a). A look at the AP course enrollments of 35 of the A Better Chance students found that they were enrolled in 62 courses, with the majority having taken one AP course, and four students having taken four AP courses (see Figure 4). U.S. History (13) is the most popular AP course, followed by English Literature (8), Biology (7) and Chemistry (7). The students’ achievements on college admissions exams and their enrollment in Advanced Placement courses are indicative of A Better Chance’s success in meeting its goals for its students.

Figure 4: A Better Chance Student Enrollment in AP Courses

Note: Only 414 of the students in A Better Chance are in grade 10 or higher. Theoretically, these students are all eligible to enroll in AP courses. This figure represents the enrollment patterns of 8% (35 out of 414) of the eligible population. Not all AP courses listed may be available at each of the schools A Better Chance students attend. — 17 — I-LEAD

In his freshman year at Cardinal Hayes High School, Jayson heard about a new program called I-LEAD. He thought it sounded interesting, so he applied and was accepted. The first summer, Jayson took four classes at the three-week residential program at a college campus in the New York area. It was a glimpse into the world of college — with the added benefit of being at home on the weekends. The summer classes were different from what he was used to at his school. The teachers wanted Jayson to work in groups, participate in class discussion and work on his writing. During the school year, Jayson participated in the Saturday Academies. He spent the summer between his sophomore and junior year at a program in the Midwest for high school students interested in engineering, and the summer between his junior and senior year in Spain on an exchange program. During high school, he took several AP courses. This fall, Jayson will start his junior year at a selective college. The Goldman Sachs Foundation asked Bank Street College of I-LEAD Education to work with several Catholic schools in New York.10 Fern Kahn Today, through the Institute for Leadership, Excellence and Bank Street College of Education Academic Development (I-LEAD), 150 students are participat- 610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025 ing in academic enrichment programs each year. I-LEAD has two emphases. First, it aims to strengthen students’ abilities in Gender: Women: 47% two core academic areas: critical thinking and writing. Second, Men: 53% I-LEAD encourages students to seek out for themselves Race: educational opportunities, both inside and outside the formal African American: 40% classroom, that enable them to acquire skills and experiences Hispanic: 48% that will be helpful in the admissions process while at the same Other: 12% time helping the students develop a sense of confidence and Admission Grade: 9th belief in their ability. Types of Schools: Parochial: 100% I-LEAD selects its students from among the brightest and most able at the six high schools. Students learn about the program Number of Schools: 6 at the start of their freshman year and apply at the end of it. The Home State: NY initial event for all newly admitted students is a three-week Median Income: $45,000 residential summer program where students take four courses: Percent with family income constitutional law, biomechanics, writing and a leadership course. under $19,999: 19% During their sophomore year students take four classes twice a At least one parent with month at the Saturday Academy: chemistry, a writing class, a bachelor’s degree: 38% college exploration course and a class called The Business of Self. Students can also participate in after-school programs. Because the admissions process at selective colleges is not well known among I-LEAD students and their families, a substantial part of student programming activities promotes college preparation and planning activities. For example, SAT prep courses are held to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the tests and the skills required to successfully navigate them. This combination provides for academic opportunities (the writing class and the chemistry class) as well as personal and academic planning (the Business of Self class and the College Exploration class).

10. I-LEAD originally worked with four schools — Aquinas, Cardinal Hayes, Cardinal Spellman, and Rice and then increased the number to six to include Mount Saint Ursula and All Hallows. — 18 — One of the key points that I-LEAD stresses with the admitted 9th graders is that the college preparation and exploration process has already begun. A portion of their time at I-LEAD will be devoted to thinking about and planning for college. Students are gradually building momentum for preparing college applications in their senior year. They apply to non-I-LEAD summer programs (e.g., the Syracuse University Summer College for High School Students and Experiment in International Living) that typically require them to complete both an application and financial aid form. By the time they apply to college in their senior year they have had several dry runs. During their time at I-LEAD, students accomplish a great deal, and it shows when their achievements are contrasted with the I-LEAD comparison group students.11 In examining unweighted GPAs12, the difference between I-LEAD students and their peers does not appear to be substantial (Class 1 senior year GPA 3.08 vs. 2.78 for the Comparison Class 1 group). Yet, this is not taking into account the greater difficulty of the courses I-LEAD students take. Across the first two graduated I‑LEAD classes, 74 students have enrolled in 182 AP courses, compared to 38 of their peers who took 73 AP courses in total during their high school careers (see Figure 5). I‑LEAD students had higher enrollments in all of the AP courses versus their high school counterparts: Biology (24 vs. 7), Calculus (31 vs. 16), Chemistry (4 vs. 3), English (32 vs. 13), European History (20 vs. 9), French (3 vs. 0), Physics (7 vs. 1), Spanish (10 vs. 8), U.S. His- tory (38 vs. 12), and World History (13 vs. 4).

Figure 5: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Class 1 and Class 2 Student Enrollment in AP Courses

Note: Includes only I-LEAD and Comparison Class 1 (graduated HS in 2004) and 2 (graduated HS in 2005) students. I-LEAD students took 182 AP classes. Not all AP courses listed above may be available at each of the high schools that I-LEAD students attend.

11. The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. 12. GPAs were re-calculated to the following five subjects: English, social studies, math, science and foreign language. — 19 — Following their performance pattern from the PSAT (see Table F3), I-LEAD students earned higher scores on the SAT than their peers. I-LEAD students had a mean Verbal score of 563 and a mean Math score of 551, while their high school peers achieved 502 on the Verbal section and 496 on the Math section. I‑LEAD students’ scores were higher than the national population of students who earned 508 on the Verbal section and 520 on the Math section (see Figure 6). Nationally, African American students scored 433 on the Verbal section and 431 on the Math section, and Hispanic students scored 458 on the Verbal section and 465 on the Math section. See Appendix F for more information on I-LEAD students.

Figure 6: I-LEAD Class 1 and Class 2 Achievement on the SAT

Source: College Board (2005). 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report. Two non-academic elements of the I-LEAD program are important to mention. First, I-LEAD requires students between 10th and 11th grades and 11th and 12th grades to spend their summers at non-I-LEAD programs. The rationale is that students will have two opportunities to replicate the college admissions and financial aid processes, and the payoff is that they will be exposed to other unique learning opportunities. Students participated in programs both in the U.S. and abroad. Second, The I-LEAD Spring Break College Campus Tour is now a tradition. The college tours coordinated by I-LEAD staff expose students to some of the lesser-known selective colleges and universities in the New England and Mid‑Atlantic states. For many I-LEAD students, this is the first time they are visiting college campuses outside of New York. Subsequently, many I-LEAD students reported in the feedback surveys that they turned to program staff rather than high school counselors for advice on college applications. It is evident that the I-LEAD program is providing its students with the academic and social opportunities and support they need to put themselves en route to college success.

— 20 — CTY

Rosita heard about the CTY program at the public middle school she attended in Los Angeles. She took the SAT as an 8th-grader and qualified for admission to CTY. Her first night at the University of California at Santa Cruz was not only her first time away from Los Angeles, but also her first time away from her family. Rosita took Algebra and Its Applications her first summer at CTY. When she returned for a second summer, she took Geometry and Its Applications. Rosita enrolled in AP Calculus BC and AP Biology in high school. She was recently enrolled at a selective college. CTY works with a special group of students — those who participate in the national talent-identification pool (commonly referred to as the talent search pool). What makes the talent search pool unique? It is comprised mainly of 7th- and 8th-graders who take the SAT to qualify for admission to special programs that provide academically challenging educational experiences to young students. Students and alumni fondly refer to CTY as “nerd camp.” One of the challenges Lea Ybarra faced when she became Center for Talented Youth director of CTY was to increase the diversity of the student Lea Ybarra body. With the support of The Goldman Sachs Foundation, the Johns Hopkins University demographic profile of CTY students is changing. The number 3400 N Charles Street of underrepresented students who participate in the CTY sum- Baltimore, MD 21218 mer programs is rising; it is up to 11% of the total enrollment Gender: from less than 1% when Ybarra joined CTY. Women: 52% Men: 48% The core CTY component is the summer program, which Race: is conducted on several college campuses throughout the African American: 41% United States. CTY actually conducts two summer programs for Hispanic: 32% students in the 7th grade and above: The Center for Other: 27% Academic Advancement (CAA) and CTY.13 The CTY is more Admission Grades: 7 and 8 accelerated than the CAA. Although the number of classes Types of Schools offered and breadth of topics available are slightly Public: 72% smaller in the CAA option as compared to the CTY, the overall Private: 23% Parochial: 3% range of classes is similar between the two programs. What is Unknown: 2% common across the CAA and CTY options are humanities, writing, math and science classes. In addition, both programs Number of Schools: 225 allow students to immerse themselves in a single subject area at Home States: CA, NY, NJ, PA and a level considerably above their current grade level. The summer others program provides students with a taste of college life and Median Income: $35,000 offers them an opportunity to meet other students with similar Percent with family income academic interests and outlooks. under $19,999: 28% Admission to each program is based on performance on stan- At least one parent with bachelor’s degree: 57% dardized tests. CAA is available to students whose SAT I scores place them in the top two percent of their age mates, while CTY is available to students whose SAT scores place them in the top one-half of one percent of their age mates. Based upon their performance on the SAT, 73% of the 402 students enrolled in a CAA program, 23% in a CTY program, and in the first year, 4% of students were in the Young Scholars Program (see Appendix G for additional information on CTY students).

13. In the first year, 14 students were in the CTY Young Scholars program, which is for children in grades 5 and 6. — 21 — The 7th- and 8th-grade students who enrolled in CTY on average scored 471 on SAT Verbal and 491 on the SAT Math (see Figure 7). These scores are slightly higher than the overall pool of students who took the SAT in 7th and 8th grades in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. The CTY students’ achievements are notable given that Goldman Sachs Foundation-sponsored students are predominantly African American and Hispanic and met a $75,000 income cap.

Figure 7: Matriculated CTY Students’ Performance on the SAT Compared to the National Pool of 7th- & 8th-Graders Who Take the SAT

Note: CTY students are mostly African American and Latino students in the 7th and 8th grades. Students from four entering classes are aggregated for these analyses. Nationally, nearly 85% of the 7th- and 8th-grade test takers do not report race/ethnicity. Source: College Board (2006). Test Scores of Nontraditional Test Takers.

Algebra and Its Applications, Geometry and Its Applications, Mathematical Modeling, and Principles of Engineering Design are four of the five most popular courses among CTY students, with more than a quarter of all first-time CTY students enrolling in these four courses. In general, mathematics and science were students’ two favorite subject areas, with 39% of students enrolling in a math course and 22% enrolling in a science course. Writing was students’ third choice (20%), followed by humanities at 17% and marine science at 2%. Over the four-year period, CTY has provided an average of $2,380 per student in scholarship funds for students to participate in their first summer at CTY; many students enjoy their first experience so much that they return for a second summer. Less than 20% of students limited their CTY experience to just one summer. Nearly a third of students spent three or more summers at CTY. A combination of Goldman Sachs Foundation support, other CTY support and, in some cases, family resources made these multiple CTY experiences possible. At CTY learning is a year-round endeavor. One-quarter of the students enrolled in an online distance- education course. Following the course preference pattern of the summer, two-thirds of those who took a distance-education course chose one in math, and the remaining one-third took one in writing. Because admission to CTY is solely on the basis of performance on standardized tests and the bar is set high, CTY does not enroll sizeable numbers of students from any one school. Over the four-year grant period only eight of the 240 schools have had more than five students participate in CTY, with Brooklyn Technical High School having the highest representation of students with 17. This may account for some of the challenges CTY faces in collecting long-term data from a representative number of students after they have left CTY in the early high school years. Yet, for those students who keep CTY informed of their achievements in the years between CTY and college, their records of accomplishments are strong, and we have no reason to believe they are not representative. — 22 — For those CTY students for whom 11th-grade PSAT scores are available (226 out of 346 eligible students or 65%), a strong record of achievement emerges. These students performed exceptionally well, with an average Verbal score of 592 and an average Math score of 602. This pattern continued for students who took the SAT. CTY students outperformed their peers in the national pool (see Table G3). Across the cohorts, these students averaged an SAT Verbal score of 623 and an SAT Math score of 629, well above the national averages of college-bound seniors (see Figure 8).

Figure 8: CTY Student Performance on the SAT

Note: The 140 CTY students included in these analyses graduated/or are expecting to graduate between 2002 and 2007. Source: College Board (2005). 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report.

Enrollment in AP courses was also strong for CTY students. The number of AP courses CTY students enrolled in ranged from one to nine with the average number of courses being three per student.14 AP U.S. History was the most popular course among CTY students (60), followed by AP Biology (44) and AP Chemistry (41). Although the CTY picture may appear narrow, it paints a very positive picture about the students and their academic prowess (see Figure 9 and Table G3).

Figure 9: CTY Student Enrollment in AP Courses

Note: This figure shows the 10 most popular AP courses among CTY students. A total of 402 CTY students were in grade 10 or higher, and thus eligible to enroll into AP courses. This figure represents the enrollment patterns of 35% of the eligible population (139 out of 402). Not all AP courses listed above may be available at each of the high schools that CTY students attend.

14. The AP course enrollment data are primarily based on students’ information on taking an AP exam. The total number of AP courses CTY students took may be underrepresented because it does not include students who enrolled in an AP course, but did not take the AP exam. — 23 — NYMRLA

Andy’s teachers considered him to be an average student. The 7th-grader was not challenged in his courses at a public middle school in New Jersey and this was reflected in his performance. He was not on track to take algebra in the 8th grade. Andy entered the NYMRLA talent search process and based on his great potential was selected for the program. Andy blossomed his first summer at the seven-week NYMRLA program held on the campus of Manhattanville College. The seven courses were very challenging. Andy’s favorite subjects were mathematics and biology. At the end of the first summer, a NYMRLA counselor reviewed Andy’s summer performance with his middle school guidance counselor. Andy was moved into the 8th-grade algebra class. He attended the all-day Saturday classes during the intervening school year and returned for the second summer. Andy took advantage of the AP offerings at his high school. He took AP U.S. History in his sophomore year, AP European History in his junior year, and AP Biology and AP Calculus AB in his senior year. He will enroll at a selective college this fall. A casual conversation between a staff member and his child led NYMRLA Prep for Prep to bring NYMRLA, a version of their hallmark Aileen Hefferren 14-month preparatory component program, to the suburbs. The 328 West 71st Street question was a simple one — “How many African American and New York, NY 10023 Hispanic students are in your AP classes?” The child said, “One.” Gender: The parent replied, “Not just in one of your AP classes but all Women: 48% Men: 52% four of your AP classes.” A bit frustrated, the child said, “I told you, one.” Across the U.S., the reality is that many times schools Race: African American: 35% that appear from the outside to be “AP rich” — meaning they Hispanic: 45% offer a host of AP classes — are actually “AP rich for majority Other: 20% students and AP poor for minority students.” One of the main Admission Grade: 7th reasons for this phenomenon is that often students need to be in Types of Schools certain prerequisite courses and sometimes earn certain grades Public: 100% in those courses in order to be AP ready, or for that matter Number of Schools: honors-course ready. 29 middle schools NYMRLA concentrated its efforts for two years on work- Home States: CT, NJ, NY ing with approximately 66 rising 8th-graders from 29 public Median Income: $65,000 middle schools in 15 school districts and three states: New Percent with family income Jersey, Connecticut and New York. The 14-month preparatory under $19,999: 9% component included two seven-week residential summer ses- At least one parent with sions at Manhattanville College in New York as well as all-day bachelor’s degree: 53% Saturday classes at Rye Country Day School during the school year. NYMRLA students remained in their public middle schools during the school year. With a goal of developing students’ abilities in all areas of the curriculum, NYMRLA’s academic program focused on five major subject areas: mathematics, biology, social studies, literature, writing, and a supplemental course in social psychology.

— 24 — Toward the end of their second summer, NYMRLA students15 unofficially took the SAT as part of the evaluation. The NYMRLA students scored 476 on average on the Verbal section and 502 on the Math section. On the basis of age, students from the Talent Identification Process (TIP) pool16 would be the group with whom to compare NYMRLA scores. NYMRLA students scored approximately 15 to 20 points lower on both the Verbal and Math sections compared to 8th-graders in the national pool.

Figure 10: NYMRLA Students’ Performance on the SAT Compared to the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 National Pool of 8th-Grade SAT Test Takers

Note: Although 103 students completed the 14-month program, score reports are available for 88 students. The discrepancy in N values is due to the fact that 11 students did not provide permission to use their academic data and four students were not in attendance when the SAT was administered. Source: College Board (2006). Test Scores of Nontraditional Test Takers.

The first NYMRLA class graduated high school in June 2006. A quick glance at this class shows it is evident that NYMRLA students have accomplished a great deal academically. NYMRLA students on average earned grades in the “B” range from 7th grade through their senior year of high school (see Table H3). One reason for the lower GPAs in high school, in comparison to their grades in 7th and 8th grade, may be due to the increased difficulty of the courses students take.

15. Eleven of the 103 students who completed the 14-month NYMRLA program did not assent to release their performance data for the evaluation. 16. TIP refers to the national Talent Identification Process in which 7th- and 8th-graders take the SAT I to qualify for admission to regional programs. The College Board classifies 7th- and 8th-graders who take the SAT I as Nontraditional SAT I Test Takers. — 25 — More than three-quarters of students provided NYMRLA with a report card, and nearly half of the report cards had final course grades. The good news is that more than 45% of Class 1 students were enrolled in honors and/or AP mathematics and science courses each year throughout high school, and more than 40% of them in honors and/or AP English and social studies courses. (see Table H4). Some NYMRLA students are taking courses above their grade level. We distinguish this from honors and call this accelera- tion. Students who are enrolled in accelerated math or science in middle school may be better positioned to take honors or AP classes in high school. Among NYMRLA students, math is the most common subject in which to accelerate. In Class 1, three students accelerated in 7th-grade math and thirteen students accelerated in 8th-grade math while in Class 2, nineteen students accelerated in 8th-grade math and one in 8th-grade science (see Table H5). One of NYMRLA’s major program goals is to increase student enrollment in honors and AP courses. The sophomore year of high school is typically the starting point for taking AP courses. As of 2006, 68 Class 1 (Class of 2006) and Class 2 (Class of 2007) students have enrolled in a total of 177 AP courses17 (see Table H2): AP U.S. History (34), AP English (30), AP Biology (19), AP Calculus (17), AP Chemistry (11), AP Spanish Language (10), AP Environmental Science (9), AP Government: U.S. (7), AP Statistics (7), AP French Language (6), AP European History (5), AP Computer Science (4), AP Economics (4), AP Physics (3), AP Spanish Literature (3), AP Studio Art (2), AP World History (2), AP Italian Language (1), AP Latin (1), and AP Psychology (1).

Figure 11: NYMRLA Class 1 and Class 2 Enrollment in AP Courses

Note: This figure represents the 15 most popular AP courses among NYMRLA students. These numbers only include students who completed the 14-month preparatory program and gave permission to present their data.

17. Not all AP courses listed may be available at each of the public high schools that NYMRLA students attend in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. — 26 — The PSAT is administered through schools and is typically taken by juniors. NYMRLA Class 1 students took the test in their junior year (see Table H2). On average they earned a PSAT Verbal score of 579 and a Math score of 600, both of which were higher than the national averages (473 and 481 respectively) or the mean scores earned by other African American (397 and 395) or Hispanic (417 and 422) students who took the test in their junior year (College Board, 2004b)18. Similar to their PSAT performance, NYMRLA Class 1 students did exceptionally well on their SAT exams. Twenty-six of the 38 Class 1 students averaged an SAT Verbal score of 629 and an SAT Math score of 659. Their scores substantially exceeded the national average scores of 2005 college-bound seniors (508 and 520 respectively), as well as the average scores of African American (433 and 431 respectively) and Hispanic (458 and 465 respectively) students in 2005.

Figure 12: NYMRLA Class 1 SAT Performance

Note: Only the scores of students who completed the 14-month prep program and gave permission to use their academic data were included in the SAT analyses. Source: College Board (2005). 2005 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report. A possible relationship may be emerging between 8th-grade math courses and AP enrollment and achievement on the SAT in high school. Though these observations are based on small numbers, the NYMRLA students who enrolled in accelerated math in the 8th grade tended to have higher enrollment rates in AP classes such as AP Calculus, AP Physics and AP Statistics in high school than their peers who enrolled in regular math courses in the 8th grade. Also, the NYMRLA students who took accelerated math courses in the 8th grade performed better than their peers on the SAT exam in high school, averaging approximately 30 points higher on the Math section, 12 points higher on the Verbal, and 20 points higher on the Writing section, than the overall average scores of NYMRLA students. When students entered high school, NYMRLA provided academic and college counseling services to students. With one class graduated, and its second class preparing for the college admissions process, NYMRLA is proving to be a program successful in helping its students excel through high school.

18. The national averages (as well as the averages by race/ethnicity) for PSAT scores reported here are based on customized analyses of students who took the PSAT exam as juniors in 2003. In contrast, the NYMRLA students sat for the PSAT exam in 2005. — 27 — Who Goes the Distance?

Summer school, and in two of the four Signature Initiative programs, all-day Saturday classes, may not be most students’ first choice of how to spend their time when school is not in session. Early on, concern was raised that after the initial interest waned, students would leave. Each of these programs has a rigorous academic requirement that students must meet in order to remain enrolled. It can be challenging to remain in the programs. Several program directors shared similar observations about keeping students on the path for admission to selective colleges — one stated for example, “it can be a challenge to keep adolescents engaged when they see that their reward for their hard work is more hard work.” The Signature Initiative programs tracked their students’ persistence rates. Overall, 1,228 students began a Signature Initiative program and 1,041 are continuing or graduated from high school, for an overall rate of 85%. Persistence, however, is not commonly defined across the four programs and this is important to keep in mind. Persistence actually has three distinct meanings. At A Better Chance, persistence means that students remained enrolled at the independent school they attend during the academic year. Of the 447 students who enrolled at A Better Chance member school, 427 have remained enrolled or graduated, for a persistence rate of almost 96%. For I-LEAD, persistence is defined as a student who remains enrolled in the summer, Saturday and after-school programs. As of summer 2006, a total of 248 students have started the I-LEAD program, with 194 continuing or graduating (78%). Among the 54 students who did not persist are students who were asked by program staff to leave the program for failure to meet the program requirements, students who chose to leave because they wanted to pursue other activities, and students who transferred out of one of the I-LEAD partner schools. At CTY, persistence means that students returned for a second summer.19 Over three-quarters of CTY students spent two consecutive summers at a CTY program (317 out of 402). NYMRLA’s persistence rate reflects student’s completion of the 14-month program. Of the 131 students who started NYMRLA, 103 completed the 14-month program, for a persistence rate of 79%, and 92 have continued with the program through high school (70%). Similar to I-LEAD, NYMRLA students who did not continue with the program did so for a variety of voluntary and required reasons. I‑LEAD and NYMRLA staff and faculty work very closely with students and their families to retain all students who start their respective programs. In some cases, however, decisions for the good of the program are made to ask students not to continue with the program.

Figure 13: Number of Starters and Persisters by Program

Note: Each of the programs defines student persistence differently.

19. At the request of The Goldman Sachs Foundation, CTY introduced an income ceiling after the second year. Some students did not return for a second summer due to this new criterion. Also, while the majority of returning students to CTY are supported by the Foundation, some of the students are supported financially by CTY or their families. — 28 — Looking Beyond Their Numeric Credentials

Number of AP courses, average SAT scores, number of students who continue, the number of colleges to which students are admitted, the number of students admitted to selective colleges — are the Goldman Sachs Foundation students simply a numeric composite of their impressive academic credentials? One only has to meet these young men and women to know that their accomplishments on paper only nomi- nally reflect their true accomplishments.

The Student Perspective Some of the students’ accomplishments are not what would be considered resume boosters, such as awards or records of public service. Rather, they are personal successes and accomplishments. The Signature Ini- tiative is grounded in the belief that there are many young men and women who could do much with their lives but were not exposed to situations that allow them to blossom. There are times when these students find it difficult to believe in themselves. What has happened to the Goldman Sachs Foundation students is a bit like what happened to Dorothy in the movie “The Wiz.” Dorothy learned to believe in herself and she saw that Glinda, the good witch, believed in her as well. The song they sing together, entitled “Believe in Yourself,” ends with the line “if you believe in yourself as I believe in you,” punctuating this joint effort. In our visits to the different programs, as well as through the different surveys that students completed, we experienced firsthand the culture of expectation that pervades each program. Administrators, faculty and staff all believe that the students admitted can attend the nation’s selective colleges. The bar is set high for students, with a supportive net below to catch them if the going gets tough. Students report that the faculty and staff are very helpful. They are people to whom they turn for advice on academic matters and college planning. For some of these young adults this is their first experience with having mentors to guide them. Perhaps equal to the academic benefits of the Signature Initiative are the personal benefits for students. Across I-LEAD, CTY and NYMRLA, common themes emerge about what these programs are doing for students. Many students commented that participating in the programs allowed them to become friends with other bright students and they had the opportunity to meet students from diverse backgrounds. One I-LEAD student reflected, “the best thing about my experience at the I-LEAD summer program was the opportunity to meet the RAs20, teachers and the rest of the I-LEAD students.” Another shared, “the best thing about my experience was making new friends in the program.” Does a summer residential experience make a difference? According to the students it does. “A taste of the college experience” frequently was mentioned as one of the benefits of the programs. This suggests that I-LEAD, NYMRLA and CTY had the right idea when they created summer college residential experiences for students, complete with dorm food, residential assistants and extracurricular activities. For many students, this is their first time away from home. Many first-year college students wish they had better time-management skills. The Signature Initiative provides this, as students reported that they learned time-management skills to keep up with the work and prioritize their assignments. An 8th-grader in NYMRLA stated that “NYMRLA has given me better study skills and better time management.”

20. An RA is a residential adviser. RAs are typically college students from similar backgrounds as the middle school and high school students in their respective programs. In some instances, they are alumni of the program. RAs work with students, faculty and administrators during the residential program on academic and non-academic program components. — 29 — What about academics? Students were also in strong agreement that the programs provided a rigorous and challenging academic experience, helped them see more possibilities for their future, and exposed them to quality instruction not available in their regular schools. A CTY student stated, “CTY has allowed me to envision my future and helped me realize my potential.” Students enjoyed the academic challenges that they faced. A CTY student commented, “I have learned about interesting subjects that I would never learn in school.” CTY students in particular describe the CTY experience as an academic oasis in their personal education desert. Many CTY students begin planning for a second summer on the day their first summer program ends. The bottom line is that the programs work with students so that “the whole package” is developed. Students develop personally, emotionally, socially and academically at these programs.

The Parent Perspective The role of parents in the Signature Initiative Evaluation Report may be less visible, but that should not be taken to mean parents are not important or present. Students, as well as the program staff, know that paren- tal support can make all the difference. It is exhibited in a range of forms, from being the one who makes certain his or her student gets up on Saturday morning to attend class to being the proud parent at the end of the session ceremonies. Over the years, parents have graciously completed a series of surveys for the I-LEAD, NYMRLA and CTY programs. Through these communications with parents, we learned what they thought about the programs. Across the programs certain common themes emerged. The major benefits parents mentioned were that the programs exposed their child to new academic challenges, increased self-confidence, improved skills in areas of study habits or critical thinking, helped prepare the student for college and college applications, and improved awareness of issues affecting the student’s academic career. Perhaps an I-LEAD parent summarized it best: • “I-LEAD helped her improve self-confidence and esteem,” and it helped “improve her ability in planning and writing essays and helped her set higher academic goals.” • Another parent commented that “the school year (NYMRLA) program helped her learn to budget her time and to prioritize.” Parents also commented about the relationship of the Signature Initiative to the learning experiences their children had in school. Many thought their child would be a better student at his/her regular school as a result of the Goldman Sachs Foundation program. Others commented that their child studied subjects lacking in their school’s curriculum. A CTY parent remarked “my daughter studied geometry, which was not offered in her school.”

— 30 — Enrollment at Selective Colleges

As the old saying goes, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” If the goal of the Signature Initiative is to increase the number of students who attend selective colleges, the colleges and universities where students who participated in Goldman Sachs Foundation programs are enrolled need to be examined. In the early stages of their programs, students were asked where they wanted to go to college. Their answers showed a strong preference for elite, famous schools in the northeast: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and NYU. As of fall 2006, a total of 664 students who started and remained with a Goldman Sachs Foundation program are predicted to be in college.21 The college enrollment data for 330 of the 664 (50%) students is available (see Table 6). Of the 330 students, 245 (74%) are enrolled at the most competitive and highly competitive colleges in the United States as ranked by Barron’s, with 54 of those students enrolled at one of the eight Ivy League colleges and universities. Please keep in mind that the college enrollment data collected may actually underreport the number of students who have been admitted to top colleges and universities. Several programs have indicated that students sometimes elect to enroll at other institutions for a variety of reasons, such as academic program availability, location, financial aid or family matters. To appreciate how programs supported by The Goldman Sachs Foundation have made a difference at the schools students attend during the academic year, one can examine the I‑LEAD program. I-LEAD began in 2000 with high school freshmen who graduated from high school in 2004. Prior to the I-LEAD program, only one percent of the students from the class of 2003 at the four catholic high schools (Aquinas, Hayes, Spellman and Rice) that partner with the I-LEAD program were admitted to one of the universities in the Ivy League. Nineteen percent of I-LEAD students who graduated in the Class of 2004 were admitted to Ivy League colleges and universities (see Table 7). Using Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 as another gauge of college selectivity, 98% of I-LEAD students in the Class of 2004 were admitted to the nation’s 173 most selective colleges and universities, compared to 18% of the Class of 2003 from those four high schools.

21. The number 664 includes: A Better Chance and I-LEAD students who classified as persisters, NYMRLA students who were classified as persisters and provided permission to use their information, and all CTY students.

— 31 — Table 6: Colleges Where Goldman Sachs Foundation Students Are Enrolled as of Fall 2006 (n=330)

Most Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=158) Most Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 655 to 800; GPA A to B+; top 10% to 20% of high school class Amherst College, MA – 1 Emory University, GA – 1 Tufts University, MA – 7 Barnard College, NY – 4 George Washington University, DC – 2 University of CA at Berkeley, CA – 1 Bates College, ME – 1 Georgetown University, DC – 4 University of CA at Los Angeles, CA – 1 Boston College, MA – 7 Hamilton College, NY – 1 University of Chicago, IL – 2 Brandeis University, MA – 2 Harvard University, MA – 8 University of N. Carolina, NC – 1 Brown University, RI – 4 Johns Hopkins University, MD – 2 University of Notre Dame, IN – 2 Carnegie Mellon University, PA – 7 Lafayette College, PA – 1 University of Pennsylvania, PA – 9 Case Western Reserve Univ., OH – 1 Macalester College, MN – 1 University of Richmond, VA – 2 Colby College, ME – 2 Massachusetts Inst. of Tech, MA – 2 University of Southern California, CA – 2 Colgate University, NY – 4 New York University, NY – 6 Vanderbilt University, TN – 2 Columbia University, NY – 5 Northwestern University, IL – 3 Vassar College, NY – 2 Cornell University, NY – 16 Oberlin College, OH – 2 Wellesley College, MA – 4 Dartmouth College, NH – 4 Princeton University, NJ – 3 Wesleyan University, CT – 14 Davidson College, NC – 2 Rice University, TX – 1 Williams College, MA – 2 Duke University, NC – 3 Stanford University, CA – 2 Yale University, CT – 5

Highly Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=87) Highly Competitive+: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 645 and above; GPA B+ to B; top 20-35% of high school class (N=23) Boston University, MA – 2 Kenyon College, OH – 1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., NY – 1 Bucknell University, PA – 1 Lehigh University, PA – 1 Smith College, MA – 3 Franklin and Marshall College, PA – 1 Mount Holyoke College, MA – 3 Trinity College, CT – 10

Highly Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 620 to 654; GPA B+ to B; top 20-35% of high school class (N=64) Babson College, MA – 3 Penn State University/University Park, PA – 3 Univ. of California at Irvine, CA – 1 DePauw University, IN – 2 Pitzer College, CA – 1 University of Delaware, DE – 2 Dickinson College, PA – 1 Skidmore College, NY – 1 University of Miami, FL – 2 Fairfield University, CT – 2 Southwestern University, TX – 1 University of Pittsburgh, PA – 3 Fordham University, NY – 8 SUNY/University at Albany, NY – 3 University of Rochester, NY – 3 Goucher College, MD – 1 SUNY/University at Binghamton, NY – 4 Villanova University, PA – 2 Loyola College in Maryland, MD – 1 SUNY/University at Stony Brook, NY – 7 Northeastern University, MA – 3 Syracuse University, NY – 10

Very Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=39) Very Competitive+: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 610 and above; GPA no less than B-; top 35-50% of high school class (N=7) CUNY/Baruch College, NY – 3 Rochester Inst. of Technology, NY – 1 Ohio State University, OH – 1 Xavier University, OH – 2

Very Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 573 to 619; GPA no less than B-; top 35-50% of high school class (N=32) Catholic University, DC – 1 Nazareth College, NY – 1 University of Connecticut, CT – 2 Clarkson University, NY – 1 Pace University, NY – 2 University of Georgia, GA – 1 Drew University, NJ – 1 Quinnipiac College, CT – 1 University of Minnesota, MN – 1 Drexel University, PA – 1 Seton Hall University, NJ – 1 University of NC – Asheville, NC – 1 Hofstra University, NY – 1 Simmons College, MA – 1 University of Scranton, PA – 1 Loyola Marymount Univ., LA – 1 SUNY/College at Buffalo, NY – 2 University of St. Thomas, MN – 1 Marist College, NY – 3 SUNY/College at New Paltz, NY – 1 University of Tampa, FL – 1 Mills College, CA – 1 Susquehanna University, PA – 1 University of Vermont, VT – 1 Moravian College, PA – 1 University of CA at Santa Cruz, CA – 1 Ursinus College, PA – 1

— 32 — Table 6: Colleges Where Goldman Sachs Foundation Students Are Enrolled as of Fall 2006 (continued)

Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=37)

Competitive+: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 563 and above; GPA B- or better; top 50-65% of high school class (N=16) Clark Atlanta University, GA – 1 CUNY – Hunter, NY – 2 Spelman College, GA – 7 CUNY City College, NY – 1 Hampton University, VA – 2 CUNY City College (Honors), NY – 1 Manhattanville College, NY – 2

Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 500 to 572; GPA minimum of C+ or C; top 50-65% of high school class (N=21) College of Mt. St. Vincent, NY – 1 Monmouth University, NJ – 1 Temple University, PA – 3 CUNY/John Jay, NY – 1 Ohio University, OH – 1 University of CA at Riverside, CA – 1 Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ – 1 San Francisco St. University, CA – 1 Wheelock College, MA – 1 Howard University, DC – 2 St. John’s University, NY – 3 Whittier College, CA – 1 Long Island University – CW Post, NY – 1 SUNY/College at Oswego, NY – 3

Less Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=2) Less Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score below 500; GPA C or below; top 65% of high school class CUNY Lehman, NY – 2

Non-competitive Four-Year Colleges and Universities (N=2) Non-Competitive 4-year: Evidence of high school graduation University of Akron, OH – 1 University of Akron Medical Prog., OH – 1

Two-year Colleges (N=5) 2-year: Evidence of high school graduation Diablo Valley College, CA – 1 SUNY/College at Delhi, NY – 1 Westchester Community College, NY – 1 Norwalk Community College, CT – 1 Vista Community College, CA – 1

Source: Barron’s Profile of American Colleges 2005 Edition.

— 33 — Table 7: Colleges and Universities Where I-LEAD Students Were Accepted Compared to Students in the Prior Class at Their High Schools

I-LEAD 2004 Students (N=43) Class of 2003 Peers (N=746) Selectivity Measure Number Percent Number Percent Ivy League 8 19% 10 1% Selective Colleges 42 98% 136 18% Note (1): “Selective colleges” includes institutions ranked as most competitive (includes the Ivy League) or highly competitive in the Barron’s rankings. Source: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 Edition. I‑LEAD students also performed well in relation to the comparison group. The program allowed us to obtain the college enrollment information for each student in both the I-LEAD and comparison groups. Seventeen percent of I‑LEAD students (includes Class 1 and Class 2 students) enrolled at one of the universities in the Ivy League compared to 2% of the students from the comparison group (See Table 8). Using the Barron’s Selectivity Rankings 78% of the I-LEAD students enrolled at one of the nation’s 173 most selective colleges and universities in contrast to 25% of their peers in the comparison group.

Table 8: Colleges and Universities Where I-LEAD Students Enrolled Compared to the Comparison Group

I-LEAD Classes 1 and 2 Comparison Group Class 1 and 2 Total (N=83) Total (N=84) Selectivity Measure Number Percent Selectivity Measure Number Percent Ivy League 14 17% Ivy League 2 2% Selective Colleges 65 78% Selective Colleges 21 25% Note (1): This data only reflects where students were enrolled as of fall 2005. Note (2): “Selective colleges” includes institutions ranked as most competitive (includes the Ivy League) or highly competitive in the Barron’s rankings. Source: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 Edition.

As of 2006, the college admissions picture is positive across all four Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative programs. The next four years will be important, as all 1,041 Goldman Sachs Foundation persisting students will be applying to colleges. Their accomplishments will further speak to the success of the Signature Initiative.

What Did We Find When We Took a Closer Look?

A closer look at The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative programs uncovers six accomplishments which highlight its progress thus far. First, The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Signature Initiative has worked with more than 1,200 largely African American and Hispanic students over five years to put them on the path to college admissions at selective colleges. Second, contrary to popular belief about adolescents in general, students who want to achieve their educational dream will attend summer school, or school on Saturday, or take a distance-education course. If you provide the educational opportunity, they will come. Third, grades 7, 8 or 9 are good times to begin these preparation programs because they help students to be positioned to take academically rigorous and challenging courses in middle and high school.

— 34 — Fourth, students valued the opportunities provided by the Signature Initiative programs to meet peers with common academic interests and goals. Fifth, programs that are structured differently and that work with different groups of students can achieve the same end goal of putting them on the path to admission at selective colleges. Sixth, Goldman Sachs Foundation students enter the college admissions process with strong academic records and their enrollment records speak to the strength of their credentials. Currently, 245 students who participated in a Goldman Sachs Foundation program in high school are enriching many of the nation’s 173 most prestigious colleges and universities via academic, cultural and social contributions. The 85 students who are working on bachelor’s degrees at other colleges and universities will undoubtedly use what they have acquired at A Better Chance, CTY, I‑LEAD or NYMRLA to enrich their own academic experience, as well as their classmates and teachers. Finally, students who might not have been thought to be able to go to selective colleges can do so if given the chance to develop their potential.

Considerations for the Future

Much has been accomplished in the relatively short period of six years. Yet, more work must be done toward ensuring the continued success of the students in the Signature Initiative as well as expanding opportunities for more high-potential youth. We know many more high-potential youth are in communities across the United States. They are waiting to be found. We recommend the following for consideration as next steps: • Spread the success of the Signature Initiative to other areas of the United States. • Support existing and new programs that promote having all students prepared to take algebra in the 8th grade. • Work with high school students to prepare them to take honors, accelerated and AP courses in high school. • Expand the college search and preparation activities with an emphasis on visiting college campuses and preparing admissions and financial aid applications. • Increase student access to AP courses whether in their school or over the Internet. Provide scholarships for students to take online AP courses, perhaps through CTY. • Strengthen programs’ capacities to track student performance over time, particularly for those programs that do not work with one class over time. This may require adding a staff person to work on evaluation. • Study what happens to students once they enter college. The real success of the Signature Initiative will be students’ successful completion of college.

— 35 — Appendix A: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges

— 36 — Table A1: First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen Attending Four-Year Colleges and Universities by Selectivity: Fall 2004

African- Asian Nat. Amer. Total American American Hispanic White Alask. Nat. Non-Res. Unk.

U.S. Pop. Ages 26,541,000 3,810,000 1,038,000 3,956,000 17,496,000 241,000 18-24 (2000) 14.4% 3.9% 14.9% 65.9% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0% Enrollment in 1,406,569 161,118 83,412 105,204 937,152 11,783 26,390 81,510 Institutions with four or 11.5% 5.9% 7.5% 66.6% 0.8% 1.9% 5.8% more year programs

Most Comp. 88,789 5,741 13,142 6,588 52,797 508 3,983 6,030 (69) 6.5% 14.8% 7.4% 59.5% 0.6% 4.5% 6.8% Highly Comp. 146,106 7,183 15,183 9,676 101,393 576 3,338 8,757 (102) 4.9% 10.4% 6.6% 69.4% 0.4% 2.3% 6.0% Top 173 234,895 12,924 28,325 16,264 154,190 1,084 7,321 14,787 Colleges and Universities 5.5% 12.1% 6.9% 65.6% 0.5% 3.1% 6.3% Note (1): Institutional selectivity is based upon the Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, 2005. Not available for all institutions. (N=1411) Note (2): U.S. Population Data are from the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001, Table 17. Note (3): Enrollment data are from the IPEDS 2004 Enrollment file. Note (4): Only includes institutions eligible to participate in Title IV programs.

— 37 — Table A2. Most Competitive and Highly Competitive Colleges and Universities in 2005

Most Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=69) Most Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 655 to 800; GPA A to B+; top 10% to 20% of high school class Amherst College, MA Duke University, NC U.S. Coast Guard Academy, CT Barnard College, NY Emory University, GA U.S. Military Academy, NY Bates College, ME George Washington University, DC U.S. Naval Academy, MD Boston College, MA Georgetown University, DC University of California at Berkeley, CA Bowdoin College, ME Hamilton College, NY University of California at Los Angeles, CA Brandeis University, MA Harvard University, MA University of Chicago, IL Brown University, RI Harvey Mudd College, CA University of Florida, FL CA Institute of Technology, CA Haverford College, PA University of N. Carolina-Chapel Hill, NC Carleton College, MN Johns Hopkins University, MD University of Notre Dame, IN Carnegie Mellon University, PA Lafayette College, PA University of Pennsylvania, PA Case Western Reserve University, OH Macalester College, MN University of Richmond, VA Claremont McKenna College, CA Massachusetts Institute of Tech., MA University of Southern California, CA Colby College, ME Middlebury College, VT University of Virginia, VA Colgate University, NY New York University, NY Vanderbilt University, TN College of New Jersey, The, NJ Northwestern University, IL Vassar College, NY College of the Holy Cross, MA Oberlin College, OH Wake Forest University, NC College of William and Mary, VA Pomona College, CA Washington and Lee University, VA Columbia University, NY Princeton University, NJ Washington University, MO Connecticut College, CT Reed College, OR Webb Institute, NY Cooper Union for Science & Art, NY Rice University, TX Wellesley College, MA Cornell University, NY Stanford University, CA Wesleyan University, CT Dartmouth College, NH Swarthmore College, PA Williams College, MA Davidson College, NC Tufts University, MA Yale University, CT Highly Competitive Colleges and Universities (N=104) Highly Competitive+: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 645 and above; GPA B+ to B; top 20-35% of high school class (N=32) Bard College, NY Kalamazoo College, MI Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ Boston University, MA Kenyon College, OH Trinity College, CT Bryn Mawr College, PA Lehigh University, PA Trinity University, TX Bucknell University, PA Mount Holyoke College, MA Truman State University, MO Franklin and Marshall College, PA New College of Florida, FL Tulane University, LA Furman University, SC Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY United States Air Force Academy, CO Georgia Institute of Technology, GA Rhodes College, TN U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, NY Grinnell College, IA Rose-Hulman Inst. of Technology, IN University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois Inst. of Technology, IL Saint John’s College, MD University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, MI Illinois Wesleyan University, IL Scripps College, CA Whitman College, WA Jewish The. Sem. (Albert A. List), NY Smith College, MA Highly Competitive: Median Freshman SAT I Score of 620 to 654; GPA B+ to B; top 20-35% of high school class (N=72) Agnes Scott College, GA Hillsdale College, MI SUNY University at Albany, NY Austin College, TX Hobart and William Smith Colls., NY SUNY University at Binghamton, NY Babson College, MA Ithaca College, NY SUNY University at Stony Brook, NY Beloit College, WI Kettering University, MI Syracuse University, NY Bennington College, VT Lawrence University, WI Texas A&M University, TX Brigham Young University, UT Loyola College in Maryland, MD Union College, NY Centre College, KY Mary Washington College, VA University of California at Irvine, CA Clemson University, SC Miami University, OH University of California at San Diego, CA College of Charleston, SC Muhlenberg College, PA University of Delaware, DE College of Wooster, OH Northeastern University, MA University of Maryland – College Park, MD Colorado College, CO Occidental College, CA University of Miami, FL Colorado School of Mines, CO Penn State Univ.–Univ. Park, PA University of Missouri – Rolla, MO Denison University, OH Pitzer College, CA University of Pittsburgh, PA DePauw University, IN Providence College, RI University of Puget Sound, WA Dickinson College, PA Rutgers University–New Brunswick, NJ University of Rochester, NY Emerson University, MA Saint Olaf College, MN University of San Diego, CA Fairfield University, CT Santa Clara University, CA University of Texas at Austin, TX Florida State University, FL Sarah Lawrence College, NY University of Texas at Dallas, TX Fordham University, NY Simon’s Rock College of Bard, MA University of the South, TN Gettysburg College, PA Skidmore College, NY Villanova University, PA Gonzaga University, WA Southern Methodist University, TX Wheaton College, MA Goucher College, MD Southwestern University, TX Wheaton College, IL Grove City College, PA Stonehill College, MA Wofford College, SC Hampshire College, MA SUNY College at Geneseo, NY Worchester Polytechnic Institute, MA — 38 — Table A3: Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 Admissions Selectivity Criteria

Median Freshman Test Scores Admissions High School Grade Competitiveness High School Rank Point Average SAT 1 ACT Most Competitive Top 10% to 20% A to B+ 655 and 800 29 and above

Highly Competitive+ Top 20% to 35% B+ to B 645 or more 28 or more

Highly Competitive Top 20% to 35% B+ to B 620 to 654 27 or 28

Very Competitive+ Top 35% to 50% No less than B- 610 or above 26 or better

Very Competitive Top 35% to 50% No less than B- 573 to 619 24 to 26

Competitive+ Top 50% to 65% B- or better 553 to 572 24 or more

Competitive Top 50% to 65% Minimum of C+ or C 500 to 572 21 and 23

Less Competitive Top 65% C or below Below 500 Below 21

Non-competitive Evidence of high school graduation Source: Barron’s Profile of American Colleges 2005, 26th Edition.

— 39 — Appendix B: Signature Initiative Programs’ 2001 Evaluation Plans

Please note: Appendix B provides the original evaluation plans developed by the four grantees in 2001. These original evaluation plans have evolved over time.

— 40 — A Better Chance’s Evaluation Plan — 2001 Organization Overview Established in 1963, A Better Chance is a national non-profit organization that provides young people of color, in Grade 6 through college, with access to a wide range of educational, career, and leadership opportunities. Its mission rests on a single goal: to substantially increase the number of well-educated minority youth capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. To date, A Better Chance has succeeded in recognizing more than 11,000 academically gifted students of color who might otherwise have been overlooked. Through its historic signature College Preparatory Schools Program, A Better Chance identifies academically talented minority students in Grades 5 through 11 and places them in one of some 200 member schools, which include independent day and boarding schools nationwide, as well as select public high schools. Support services for these students include our Career Services Program and our Alumni Relations Program. A Better Chance also has developed, as a second signature program, Pathways to College, an after-school support program for promising students of color attending high schools in their local areas. Through its Outreach Program, A Better Chance provides a variety of resources and information, and advocates for children and families of color. Project Description In May 2000, The Goldman Sachs Foundation awarded to A Better Chance a three-year $1.2 million grant. It funds our Goldman Sachs Foundation Initiative which is comprised of two principal goals. Work began in the summer of 2000 and each goal will be completed by the end of year three, August 2003. GOAL I. Increase the number of students placed in member schools. The action plan will focus primarily on strengthening our national infrastructure, with priority in four specifically targeted areas: Connecticut, California, the Midwest, and Pennsylvania/New Jersey. Adding staff in these areas will allow other staff to focus on increasing applications from other areas of the country. GOAL II. Increase exposure of A Better Chance Students and college-age Alumni (and possibly other high-potential minority students) to entrepreneurial thinking, through the expansion of the Career Services Program curriculum and development of an experiential component for a select group of students. The action plan will focus on broadening A Better Chance’s Career Services Program to include an entrepreneurial component with a special experiential component for a select group of top students. Bringing these students and alumni together to learn, network, and engage in the working world will help give them many of the skills they need to reach their potential. A special Institute for high- achieving students will be a signature program for The Goldman Sachs Foundation. It will be open to high school juniors and seniors and college-age alumni. It will be piloted with the A Better Chance population and then reach out to other high-potential minority students through our member schools and affiliations with other organizations working with similar student populations. Evaluation Goal I: The primary measurements will be progress against the projected numbers (in our proposal) for Increased Applications, New Member Schools, and Increased Placements. Goal II: The primary measurements for the Goldman Sachs Foundation Institute will be: • Active participation of students in the program. • Periodic pre/post tests to assess knowledge and mastery of necessary technical material. • Maintenance and improvement of students’ overall academic performance. For Career Services: • The number of students navigating through the Career Services site. Logfiles, UserIDs, and databases will measure this usage. E-mails received by students will also form part of measurement tools. All evaluation will cover the following components: visual design, delivery, content, and individual value. Students will be surveyed for feedback as they exit the website. Each piece of courseware will contain an evaluation form. — 41 — I-LEAD’s Evaluation Plan — 2001 Organization Overview Founded in 1916 as the Bureau of Educational Experiments, Bank Street College has been dedicated to discovering better ways to educate children. The mission of Bank Street is to improve the education of children and their teachers by applying and connecting teaching and learning to the outside world. Bank Street College is comprised of the following programs: • A graduate school of education • A demonstration school for children, pre-K to 8th grade • An on-site model childcare center • A continuing education division • A publication and media group Bank Street College seeks to strengthen individuals and the community, including family, school, and the larger society in which adults and children interact and learn.

I-LEAD Goldman Sachs Foundation Students I-LEAD is a college preparatory program that provides enrichment activities to students who are enrolled in four inner-city Catholic high schools, preparing them to become competitive applicants for highly selective colleges and universities. Sixty-five 9th-grade students attending Aquinas, Cardinal Hayes, Rice, and Cardinal Spellman high schools will be selected by I-LEAD staff to participate for the next four years in a cooperative learning environment that is aimed at expanding and strengthening their academic skills, exploring their college and career interests and choices, and developing a foundation and awareness of key leadership principles. Planning for the I-LEAD program began in September 2000. On Saturday, December 2, 2000, the first Saturday Academy was held. The after-school component began in January 2001. We will hold a three- week summer institute in July 2001. A new 9th-grade class will be recruited each fall. The following is a profile of the first class of the I-LEAD Goldman Sachs Foundation Students: Aquinas High School 15 students Cardinal Hayes High School 15 students Rice High School 16 students Cardinal Spellman High School 19 students

Selection Process Each school invited between 23 and 100 students to apply for the students program. The I-LEAD staff interviewed students who completed an application form, wrote an essay, and provided a copy of their report card and at least one teacher recommendation. Between 15 to 20 students were then selected from each school.

— 42 — Academic Programs Students meet once a month for the Saturday Academy for five hours of instruction. In total, students will have met seven Saturdays (approximately 35 hours of instruction) for the 2000-2001 school year. Students take four classes: • A hands-on math and science class in which students build pod racers (balloons powered by fruit) • An anthropology and dance class studying Mambo • A comparative studies class that examines the ancient pyramids of Africa and the Americas • A leadership seminar in which students focus on self-awareness and how they interact with others Students meet twice a week for the after-school program. Each meeting is an hour and a half totaling three hours of instruction per week. Students meet approximately 30 times from January to May (approximately 45 hours of instruction). Students take a variety of classes: • A book club in which students read stories about young women in transition • A leadership seminar in which students focus on self-awareness and developing decision-making skills • A math prep class in which students receive additional instruction to prepare for the Regents Exam • A critical thinking and writing class in which students compare classics with more contemporary writings

Evaluation I-LEAD’s success will be measured by the number of students who: • Attend all components of the program over their four years of high school • Take honors, advanced placement and college credit classes throughout their four years of high school • Achieve a score at or above the national average on the PSAT and SAT • Gain admittance to top-tier colleges in their senior year of high school We will record all academic information such as standardized test scores and grades in ACCESS. Students will also complete periodic surveys to evaluate their attitudes toward their education and college interests. A control group will be set up at each school. The same documentation will be collected to compare the results and benefits of the I-LEAD program.

— 43 — Center for Talented Youth’s Evaluation Plan — 2001 Narrative: Annual Evaluation Report (August 1)

Indicators for assessing the inputs, processes, outcomes, and impact of the project:

Inputs: • Goldman Sachs Foundation Financial Commitment • Goldman Sachs Foundation Human Resources (e.g., mentors) • CTY’s Financial Commitment • CTY’s Human Resources (e.g., staff time for identifying, recruiting, counseling, and registering students) • CTY’s model for identifying and developing talent, as well as our experience and expertise in working with highly able students and their families • Experienced staff, carefully selected and talented teachers, highly able students Processes: • CTY summer programs • CTY Distance Education Courses • Special Days and Conferences • Mentors • Facilitating the establishment of academically oriented peer groups Outcomes: • Student Achievement and Learning • High-Level Academic Goals, Motivation, and Attitudes Impact: • Goldman Sachs Foundation Students enrolled in honors, AP, IB, and GT courses • Goldman Sachs Foundation Students applying to, accepted by, and attending selective colleges

Indicators • Indicators of student achievement and learning in summer program courses, and/or distance education courses • Evidence of students moving toward higher-level academic goals, increased motivation for learning, and more positive attitudes about academic achievement (Note: current students as a whole started with very positive values on these indicators) • Large number of Goldman Sachs Foundation Students enrolled in honors, AP, IB, and/or GT courses throughout middle and high school • Majority, if not all, Goldman Sachs Foundation Students attending selective colleges/universities after high school

Data and Information to Collect and Maintain on Students • Student demographic information (e.g., name, address, birthday, gender, ethnicity) • Student test scores at time of selection (SAT scores) and over time (e.g., SAT scores in high school) • Student participation in CTY courses, distance education courses, special days, mentor program (each year of participation)

— 44 — • Students’ narrative evaluation from summer program course attendance • Teachers’ ratings of student performance in summer courses • Documentation of student learning in summer programs (e.g., pre/post tests where available; general course evaluation data) and distance education courses • School records (grades, coursework, honors) — this would include number of AP and honors courses taken throughout high school, accelerated coursework, and early high school graduation (if applicable) — (collected yearly) • Students’ academic goals, interests, and motivation from surveys sent out once a year, every year that students are tracked (collected annually) • Parents’ responses to questions about their child’s academic goals, interests, and motivation from surveys (parallel survey to that sent to students, collected annually) • Students’ and parents’ evaluation of “process” (e.g., summer program, distance education courses, special conferences and days, mentor program) • Record of college applications sent and acceptance results (junior and senior year of high school); final decision of college to attend, as well as any studentships awarded

Hardware and Software Used to Maintain Database • All data will be entered into and maintained in an SPSS database that can be converted to an ASCII format and imported into most other databases. CTY uses a PC-based computer network.

Instruments Used to Collect Data • CTY routinely collects narrative evaluations of student performance from course instructors (an example of these evaluations and the guidelines given to instructors in how to write them are available upon request) • A 5-point rating scale is used by course instructors to rate students on 15 different performance factors • A questionnaire was developed by CTY research staff to assess students’ academic and career goals, interests, and motivation • A parallel questionnaire was developed for parents to assess their child’s academic and career goals, interests, and motivation • A questionnaire was developed by CTY research staff for parents and students to have them evaluate their participation in summer programs and the Goldman Sachs Foundation project as whole • A questionnaire will be developed by CTY research staff for parents and students, which will ask them to evaluate their overall participation in the Goldman Sachs Foundation project (e.g., distance education courses, summer courses, special conferences, mentor program) • A questionnaire will be developed to collect students’ grades, course schedule in their regular school, honors, awards, competitions • A questionnaire will be developed to collect information about students’ college application process and final selection

— 45 — Schedule for Data Collection, Analyses, and Other Evaluation Activities

Data Already Collected June 2000 – Reading and mathematics achievement scores (Feedback sent to families this fall) Student and Parent questionnaires on academic and career goals, interests, and motivation

Summer 2000 – Students’ narrative evaluations from summer programs Teachers’ objective ratings of students’ academic performance in summer programs

Fall 2000 – Student and Parent questionnaires asking for evaluation of summer programs and Goldman Sachs Foundation project

This data has been analyzed and results will be reported in the First Year Final Report (August 2001)

June 2001 – Returning families will again complete the Academic and Career Goals questionnaire New families will complete the Academic and Career Goals questionnaire Returning families will complete a questionnaire asking for their evaluation of all aspects of the project (e.g., distance education courses, summer programs, mentor program, recognition as a student) Data on student learning (Year One students) from distance education courses

Summer 2001 – Narrative evaluations for new students in summer programs Objective ratings by teachers of students’ academic performance

Fall 2001 – Student and Parent questionnaires asking for evaluation of summer programs

June 2002 – Returning families will again complete the Academic and Career Goals questionnaire New families will complete the Academic and Career Goals questionnaire Returning families will complete a questionnaire asking for their evaluation of all aspects of the project (e.g., distance education courses, summer programs, mentor program, recognition as a student) Data on student learning (Year One students) from distance education courses

All Year One data will be analyzed as collected and results reported in the Year One Final Report that will be completed by mid-August 2001.

Year Two data will be analyzed as collected and results reported in the Year Two Final Report that will be completed by mid-August 2002.

High school data will be collected, maintained in a longitudinal database, analyzed, and reported on annually should funding be secured for the longitudinal component on this project.

— 46 — NYMRLA’s Evaluation Plan — 2001 A. Identification of Indicators

Inputs – Resources • Prep’s 23 years of experience working with extremely bright Black and Hispanic students, including: ability to identify students who will succeed in the program, teaching methods and curricula that have been proven to work, methods for building relationships with students and their families that will ensure a continuing life-long relationship with the program. • Goldman Sachs Foundation’s contribution of financial, staff, and consultant assistance. • The talented, highly motivated students in the program. • The NYMRLA staff, including teachers, administrators, and psychologists. • Personnel from Prep for Prep, including time of the Executive Director, psychologists, etc. • Financial resources of Prep to cover overhead not charged directly with the program. • The currently enrolled students and graduates of Prep with whom the Academy members interact. • Support from the partner school districts in the Talent Search and in the ongoing development of the students.

The Process • The Talent Search – including identification of students, but also introduction to the goals and standards of Prep for Prep. • The Preparatory Component – the 14 months, beginning the summer before the 8th grade and continuing through the summer after the 8th grade. – 7-week, 5-day boarding program in summer. – Saturday classes during the school year. • The High School Component – tutoring, study groups, academic advisors, Component Days in New York City, college visits, college guidance, summer travel, summer job bank, etc. • College and Beyond – the NYMRLA will continue to work with and support students during their undergraduate years and throughout the rest of their lives through networking and career- related opportunities. • Identify other activities besides Prep for Prep in which students are participating. The current grant (2000) will cover students through the end of their 8th-grade year. Their participation in the future components of the NYMRLA program is guaranteed, but not funded directly by this grant.

Outcomes • High-level academic achievement as measured by grades and intensity of course load (participation in Honors and AP classes). • Formation of a peer group of high-achieving Black and Hispanic students as measured by levels of interaction, common goals and attitudes, identification with the Leadership Academy. • Students applying to and enrolling in highly selective colleges and universities. • Test scores on the placement exams during the summer program.

— 47 — • Test scores during high school, namely PSAT, SAT, and/or ACT and AP. • Student participation in co-curricular and/or academically related activities. • Faculty reports on student progress.

Impact – Beyond the Lives of the NYMRLA Members An interesting question will be whether the involvement of a relatively small number of students at particular schools has any demonstrable impact on the behavior of the other African American and Latino students who are not members of the NYMRLA. We will present data on the following: • Change in the number of African American and Latino students enrolled in honors and AP courses at each school. • Change in how many advanced, honors or AP courses taken by students. • Changes in overall enrollment in selective colleges and universities. • Anecdotal evidence from teachers, school staff, and administrators. • Need to show how data and information generated by the evaluation will be used both internally by Prep for Prep and for external audiences.

B. General Data Collection The NYMRLA will provide all of the data as outlined in the Goldman Sachs Foundation Student Achieve- ment and Progress Data Set Record layout with the exception of: • Detailed breakdown of family finances – Prep will provide data on overall family income, but not the detailed accounting for individual family members. • Prep will not ask for individual listing of child support, Public Assistance, current savings, current check- ing, or value of investments. • The Prep students will not be attending private high schools, so they will not be taking the ISEE test or receiving financial aid in high school. Other data will be collected on a longitudinal basis until the student enters college. In addition, the NYMRLA will provide the following data: • Profiles of partner school districts including ethnic composition of entire district, current participation in AP courses by Black and Hispanic students, and economic diversity of school district as measured by participation in Free/Reduced Lunch programs. • Scores for all students in the Talent Search on the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress–Reading Form 3A and the Cognitive Abilities Test Level E–Verbal and Quantitative. • Grades of all students selected for the NYMRLA at both the end of the 7th grade and the end of the 8th grade. During the Preparatory Component: • If a suitable pre/post test can be found for the beginning and end of the Preparatory Component, the NYMRLA will consider administering this test. • All students will be graded on their performance in all academic subjects. Students will also receive written evaluations of their progress.

— 48 — C. Schedule of Data Collection and Reporting June 15, 2001 – all data from the Talent Search collected August 1, 2001 – report on all first-year activities sent September 15, 2001 – all data from the summer session collected October 15, 2001 – report on summer session sent April 1, 2002 – interim report sent June 15, 2002 – all data from the second Talent Search collected August 1, 2002 – report on all second-year activities sent Follow-up data on progress of first two contingents of students will be sent to Goldman Sachs Foundation on October 15 of each succeeding year.

D. Hardware and Software The NYMRLA uses a PC computer network. Data is recorded in an Access database.

— 49 — Appendix C: Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation- Sponsored Students Attend

— 50 — Table C1. Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend

A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School, NY CFS, The School at Church Farm, PA Albert Leonard Middle School, NY Chadwick School, CA Alice Deal Junior High School, DC Charles Drew Middle Magnet, CA All Hallows High School, NY Chatham Hall, VA Allen Stevenson School, NY Cheshire Academy, CT American Indian Public Charter, CA Chester W. Nimitz Middle School, CA Amherst High School, MA Chestnut Hill Academy, PA Andover High School, MA Choate Rosemary Hall, CT Anne M. Dorner Middle School, NY City and Country School, NY Appleton High School, WI Clinton High School, NY Aptos Middle School, CA Cloonan Middle School, CT Aquinas High School, NY Colina Middle School, CA Atlanta International School, GA College Preparatory School, CA Atlantic Middle School, MA Collegiate School, NY Avon Old Farms School, CT Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, NY Babylon Junior/Senior High School, NY Columbia High School, NJ Baldi Middle School, PA Columbus School for Girls, OH Bancroft (Hubert Howe) Middle School, CA Concord Academy, MA Beacon High School, NY Convent of the Sacred Heart, NY Beaver Country Day School, MA Conwell Middle Magnet School, PA Bell Gardens High School, CA Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, CA Bell Gardens Intermediate, CA Crystal Springs Uplands School, CA Belmont Hill School, MA Culver Military Academy, IN Belvedere Middle School, CA Curtis School, CA Benjamin Franklin Middle School, NJ D. C. Beard Junior High School 189, NY Berendo Middle School, CA Dalton School, NY Berkeley Carroll School, NY Dana Hall School, MA Berkshire School, FL Darien High School, CT Bethune Middle School Math/Science Magnet, CA Darlington School, GA Borel Middle School, CA Deerfield Academy, MA Boston Latin Academy, MA Dewitt Clinton High School, NY Bravo (Francisco) Medical Magnet, CA Dodson Gifted Magnet School, CA Brentwood Lower School, CA Dolan Middle School, CT Brentwood School, CA Downey High School, CA Britton Middle School, CA Dublin School, NH Bronx High School of Science, NY Dunn School, CA Brooklyn Friends School, NY Dyker Heights Intermediate School 201, NY Brooklyn Technical High School, NY Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School, CA Brooks School, MA Eastmont Intermediate School, CA Brownell Academy, CA Eastview Middle School, NY Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School, MA Eden Prairie High School, MN California Academy of Math and Science, CA Edgewood Middle School, CA Campbell Hall, CA Edina High School, MN Canterbury School, CT Edward Bleeker Junior High School, NY Cardinal Hayes High School, NY Edward R. Murrow High School, NY Cardinal Spellman High School, NY El Rancho High School, CA Castilleja School, CA El Sereno Middle School, CA Castillero Middle School, CA Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School, NY Cate School, CA Elmont Memorial Junior/Senior High School, NY Catholic Memorial Middle School, MA Emma Willard School, NY Centerville Junior High School, CA Episcopal Academy, PA Central High School of Philadelphia, PA Episcopal High School (TX), TX Central Middle School, CT Episcopal High School (VA), VA — 51 — Table C1. Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend (continued)

Fiorello H. La Guardia High School, NY Isaac E. Young Middle School, NY Flintridge Preparatory School, CA James A. Garfield High School, CA Fountain Valley School of Colorado, CO James Monroe High School, CA Fox Lane Middle School, NY Jefferson Junior High School, DC Foxcroft School, VA JHS 113/R. Edmonds Learning Center, NY Fred S. Engle Middle School, PA JHS 167/R. F. Wagner Junior High School, NY Friends’ Central School, PA JHS 202/Robert H. Goddard, NY Friends Seminary, NY JHS 216/George J. Ryan Junior High School, NY G. H. Atwell Middle School 61/ Star Academy, NY JHS 56/Corlears School, NY Gage Middle School, CA John Adams Magnet Middle School, CA Garrison Forest School, MD John Glenn High School, CA George E. Porter Middle School, CA Joseph George Middle School, CA George J. Ryan Junior High School 216, NY Julia R. Masterman High School, PA George Nebinger Elementary School, PA Kent Place School, NJ George School, NJ Kent School, CT Germantown Friends School, PA Kents Hill School, ME Girard College, PA Kew-Forest School, NY Glastonbury High School, CT King/Drew Medical Magnet School, CA Glenfield School, NJ Kipp Academy, NY Grace Church School, NY La Merced Intermediate School, CA Greylock High School, MA Laguna Nueva Elementary, CA Groton School, MA Lake Forest Academy, IL Harvard-Westlake School, CA Laurel School, OH Hawken School, OH Lawrence Middle School, NY Herbert Hoover Middle School, CA Lawrence Road Middle School, NY High School For Environmental Studies, NY Lawrence Woodmere Academy, NY Highlands Middle School, NY Le Conte Middle School, CA Hill-Freedman Middle School, PA Leadership High School, CA Holy Family Elementary School, NY Lexington Christian Academy, MA Hommocks Middle School, NY Liberty High School, CA Hoover Middle School, CA Lick-Wilmerding High School, CA Hopkins School, CT Link Community School, NJ Horace Mann Middle School, CA Lloyd Harbor Elementary School, NY Horace Mann School, NY Longmeadow High School, MA Hudson School, NJ Louis Pasteur Middle School, NY Hunter College Elementary, NY Lower Merion High School, PA Hunter College High School, NY Loyola High School, CA Immanuel Christian School, VA Lynbrook South Middle School, NY Indian Springs School, AK Macy Intermediate School, CA International High School of FAIS, CA Madison High School, CT Iona Preparatory School, NY Magnet Middle School, CT IS 125/Henry Hudson School, NY Maplewood Middle School, NJ IS 217/Roosevelt Island School, NY Marin Academy, CA IS 227/Louis Armstrong Middle School, NY Marin Country Day School, CA IS 228/David A. Boody School, NY Maritime Academy of Science & Technology, NY IS 239/Mark Twain School - Gifted and Talented, NY Marlborough School, CA IS 240/A. Hudde School, NY Masconomet High School, MA IS 25/Adrien Block School, NY Menlo School, CA IS 308/Clara Cardwell School, NY Middle Years Alternative School, PA IS 55/Oceanhill Brownsville School, NY Midland School, CA IS 59/Springfield Gardens School, NY Midwood High School, NY IS 73/William Cowper Intermediate School, NY Milken Community High School, CA IS 78/Roy H. Mann School, NY Millburn Middle School, NJ — 52 — Table C1. Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend (continued)

Millikan Performing Arts, CA Pomona Middle School, NY Milton Academy, MA Porter Middle School, CA Miss Hall’s School, MA PS 107/Dr. Thomas Dooley School, NY Miss Porter’s School, CT PS 122/Mamie Fay School, NY Montclair High School, NJ PS 161/The Crown School, NY Montclair Kimberly Academy, NJ PS 251, NY Montebello High School, CA PS 307 Daniel Hale Williams School, NY Montebello Intermediate School, CA PS/MS 101, NY Most Holy Trinity School, NY PS/MS 95/Van Cortlandt School, NY Mount Hebron Middle School, NJ Queens Gateway To Health Sciences School, NY Mount St. Ursula, NY Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, GA Mount Vernon Middle School, CA Radnor High School, PA MS 104/Simon Baruch Middle School, NY Redeemer Lutheran School, NY MS 141/David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, NY Regis High School, NY MS 180, NY Renaissance School, NJ MS 210/Elizabeth Blackwell School, NY Rice High School, NY MS 217/Robert Van Wyck School, NY Ridgefield High School, CT MS 244/Columbus Middle School, NY Riverdale Country School, NY MS 266/Park Place Middle School, NY Robert F. Kennedy Incentive Program High School, NY MS 391, NY Robert Louis Stevenson School, CA MS 44/William O’Shea Middle School, NY Rochester High School, MN MS 45/Thomas C. Giordano School, NY Rockland Country Day School, NY MS 51/William Alexander School, NY Rolling Hills Preparatory School, CA MS 54/ Booker T. Washington Middle School, NY Roton Middle School, CT MS 88/Peter Rouget School, NY Rumsey Hall School, CT Museum Middle School, NY Sacred Heart School, NY Nathan Hale Middle School, CT Saint Mark’s School (MA), MA Nazareth Academy, PA Salem Academy, NC New Canaan High School, CT San Francisco University High, CA New Rochelle High School, NY Santa Fe High School, CA Nobel Math Science Technology Magnet Center, CA Satellite West Academy, NY Noble and Greenough School, MA Schools of the Sacred Heart, CA Northern Light School, CA Schurr High School, CA Northfield Mount Hermon School, MA Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, NJ Notre Dame Academy, NY Simsbury High School, CT Nyack Middle School, NY Sleepy Hollow Middle School, NY Oakwood Friends School, NY South Orange Middle School, NY Oakwood School, CA Southwestern Academy, CA Octorara Area Intermediate School, PA Springside School, PA Oldfields School, MD St. Paul’s School, NH Olive Vista Middle School, CA St. Andrew’s School (DE), DE Pace Academy, GA St. Andrew’s School (RI), RI Packer Collegiate Institute, NY St. Ann’s School, NY Park Middle School, NJ St. Barnabas Elementary School, NY Paul Revere Middle School, CA St. Bernard’s School, NY Pennridge Central Middle School, PA St. Brigid School, CA Perkiomen School, PA St. Catherine’s School, VA Phillips Academy, MA St. Charles School, NY Phillips Exeter Academy, NH St. David’s School, NY Pine Crest School, FL St. George’s School, RI Poly Prep Country Day School, NY St. Helen’s School, NY Pomfret School, CT St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s School, NY Pomona Elementary School, NJ St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, PA — 53 — Table C1. Schools Goldman Sachs Foundation-Sponsored Students Attend (continued)

St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, NY The Miami Valley School, OH St. Paul’s School, NH The Nightingale-Bamford School, NY St. Pius X Catholic High School, GA The Odyssey School, CA St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, TX The Orme School, AZ St. Timothy’s School, MD The Paideia School, GA Staples High School, CT The Peddie School, NJ Staten Island Academy, NY The Pingry School, NJ Stevenson Middle School, CA The Shipley School, PA Stoneleigh-Burnham School, MA The Spence School, NY Strath Haven High School, PA The Taft School, CT Stuart Hall High School, CA The Tatnall School, DE Stuyvesant High School, NY The Thacher School, CA Subiaco Academy, AR The Urban School of San Francisco, CA Summit Middle School, NJ The Webb Schools, CA Sussman Middle School, CA The Wellington School, OH Suva Intermediate School, CA The Westminster Schools, GA Tabor Academy, MA Tenafly Middle School, NJ The Wheatley School, NY Thayer Academy, MA The Williston Northampton School, MA The Andrews School, OH Thomas Edison High School, NY The Archer School for Girls, CA Thomas Jefferson Middle School, NJ The Asheville School, NC Townsend Harris High School, NY The Athenian School, CA Trevor Day School, NY The Atlanta Girls’ School, GA Trinity School, NY The Baldwin School, PA Turn-of-River Middle School, CT The Bay Academy for Arts & Sciences, NY United Nations International School, NY The Baylor School, TN Van Antwerp Middle School, NY The Berkeley Carroll School, NY Verde Valley School, AZ The Blue Ridge School, NC Viewpoint School, CA The Branson School, CA Walnut Hill School, MA The Brearley School, NY Warren G. Harding Middle School, PA The Buckley School (CA), CA Warren High School, CA The Buckley School (NY), NY Washington High School, CA The Burroughs Middle School, CA Washington Irving Middle School, MA The Cambridge School of Weston, MA Wellesley High School, MA The Cathedral School, NY West Hempstead High School, NY The Chapin School, NY West Rocks Middle School, CT The College Preparatory School, CA Westchester High School, CA The Columbus Academy, NC Western Middle School, CT The Dwight Englewood School, NJ Western Reserve Academy, OH The Episcopal Academy, PA Westminster School, CT The Ethel Walker School, CT Westover School, CT The Fieldston School, NY Westridge School, CA The Galloway School, GA The Gunnery, CT Westtown School, PA The Hamlin School, CA Westview School, CA The Head Royce School, CA White Plains High School, NY The Hill School, PA Wilbraham & Monson Academy, MA The Hotchkiss School, CT William Penn Charter School, PA The Lawrenceville School, NJ Wilton High School, CT The Lenox Academy, NY Winchester High School, MA The Lovett School, GA Windward School, CA The Mary Louis Academy, NY Woodberry Forest School, VA The Masters School, CT Wyoming Seminary, PA — 54 — Appendix D: Tests Used in the Program Selection Process

— 55 — Admission Tests Used by Programs Each program employs a different test in the applications process. Table D1 describes the tests that are administered or are required by each of the four programs for admissions. Candidates for A Better Chance take either the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), which has three components (Reading, Verbal and Quantitative) or the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE), which has four sections (Verbal, Quantitative, Reading and Math, as well as an unscored writing sample for admission to independent schools). I-LEAD administrators review prospective candidates’ performances on the Cooperative Entrance Exam (COOP). Students took the COOP as 8th-graders as part of the admissions process to the Catholic schools. In keeping with its tradition of selecting students through talent search, CTY students have been required to achieve a score at or above the 97th percentile on a standardized aptitude test [e.g., Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), California Achievement Test (CAT), or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)]. Moving from talent identification to admissions, CTY requires students who take the SAT in the 7th grade for admission to a CTY program to achieve either a higher Verbal SAT score (510) or a Math (530) and combined (1040) SAT score for its most rigorous track (CTY program) than for its less accelerated track (CAA program), which requires a 430 Math or 410 Verbal. NYMRLA has used a variety of criteria, including a combination of student grades and scores on standardized tests, including an IQ test, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). While NYM- RLA does not have a minimum score requirement, the students who were admitted in the first year scored between 96 and 148 on the WISC full-scale IQ with an average of 122. In the second year the scores ranged from 104 to 142, with an average of 122.

— 56 — Table D1: Admissions Tests Required by Signature Initiative Programs

Test Scoring Sections Description

Secondary School Ad- 250-350 (V/M/R) Writing Sample Writing on a topic statement mission Test (SSAT) 750-1050 Total (unscored) Quantitative (math) 2 sections of 25 questions Verbal 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions Reading Comprehension 40 questions based on 7 reading passages

Independent School 760-940 (V/Q/R/M) Verbal Reasoning 40 questions based on 2 topics Entrance Examination (ISEE) Quantitative Reasoning 35 questions based on 4 topics Reading Comprehension 40 questions based on 3 topics Mathematics Achievement 45 questions based on 4 topics Writing Sample Writing on a given topic (unscored)

Cooperative Entrance Cognitive Skills Index – Aptitude Component Sequences (20 items) Exam (COOP) Mean Score of 100 with s.d. of 16 Analogies (20 items) Memory (20 items) Verbal reasoning (20 items) Achievement Portion Reading & Language Arts (55 items) Mathematics (25 items)

SAT 400-1600 Combined Score 200-800 Verbal Analogies (19 items) Sentence completion (19 items) Critical reading (40 items) 200-800 Math 5-choice multiple choice (35 items) 4-choice multiple choice (15 items) Student-produced response (10 items)

Sequential Tests of Ed. 1-30 (Parts I, II) Reading I Plain sense comprehension (35%) Progress (STEP) 1-60 (Total) Interpretation (40%) Evaluation and application (25%) Reading II

The Cognitive Abilities 1-100 percentile scores Verbal 65 questions Test Level E (CAT) (V/Q) Quantitative 60 questions

Wechsler Intelligence Top score is 155 (V/P) Verbal IQ 5 subtests Scale for Children Top score is 160 (WISC) (Full-scale) Top score is 155 Performance IQ 5 subtests (physical tasks, such as Mean standardized score picture completion, matching sym- is 100, s.d. of 15 points bols and pictures)

Stanford-Binet Mean standardized score IQ Test Verbal reasoning Intelligence Scale is 100; s.d. of 16 points (standardized scores are (95% of population fall age specific) Quantitative reasoning within 32 points or Abstract/visual reasoning 2 s.d.’s) Short-term memory

— 57 — Table D2: A Better Chance Student Performance on Admissions Tests

SSAT SSAT SSAT ISEE ISEE ISEE ISEE Reading Verbal Quant. Reading Verbal Math Quant. Class Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw Raw Total Mean 290 298 299 879 869 874 871 N 331 331 331 120 120 120 92 Std. Dev. 15.99 18.32 18.18 18.18 18.00 19.01 18.52 Min. 217 253 249 834 826 827 826 Max. 350 371 343 921 905 919 913

Class 1 – 2000 Mean 292 300 298 876 868 867 862 N 99 99 99 39 39 39 39 Std. Dev. 17.44 19.06 18.08 21.56 20.57 18.81 17.98 Min. 217 262 263 835 826 827 826 Max. 341 350 343 912 899 909 898

Class 2 – 2001 Mean 289 296 299 879 870 881 877 N 117 117 117 53 53 53 53 Std. Dev. 15.70 18.09 15.87 16.25 16.17 16.88 16.32 Min. 253 263 264 834 837 839 836 Max. 350 371 342 906 899 906 913

Class 3 – 2002 Mean 290 298 300 882 871 872 NA N 115 115 115 28 28 28 NA Std. Dev. 14.96 17.88 20.43 16.40 17.96 18.93 NA Min. 255 253 249 854 834 843 NA Max. 321 350 340 921 905 919 NA Note (1): Class year reflects the year students began the program. The year listed does not reflect predicted year of high school graduation or grade level. Note (2): A Better Chance did not provide the ISEE Quant Raw scores for Class 3.

— 58 — Table D3: I-LEAD Student Performance on Admissions Tests

Cooperative Entrance Exam (COOP) Percentile in Percentile in Percentile in Total Total I-LEAD Class CSI Reading Language Math Achieve Battery Total Mean 115 69 69 67 71 71 N 142 167 167 167 159 157 Std. Dev. 10.55 21.15 21.98 21.22 19.39 19.02 Min. 80 13 3 3 4 4 Max. 141 99 99 99 101 99

Class 1 – 2004 Mean 116 68 67 63 68 68 N 50 50 50 50 50 50 Std. Dev. 12.00 20.42 20.52 22.12 17.98 19.14 Min. 93 21 21 8 29 32 Max. 141 99 99 97 99 99

Class 2 – 2005 Mean 117 67 63 68 69 69 N 29 29 29 29 29 29 Std. Dev. 11.02 24.04 21.68 20.66 20.56 18.65 Min. 94 13 23 21 24 21 Max. 139 98 97 97 97 97

Class 3 – 2006 Mean 116 77 74 67 75 77 N 31 40 40 40 34 32 Std. Dev. 7.61 18.96 21.99 19.35 18.46 15.30 Min. 98 29 14 26 28 38 Max. 130 99 99 96 99 98

Class 4 – 2007 Mean 112 66 70 71 73 71 N 32 48 48 48 46 46 Std. Dev. 10.04 20.82 23.09 21.81 20.61 21.10 Min. 80 18 3 3 4 4 Max. 125 99 99 99 101 98 Note: Class year denotes when I-LEAD students will graduate from high school.

— 59 — Table D4: CTY Student Performance on the SAT at Admission

CTY Entering Class SAT Verbal Score SAT Math Score SAT Combined Score CTY Total Mean 455 482 937 N 388 388 388 Std. Dev. 81.9 73.5 128.6 Min. 200 250 620 Max. 760 750 1450

Class 1 – 2000 Mean 493 501 994 N 88 88 88 Std. Dev. 81.6 69.0 118.7 Min. 200 320 630 Max. 760 640 1400

Class 2 – 2001 Mean 449 481 930 N 103 103 103 Std. Dev. 89.4 68.3 133.7 Min. 200 270 620 Max. 760 690 1450

Class 3 – 2002 Mean 440 472 913 N 97 97 97 Std. Dev. 71.7 75.5 118.7 Min. 260 320 710 Max. 600 750 1250

Class 4 – 2003 Mean 441 476 916 N 100 100 100 Std. Dev. 73.2 78.6 127.5 Min. 270 250 670 Max. 610 750 1350 Note (1): Class year denotes when students entered the CTY program. Note (2): Fourteen CTY students in grades 5 and 6 took the PLUS Academic Abilities Assessment.

— 60 — Table D5: NYMRLA Student Performance on Admissions Tests

STEP STEP STEP WISC WISC WISC NYMRLA Score Score Score Verbal Performance Full-scale Class Part I Part II Total Score Score IQ Total Mean 23 21 43 125 114 122 N 113 113 113 113 113 113 Std. Dev. 2.74 3.64 5.56 8.26 12.55 8.90 Min. 15 11 26 108 72 96 Max. 28 27 54 150 146 148

Class 1 – 2006 Mean 22 21 43 125 114 122 N 52 52 52 52 52 52 Std. Dev. 2.71 3.35 5.42 9.79 13.30 10.07 Min. 17 12 29 108 72 96 Max. 27 27 53 150 146 148

Class 2 – 2007 Mean 23 21 44 126 114 122 N 61 61 61 61 61 61 Std. Dev. 2.74 3.90 5.70 6.73 11.99 7.85 Min. 15 11 26 110 91 104 Max. 28 27 54 140 140 142 Note: Class year denotes when NYMRLA students will graduate from high school.

— 61 — Appendix E: Additional A Better Chance Information

— 62 — Table E1: Profile of Enrolled A Better Chance Students

A Better Chance (N=447) Class 1 – 2000 Class 2 – 2001 Class 3 – 2002 Total % Sex 447 Female 101 84 84 269 60% Male 47 65 66 178 40% Race 447 African American 97 92 105 294 66% Asian American 4 10 10 24 5% Hispanic 26 38 24 88 20% Native American 1 1 0% White 0 0% Other 20 9 11 40 9% Admission Grade Level 447 6 11 6 12 29 6% 7 15 6 18 39 9% 8 6 8 4 18 4% 9 91 112 102 305 68% 10 14 17 10 41 9% 11 8 4 12 3% 12 3 3 1% Type of School 447 Missing Data 0 0% Public 9 22 14 45 10% Parochial 0 0% Independent 139 127 136 402 90% Parents’ Education At least one parent with BA degree 46% 50% 57% 51% (#Yes/#Respondents) (65/140) (66/132) (74/130) (205/402) Family Income $0-19,999 (poverty level family – 4) 20% 29% 14% 21% (#Yes/#Respondents) (28/141) (43/146) (19/132) (90/419) Median Income $30,000 $30,000 $50,000 $50,000 Home State 447 California 38 31 39 108 24% Connecticut 6 9 3 18 4% New Jersey 10 9 23 42 9% New York 22 47 40 109 24% Pennsylvania 14 5 4 23 5% Other States 58 48 41 147 33% Total Starters 148 149 150 447 Total Persisters 140 137 150 427 96% Total Non-persisters 8 12 0 20 4% Note (1): Class year reflects the year students began the program. The year listed does not reflect predicted year of high school graduation or grade level. Note (2): Persistence is defined as continued enrollment at an independent school. — 63 — Table E2: A Better Chance Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment

PSAT

Verbal Math Combined N 89 89 89 Mean 533 517 1050 Median 525 530 1060 Std. Dev. 88.18 91.74 164.29 Min. 300 290 660 Max. 770 690 1460

SAT Verbal Math Combined

N 106 106 106 Mean 586 575 1161 Median 590 580 1160 Std. Dev. 82.73 77.55 141.72 Min. 380 310 690 Max. 770 780 1530 Note: For both the PSAT and SAT exams, only scores of students who are persisters were included in the analyses. Furthermore, the highest scores were selected for students who reported scores for more than one exam. Advanced Placement Courses Course Name # Enrolled AP Art History 1 AP Biology 7 AP Calculus AB 3 AP Calculus BC 1 AP Chemistry 7 AP Computer Science 1 AP English Language 2 AP English Literature 8 AP Environmental Science 1 AP European History 4 AP French Language 2 AP French Literature 1 AP Government 1 AP Spanish Language 5 AP Statistics 4 AP U.S. History 13 AP World History 1 Total AP Courses 62 Note: 35 A Better Chance students have taken 62 AP courses. Advanced Placement enrollment may actually underrepresent student interest, as not all of the AP courses listed may be available at the schools students attend. — 64 — Table E3: A Better Chance Grade Point Average by Grade

Class Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr. 11 Gr. 12 Total Mean 2.92 2.89 3.00 3.19 N 146 110 50 16 Std. Dev. 0.67 0.58 0.57 0.54 Min. 1.00 2.00 1.00 2.00 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 1 – 2000 Mean 3.06 3.00 2.98 3.20 N 64 64 44 15 Std. Dev. 0.61 0.53 0.59 0.56 Min. 2.00 2.00 1.00 2.00 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class – 2001 Mean 2.69 2.73 3.20 3.00 N 51 44 5 1 Std. Dev. 0.71 0.62 0.45 - Min. 1.00 2.00 3.00 3.00 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 3.00

Class 3 – 2002 Mean 3.00 3.00 3.00 N 31 2 1 Std. Dev. 0.63 0.00 - Min. 2.00 3.00 3.00 Max. 4.00 3.00 3.00 Note (1): Class year reflects the year students began the program. The year listed does not reflect predicted year of high school graduation or grade level. Note (2): GPA was recomputed to include the following five subjects: English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language. Note (3): Only includes GPAs of students who are persisters in the program.

— 65 — Appendix F: Additional I-LEAD Information

— 66 — Table F1: Profile of Enrolled I-LEAD Students

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Total % (2004) (2005) (2006) (2007) Sex 248 Female 30 26 34 27 117 47% Male 39 31 29 32 131 53% Race 248 African American 32 22 22 24 100 40% Asian American 2 3 4 4 13 5% Hispanic/Latino 29 29 34 28 120 48% Native American 0 0 0 0 0 0% White 5 2 2 2 11 4% Other 1 1 1 1 4 2% Admission Grade Level 248 9 69 57 63 59 248 100% Type of School 248 Parochial 69 57 63 59 248 100% Parents’ Education At least one parent with 38% 29% 35% 49% 38% BA degree (#Yes/#Respondents) (23/61) (15/51) (22/62) (29/59) (89/233) Family Income

$0-19,999 (poverty level 11% 16% 24% 24% 19% family – 4) (#Yes/#Respondents) (7/61) (8/50) (15/62) (14/58) (44/231) Median Income $35,000 $62,500 $35,000 $45,000 $45,000 Home State 248 New York 69 57 63 59 248 100% Total Starters 69 57 63 59 248 Total Persisters 43 40 57 54 194 78% Total Non-persisters 26 17 6 5 54 22% Note (1): Class year denotes when I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Note (2): Persistence is defined as continued participation in the I-LEAD program.

— 67 — Table F2: Profile of I-LEAD Students and Comparison Group Students

I-LEAD (N=248) Comparison Group (N=227) Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 (2004) (2005) (2006) (2007) Total % (2004) (2005) (2006) (2007) Total % Sex 248 227 Female 30 26 34 27 117 47% 27 19 35 27 108 48% Male 39 31 29 32 131 53% 35 25 27 32 119 52% Race 248 227 African American 32 22 22 24 100 40% 28 15 21 16 80 35% Asian American 2 3 4 4 13 5% 3 0 3 3 9 4% Hispanic 29 29 34 28 120 48% 25 19 30 33 107 47% Native American 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0% White 5 2 2 2 11 4% 0 0 0 4 4 2% Other 1 1 1 1 4 2% 4 2 3 1 10 4% Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0% 2 8 5 2 17 7% High School 248 227 All Hallows 0 0 11 12 23 9% 0 0 11 12 23 10% Aquinas 17 17 8 11 53 21% 14 10 8 11 43 19% Card. Hayes 16 12 6 10 44 18% 16 10 6 10 42 19% Card. Spellman 19 14 15 15 63 25% 19 11 15 15 60 26% Mt. Saint Ursula 0 0 15 8 23 9% 0 0 15 8 23 10% Rice 17 14 8 3 42 17% 13 13 7 3 36 16% Total Matriculants 69 57 63 59 248 62 44 62 59 227 Total Persisters 43 40 57 54 194 46 38 56 56 196 Total Non-persisters 26 17 6 5 54 16 6 6 3 31 Persistence Rate 62% 70% 90% 92% 78% 74% 86% 90% 95% 86% Note (1): The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Note (2): Class year denotes when the I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Note (3): Persistence for I-LEAD students is defined as continued participation in the I-LEAD program while persistence for the comparison group is persistence at the Catholic school they attend.

— 68 — Table F3: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Performance on the PSAT

I-LEAD Students Comparison Group PSAT PSAT PSAT PSAT PSAT PSAT Verbal Math Combined Verbal Math Combined Graduating Class Score Score Score Score Score Score Total Mean 518 524 1042 484 478 963 N 185 185 185 178 178 178 Std. Dev. 71.79 62.97 110.05 79.01 73.32 131.69 Min. 370 350 730 260 280 560 Max. 730 690 1360 690 650 1270

Class 1 – 2004 Mean 532 535 1067 488 473 960 N 43 43 43 44 44 44 Std. Dev. 67.25 56.54 98.04 70.08 83.17 137.55 Min. 370 420 920 260 300 560 Max. 720 690 1360 640 650 1260

Class 2 – 2005 Mean 519 525 1043 480 480 960 N 40 40 40 36 36 36 Std. Dev. 60.45 57.56 104.25 82.50 60.40 127.40 Min. 380 360 740 320 370 690 Max. 660 680 1260 690 580 1210

Class 3 – 2006 Mean 526 534 1060 499 493 992 N 57 57 57 52 52 52 Std. Dev. 77.85 63.47 113.33 78.77 79.47 138.94 Min. 370 350 840 270 280 670 Max. 730 690 1300 680 640 1270

Class 4 – 2007 Mean 495 499 994 468 467 934 N 45 45 45 46 46 46 Std. Dev. 74.00 67.54 109.99 83.64 64.13 117.56 Min. 370 360 730 290 300 700 Max. 640 650 1200 660 570 1170 Note (1): The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Note (2): Class year denotes when the I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Note (3): If students took the PSAT more than once, highest verbal and math scores are reported. Note (4): For Class 3 and 4 some I-LEAD students and comparison group students are currently missing PSAT scores.

— 69 — Table F4: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Performance on the SAT

I-LEAD Students Comparison Group

SAT SAT SAT V+M SAT SAT SAT SAT V+M SAT Graduating Verbal Math Combined Writing Verbal Math Combined Writing Class Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Total Mean 560 550 1111 511 514 1025 N 140 140 140 131 131 131 Std. Dev. 70.77 68.01 117.06 83.71 85.27 150.96 Min. 310 360 800 310 310 650 Max. 800 710 1420 800 710 1480

Class 1 – 2004 Mean 562 550 1112 502 493 995 N 43 43 43 46 46 46 Std. Dev. 67.12 55.21 101.28 79.13 78.21 142.19 Min. 410 440 920 310 340 650 Max. 760 680 1420 680 670 1320

Class 2 – 2005 Mean 565 553 1118 503 499 1001 N 40 40 40 38 38 38 Std. Dev. 61.31 68.13 116.29 89.31 80.31 155.90 Min. 450 360 820 320 370 760 Max. 680 710 1370 720 660 1370

Class 3 – 2006 Mean 556 548 1104 558 546 527 1073 541 N 57 57 57 57 47 47 47 47 Std. Dev. 80.00 77.16 129.68 80.39 82.72 81.73 137.49 76.98 Min. 310 390 800 370 360 310 750 390 Max. 720 710 1340 720 800 710 1480 800 Note (1): The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Note (2): Class year denotes when the I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Note (3): Class 3 was the first class to take the new SAT (addition of the writing section). Note (4): If students took the SAT more than once, the highest verbal and the highest math scores were reported. Note (5): For comparison group 3, scores for 47 of the 56 members are provided. Furthermore, only one score was available for comparison group 3 students so this does not reflect their highest SAT scores.

— 70 —

3 4 9 0 0 1 2 73 17 17 17 11 36 12 196 129 Total

% 9% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 9%

5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 56 (2007) Class 4

% 2% 0% 7% 7% 0% 0% 0% 0% 5% 4% 5% 54% 18% 43%

1 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 56 30 10 24 51 (2006) Class 3

% 3% 8% 0% 0% 0% 3% 0% 3% Comparison Group 45% 11% 21% 16% 11% 18%

4 8 1 3 0 6 0 0 1 4 0 7 1 38 17 35 (2005) Class 2 Class

% 7% 4% 0% 7% 0% 0% 0% 9% 0% 7% 46% 17% 22% 11%

3 8 2 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 5 3 46 21 10 38 (2004) Class 1

4 7 3 0 9 3 48 45 62 25 19 81 31 194 135 337 Total

% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 19% 19%

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54 10 10 10 (2007) Class 4

% 0% 9% 0% 0% 4% 5% 89% 42% 25% 53% 12% 16% 75% 14%

0 7 5 0 0 2 9 3 8 57 51 24 14 30 43 145 (2006) Class 3 I-LEAD

% 3% 0% 8% 0% 0% 93% 40% 40% 30% 30% 18% 18% 63% 15%

1 0 3 0 7 7 0 6 40 37 16 16 12 12 25 105 (2005) Class 2

% 7% 0% 0% 0% 0% 7% 0% 86% 19% 35% 47% 19% 30% 16%

8 3 0 8 0 0 0 3 0 7 43 37 15 20 13 77 (2004) Class 1 The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Class year denotes when I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. at all six schools where I-LEAD students are enrolled. are not offered AP classes listed above The AP enrollment as of spring 2005. AP enrollment as of spring 2006. In contrast, for comparison group 3, these numbers reflect I-LEAD group 3, these numbers include For N AP at least 1 Took AP Biology AP Calculus AP Chemistry AP English AP English Lit. Hist. AP European Lang. AP French AP Government AP Physics AP Spanish Lang. AP Spanish Lit. Hist. AP U.S. Hist. World AP AP Courses Total Table F5: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Student Enrollment in Advanced Placement Courses

Note (1): Note (2): Note (3): Note (4): — 71 — Table F6: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Grade Point Average by Grade

I-LEAD Students Comparison Group Graduating Class Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr. 11 Gr. 12 Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr. 11 Gr. 12 Total Mean 3.52 3.43 3.26 3.09 3.29 3.16 3.04 2.85 N 194 194 140 83 196 196 140 84 Std. Dev. .40 .49 .48 .55 .56 .63 .61 .67 Min. 2.20 2.00 2.00 1.33 1.20 1.40 1.40 1.25 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 1 – 2004 Mean 3.33 3.36 3.24 3.08 2.97 2.90 3.05 2.78 N 43 43 43 43 46 46 46 46 Std. Dev. .43 .50 .44 .56 .66 .67 .59 .69 Min. 2.20 2.00 2.00 1.67 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.33 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 2 – 2005 Mean 3.49 3.43 3.32 3.10 3.03 2.91 2.89 2.95 N 40 40 40 40 38 38 38 38 Std. Dev. .42 0.46 .51 .56 .64 .72 .62 .64 Min. 2.80 2.40 2.20 1.33 1.20 1.40 1.40 1.25 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 3 – 2006 Mean 3.61 3.43 3.23 3.46 3.32 3.12 N 57 57 57 56 56 56 Std. Dev. .36 .51 .48 .37 .46 .63 Min. 2.40 2.00 2.20 2.60 2.00 1.40 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 4 – 2007 Mean 3.61 3.47 3.56 3.37 N 54 54 56 56 Std. Dev. .34 .48 .34 .55

Min. 2.80 2.00 2.80 1.80

Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Note (1): The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Note (2): Class year denotes when I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Note (3): GPA was recomputed to include the following 5 subjects: English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language.

— 72 —

% 0% 0% 33% 28% 11% 11% 37% 37% 34% 11% 0 5 5 0 4 46 15 13 38 14 14 13 Gr. 12 Gr.

% 33% 26% 37% 11% 37% 39% 16% 29% 18% 47% 48% 21% 41% 34% 55% 5 6 7 46 15 12 17 17 38 15 11 18 56 27 12 23 19 31 Gr. 11 Gr. % 50% 15% 46% 52% 37% 55% 13% 47% 53% 53% 46% 25% 41% 39% 34% 57% 30% 59% 43% 52% Comparison Group 7 5 46 23 21 24 17 38 21 18 20 20 56 26 14 23 22 19 56 32 17 33 24 29 Gr. 10 Gr. % 7% 41% 13% 50% 26% 43% 39% 13% 37% 24% 37% 34% 36% 32% 14% 45% 14% 45% 38% 39% 6 5 9 4 8 8 46 19 23 12 20 38 15 14 14 56 19 20 18 56 25 25 21 22 Gr. 9 Gr.

% 0% 67% 70% 23% 23% 58% 13% 68% 63% 33% 0 5 43 29 30 10 10 40 23 27 25 13 Gr. 12 Gr.

% 60% 28% 63% 33% 63% 58% 28% 60% 33% 75% 63% 14% 53% 37% 77% 8 43 26 12 27 14 27 40 23 11 24 13 30 57 36 30 21 44 Gr. 11 Gr. % 84% 35% 81% 70% 67% 78% 33% 75% 83% 70% 58% 18% 53% 42% 44% 49% 28% 54% 49% 53% I-LEAD Students 43 36 15 35 30 29 40 31 13 30 33 28 57 33 10 30 24 25 54 28 16 31 28 30 Gr. 10 Gr. % 70% 42% 81% 40% 70% 50% 15% 58% 43% 43% 56% 16% 42% 54% 32% 44% 15% 52% 37% 39% 6 9 8 43 30 18 35 17 30 40 20 23 17 17 57 32 24 31 18 54 24 28 20 21 Gr. 9 Gr. N English Lang. For. Math Science Soc. Studies N English Lang. For. Math Science Soc. Studies N English Lang. For. Math Science Soc. Studies N English Lang. For. Math Science Soc. Studies The I-LEAD comparison group is comprised of students from the same high schools who are academically equivalent. Class year denotes when I-LEAD students will graduate from high school. Graduating Class Class 1 – 2004 Class 2 – 2005 Class 3 – 2006 Class 4 – 2007 Table F7: I-LEAD and Comparison Group Enrollment in Honors AP Courses by Grade Note (1): Note (2): — 73 — Appendix G: Additional CTY Information

— 74 — Table G1: Profile of Enrolled CTY Students

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Total %

(2000) (2001) (2002) (2003) Sex 402 Female 50 48 58 52 208 52% Male 52 55 39 48 194 48% Race 402 African American 60 46 28 29 163 41% Asian American 1 6 17 12 36 9% Hispanic 23 43 34 29 129 32% Native American 1 1 0% White 1 5 7 14 27 7% Other 17 3 10 16 46 11% Admission Grade Level 402 5 and 6 14 14 3% 7 30 45 58 56 189 47% 8 36 52 39 44 171 43% 9 20 2 22 5% 10 2 4 6 1% 11 0 0% 12 0 0% Type of School 402 Missing Data 9 9 2% Public 62 81 79 66 288 72% Parochial 4 2 1 7 14 3% Independent 36 20 17 18 91 23% Parents’ Education At least one parent with BA degree 100% 59% 41% 64% 57% (#Yes/#Respondents) (6/6) (34/58) (17/42) (25/39) (82/145) Family Income Less than $19,999 (poverty level family - 4) 20% 31% 35% 23% 28% (#Yes/#Respondents) (10/49) (30/98) (33/94) (23/99) (96/340) Median Income $35,000 $35,000 $25,000 $35,000 $35,000 Home State 402 California 44 30 30 104 26% Connecticut 0 0% New Jersey 6 6 1% New York 96 47 57 49 249 62% Pennsylvania 12 10 9 31 8% Other States 12 12 3% Total Starters 102 103 97 100 402 Total Persisters 78 76 74 89 317 79% Total Non-persisters 24 27 23 11 85 21% Note (1): Class year denotes when students entered the CTY program. Note (2): Persisters are defined as students who participated in a CTY program for two summers. — 75 — Table G2: Profile of CTY

Class 1 – 2000 Class 2 – 2001 Class 3 – 2002 Class 4 – 2003 Total N % N % N % N % N % 1st Summer CTY Program CAA 52 51.0% 79 76.7% 76 78.4% 88 88.0% 295 73.4% CTY 36 35.3% 24 23.3% 21 21.6% 12 12.0% 93 23.1% YST 14 13.7% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 14 3.5% Total 102 103 97 100 402 1st Summer Ave. Fin. Aid 101 99.0% 103 100% 97 100% 99 99.0% 400 99.5% Mean Amount $2,234 $2,302 $2,449 $2,543 $2,380 1st Summer Subject Area 59 Humanities 24 23.5% 16 15.5% 18 18.6% 10 10.0% 68 16.9% Marine Science 2 2.0% 1 1.0% 2 2.1% 2 2.0% 7 1.7% Math 28 27.5% 47 45.6% 44 45.4% 37 37.0% 156 38.8% Science 24 23.5% 19 18.4% 15 15.5% 31 31.0% 89 22.1% Writing 24 23.5% 20 19.4% 18 18.6% 20 20.0% 82 20.4% Total 102 103 97 100 402 2nd Summer CTY Program CAA 39 50.0% 51 67.1% 53 71.6% 75 84.3% 218 68.8% CTY 30 38.5% 25 32.9% 21 28.4% 14 15.7% 90 28.4% CTY Young Scholars 9 11.5% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 9 2.8% Total 78 76 74 89 317 2nd Summer Received Goldman Sachs Foundation Aid Yes 49 62.8% 67 88.2% 68 91.9% 79 88.8% 263 83.0% Mean Amount $2,332 $2,454 $2,567 $2,668 $2,525 2nd Summer Subject Area Humanities 22 28.2% 16 21.1% 14 18.9% 17 19.1% 69 21.8% Marine Science 3 3.8% 1 1.3% 1 1.4% 4 4.5% 9 2.8% Math & Comp. Sci. 13 16.7% 15 19.7% 12 16.2% 31 34.8% 71 22.4% Science 28 35.9% 33 43.4% 34 45.9% 27 30.3% 122 38.5% Writing 12 15.4% 11 14.5% 13 17.6% 10 11.2% 46 14.5% Total 78 76 74 89 317 Number of Summers at CTY 1 20 19.6% 26 25.2% 23 23.7% 11 11.0% 80 19.9% 2 44 43.1% 33 32.0% 27 27.8% 89 89.0% 193 48.0% 3 21 20.6% 33 32.0% 47 48.5% 0 0.0% 101 25.1% 4 or more 17 16.7% 11 10.7% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 28 7.0% Total 102 103 97 100 402 Distance Education Took a Course 31 21 13 13 78 Writing Course 12 38.7% 8 38.1% 7 53.8% 4 30.8% 31 39.7% Math Course 19 61.3% 13 61.9% 6 46.2% 9 69.2% 47 60.3% Note (1): Class year denotes when students entered the CTY program. Note (2): Number of summers is different from second summer. Second summer is the next consecutive summer. For some students, their second summer was delayed a year. — 76 — Table G3: CTY Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment

PSAT (Gr. 11) Verbal Math Combined N 226 226 226 Mean 592 602 1194 Median 590 600 1185 Std. Dev. 86 92 151 Min. 350 360 810 Max. 790 800 1550

SAT Verbal Math Combined N 140 140 140 Mean 623 629 1252 Median 615 630 1250 Std. Dev. 87 80 139 Min. 440 420 920 Max. 800 800 1600 Note (1): Of 346 students eligible to take the PSAT in 11th grade, 226 students reported their scores. Note (2): Of 346 students eligible to take the SAT, 140 reported their scores. Note (3): If students took the PSAT or SAT more than once, highest verbal and math scores are reported.

— 77 — Table G3: CTY Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment (continued)

Advanced Placement Courses # Enrolled AP Art History 8 AP Biology 44 AP Calculus AB 34 AP Calculus BC 24 AP Chemistry 41 AP Comp. Government & Politics 4 AP Computer Science A 5 AP Computer Science AB 3 AP English Language 33 AP English Literature 36 AP Environmental Science 5 AP European History 20 AP French Language 8 AP French Literature 1 AP Human Geography 2 AP Latin Literature 3 AP Latin: Vergil 3 AP Macroeconomics 10 AP Microeconomics 7 AP Music Theory 3 AP Physics B 10 AP Physics C 5 AP Psychology 16 AP Spanish Language 34 AP Spanish Literature 6 AP Statistics 16 AP U.S. History 60 AP World History 12 Total AP Courses 453 Note (1): 139 CTY students have taken 453 AP courses. The AP course enrollment data are primarily based on students’ information on taking an AP exam. The total number of AP courses CTY students took may be underrepresented because it does not include students who enrolled in an AP course, but did not take the AP exam. Note (2): Advanced Placement enrollment may actually underrepresent student interest, as not all of the AP courses listed may be available at the schools students attend.

— 78 — Appendix H: Additional NYMRLA Information

— 79 — Table H1: Profile of Enrolled NYMRLA Students

NYMRLA (N=131) Class 1 Class 2

(2006) (2007) Total % Sex 131 Female 30 33 63 48% Male 36 32 68 52% Race 131 African American 18 28 46 35% Asian American 0 0% Hispanic 33 26 59 45% Native American 0 0% White 0 0% Other 15 11 26 20% Admission Grade Level 131 5 and 6 0 0% 7 66 65 131 100% 8 0 0% 9 0 0% 10 0 0% 11 0 0% 12 0 0% Type of School 131 Missing Data 0 0% Public 66 65 131 100% Parochial 0 0% Independent 0 0% Parents’ Education At least one parent with BA degree 51% 54% 53% (#Yes/#Respondents) (23/45) (32/59) (55/104) Family Income $0-19,999 (poverty level family – 4) 16% 3% 9% (#Yes/#Respondents) (8/51) (2/58) (10/109) Median Income $55,000 $65,000 $65,000 Home State 127 California 0 0% Connecticut 17 10 27 21% New Jersey 16 20 36 28% New York 33 31 64 50% Pennsylvania 0 0% Other States 0 0% Total Starters 66 65 131 Total Persisters 42 61 103 79% Total Non-persisters 24 4 28 21%

Note (1): Class year denotes when NYMRLA students will graduate from high school. Note (2): Persisters are students who completed the 14-month preparatory component. Note (3): Parent’s education and family income data represents information of students who gave permission to use their data. — 80 — Table H2: NYMRLA Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment

PSAT – 11th Grade (Class 1) Verbal Math Combined N 12 12 12 Mean 579 600 1179 Median 565 595 1220 Std. Dev. 68.82 60.15 94.53 Min. 470 500 970 Max. 730 690 1320 Note: These are PSAT scores for students who completed the 14-month program and gave permission to use their academic data. If students took the PSAT more than once, the highest verbal and math scores were reported. SAT – Unofficial 8th Grade Administration (Classes 1 and 2) Verbal Math Combined N 88 88 88 Mean 476 502 978 Median 470 500 975 Std. Dev. 65.98 65.23 107.13 Min. 200 350 550 Max. 670 650 1300

Note: These are SAT scores for students who completed the 14-month program and gave permission to use their academic data. Four students were not in attendance when the SAT was administered. SAT – 11th and 12th Grade (Class 1) Verbal Math Combined Writing N 26 26 26 26 Mean 629 659 1288 633 Median 630 675 1290 620 Std. Dev. 58.1 57.5 86.49 54.24 Min. 520 540 1090 500 Max. 790 770 1430 740 Note: These are SAT scores for students who completed the 14-month program and gave permission to use their academic data. If students took the SAT more than once, the highest verbal and math scores were reported.

— 81 — Table H2: NYMRLA Student Performance on the PSAT, SAT and AP Course Enrollment (continued)

Advanced Placement Courses (Classes 1 and 2) – Fall 2005 Class 1 Class 2 Course Name (2006) (2007) Total AP Biology 10 9 19 AP Calculus 14 3 17 AP Chemistry 5 6 11 AP Computer Science 2 2 4 AP Economics 4 0 4 AP English 15 15 30 AP Environmental Science 6 3 9 AP European Hist. 4 1 5 AP French Lang. 4 2 6 AP Government: Comp. 1 0 1 AP Government: U.S. 6 1 7 AP Italian Lang. 1 0 1 AP Latin 1 0 1 AP Physics 3 0 3 AP Psychology 0 1 1 AP Spanish Lang. 6 4 10 AP Spanish Literature 2 1 3 AP Statistics 7 0 7 AP Studio Art 1 1 2 AP U.S. History 5 29 34 AP World History 2 0 2 Total AP Courses 99 78 177 Note (1): 68 NYMRLA students have taken 177 AP courses. Advanced Placement enrollment may actually underrepresent student interest, as not all of the AP courses listed may be available at the schools students attend. Note (2): Table represents data only of students who completed the 14-month program and gave permission to use their data.

— 82 — Table H3: NYMRLA Grade Point Average by Grade

Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr. 11 Gr. 12 Total Mean 3.64 3.45 3.30 3.18 3.12 3.17 N 25 60 60 60 60 25 Std. Dev. 0.33 0.46 0.50 0.51 0.46 0.50 Min. 3.00 2.40 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.25 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00

Class 1 – 2006 Mean 3.64 3.53 3.34 3.22 3.08 3.17 N 25 25 25 25 25 25 Std. Dev. 0.33 0.49 0.54 0.50 0.39 0.50 Min. 3.00 2.40 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.25 Max. 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 3.80 4.00

Class 2 – 2007 Mean NA 3.39 3.27 3.14 3.14 NA N NA 35 35 35 35 NA Std. Dev. NA 0.44 0.47 0.52 0.50 NA Min. NA 2.60 2.20 2.00 2.20 NA Max. NA 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 NA Note (1): Class year denotes when NYMRLA students will graduate from high school. Note (2): Only includes students who completed the 14-month NYMRLA program and who gave permission to use their data. Only includes students with complete records. Note (3): GPA was recomputed to include the following five subjects: English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language. Note (4): Class 1 Grade 12 GPAs and Class 2 Grade 11 GPAs reflect mid-year GPAs. The final transcripts for the 2005-06 academic year were not available.

— 83 — Table H4: NYMRLA Enrollment in Honors and AP Courses by Grade

Graduating Gr. 7 % Gr. 8 % Gr. 9 % Gr. 10 % Gr. 11 % Gr. 12 % Class

Class 1 – 2006 N 34 34 34 34 34 34

English 4 12% 14 41% 15 44% 21 62% 22 65% 20 59%

For. Lang. 1 3% 2 6% 9 26% 14 41% 20 59% 15 44%

Math 15 44% 22 65% 25 74% 21 62% 16 47% 26 76%

Science 5 15% 8 24% 21 62% 25 74% 21 62% 20 59%

Soc. Studies 0 0% 3 9% 14 41% 23 68% 25 74% 20 59%

Class 2 – 2007 N 58 58 58 58

English NA 13 22% 33 57% 32 55% 31 53% NA

For. Lang. NA 4 7% 16 28% 17 29% 37 64% NA

Math NA 23 40% 42 72% 35 60% 39 67% NA

Science NA 11 19% 42 72% 35 60% 39 67% NA

Soc. Studies NA 5 9% 31 53% 34 59% 42 72% NA

Note (1): Class year denotes when the NYMRLA students will graduate from high school. Note (2): Only includes students who completed 14-month NYMRLA program and who gave permission to use their data.

Table H5: NYMRLA Enrollment in Accelerated Courses in Middle School

Graduating Gr. 7 % Gr. 8 % Class

Class 1 – 2006 N 34 34

English 0 0% 0 0%

For. Lang. 0 0% 0 0%

Math 3 9% 13 38%

Science 0 0% 0 0%

Soc. Studies 0 0% 0 0%

Class 2 – 2007 N 58

English NA 0 0%

For. Lang. NA 0 0%

Math NA 19 33%

Science NA 1 2%

Soc. Studies NA 0 0%

Note (1): Class year denotes when the NYMRLA students will graduate from high school. Note (2): Only includes students who completed 14-month NYMRLA program and who gave permission to use their data.

— 84 — Reference List

Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor’s degree attainment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Avery, C., Fairbanks, A., & Zeckhauser, R. (2003). The early admissions game: Joining the elite. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges and Universities(2005). Woodbury, NY: Barron’s Educational Series. Bowen, W. G., & Bok, D. C. (1998). The shape of the river: Long-term consequences of considering race in college and university admissions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. The Chronicle of Higher Education (2005). 2004-5 Almanac, 51(1), 14. College Board (2004a). AP and Higher Education. Retrieved August 22, 2006 from [http://www.collegeboard.com/about/news_info/ap/index.html] College Board (2004b). Customized analyses of the 2003 PSAT data. New York, NY: Author. College Board (2004c). Customized analyses of the SAT data. New York, NY: Author. College Board (2005a). AP National Summary Report 2005. [Data file] Retrieved November 18, 2005 from [http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/] College Board (2005b). 2005 College-bound seniors: Total group profile report.New York, NY: Author. College Board (2006). Test scores of nontraditional test takers (7th and 8th graders and adults). Retrieved August 22, 2006 from [http://www.collegeboard.com/prof/counselors/tests/SAT/scores/data_tables.html] The Goldman Sachs Foundation (2002). Promoting entrepreneurship and business education. New York, NY: Author. Harvard College Admissions (2006). Frequently asked questions: High school preparation. Retrieved August 22, 2006 from [http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/faq/admissions/high_school/index.html] National Association of Independent Schools (2004). StatsOnline 2003-2004. Retrieved August 22, 2006 from [http://www.nais.org/resources/statistics/] United States Department of Health and Human Services (2006). The 2006 HHS poverty guidelines. Retrieved August 22, 2006 from [http://aspe.hhs.gov./poverty/06poverty.shtml] U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (2004). The condition of education 2004 (NCES-077). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (2006). The condition of education 2006 (NCES-071). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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