Capture Which Schools Have the Postsecondary Readiness

By knowing which students are sanctioned by the TEA as “postsecondary

ready,” UT can apply a consistent dataset that will enable the University to

overcome criticism regarding TTPL admittees. Former Chancellor Bill

McRaven has noted that students who are automatically admitted to UT are

devaluing the university’s ranking due to their entering credentials.

_{As he}

put it, UT wants to “make sure the right students are coming to the university,”

and to “put us in the position to be a more competitive university.”

Ms. Moreno’s story, particularly, provides another basis for why UT

should track which TTPL feeder schools are deemed “postsecondary ready.”

For three consecutive school years, Bryan Adams received several TEA

designations, including one for postsecondary readiness.

_{Likewise, Ms.}

281 _{While there may be a variety of reasons why students of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds do} not matriculate to UT, even though they would be automatically admitted under TTPL, these reasons might include student exposure to UT, resource allocation, etc. See Satija & Watkins, supra note 257 (“Many seniors . . . [at Bryan Adams High School] had no idea the rule existed until they received a slip a paper, toward the end of their junior year, stating that they were in the top 10 percent. . . . At Highland Park, school counselors don’t spend much time persuading students to attend a four-year university. Instead, they try to find each student’s perfect higher education match. That conversation starts before the student even gets into high school. In the last semester of eighth grade, students meet with counselors to start mapping out goals. The school also offers an SAT and ACT prep course during the summer, while some parents also pay thousands of dollars to hire private college admissions consultants.”).

282 See Watkins, supra note 278.

283 See Editorial Board, UT Head Wants to Admit Only the ‘Right’ Students, STAR-TELEGRAM (Jan. 26, 2016, 9:39 AM), https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article56530413.html (emphasis added); see also Scott Jaschik, McRaven Will Step Down as Texas Chancellor, INSIDE HIGHER EDUC. (Dec. 18, 2017), https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/12/18/mcraven-will-step- down-texas-chancellor.

284 _{See 2017–18 School Report Card: Bryan Adams H S (057905001) (2018), TEX. EDUC. AGENCY,} https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/src/2018/campus.srch.html; 2016–17 School Report Card: Bryan Adams H S (057905001) (2017), TEX. EDUC. AGENCY, https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/ perfreport/src/2017/campus.srch.html; 2015–16 School Report Card: Bryan Adams H S (057905001) (2016), TEX. EDUC. AGENCY, https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/src/2016/ campus.srch.html (select “Campus Name” and search “Bryan Adams H S” then selected view report).

Quintero’s story is instructive because although her high school did not have

a postsecondary readiness designation, she was successful at UT (like many

others) with additional assistance.

This strategy provides UT with an efficient innovation that accomplishes

three objectives. First, adding this data point to the feeder school report

provides UT another tool to identify which TTPL students attended high

schools with resources to prepare them for post-secondary education and

those high schools that did not have resources or meet that standard. If the

data shows students graduated from a resource poor school, it is a proactive

way to identify which students may need additional support upon enrolling

at the University.

_{Second, it could help UT target specific feeder schools}

that the University can potentially partner with to ensure students are taking

college preparedness courses.

_{Third, it can enable UT to identify to the}

285 _{As a result of programming such as Texas’ Interdisciplinary Program (“TIP”), seventy-one percent} of students who were admitted via TTPL and participate in TIP obtained a 3.0 grade point average or higher. Matthew Watkins & Neena Satija, The Price of Admission: Part III: As UT Officials Fight the Top 10 Percent Rule, UT Also Fights to Make it a Success, TEX. TRIB. (Mar. 29, 2016), https://apps.texastribune.org/price-of-admission/getting-to-graduation/. Further, in TIP’s second year of programing, fifty-eight percent of students admitted via TTPL graduated in four- years even though their entrance predictors showed they could not achieve that goal. Id. While the recommendation in this Part proposes a proactive versus reactive remedy, the efforts that UT has undertaken (even if from a reactive state) have been successful and should be maintained. See About TIP Scholars, supra note 250 (introducing program); see also University Leadership Network,supra note 250 (introducing program).

286 See supra Section III.B; supra note 182 and accompanying text (explaining that data presentation has improved); see also University Leadership Network (ULN) FAQs, UNIV. TEX. AUSTIN STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVES, http://studentsuccess.utexas.edu/uln/faq (last visited Mar. 11, 2018) (explaining program requirements and benefits). The University Leadership Network (“ULN”) works collaboratively with the Office of Admissions, Office of Financial Aid, and the Enrollment Management team to select students for the program. University Leadership Network (ULN) FAQs, supra. ULN includes a four-year plan to keep students on track to graduate timely. Id. Touted as an incentive-based scholarship program that provides resources for students who may not otherwise have them, ULN also supports students by giving them leadership training, experiential opportunities, etc. Id.

287 By tracking which feeder schools have the postsecondary readiness distinction designation, UT can strengthen its applicant pool. See, e.g., UT Austin Launches the TEXAS MicroMajor for High School Students, UT NEWS (Oct. 26, 2016), [https://web.archive.org/web/20170407071914/ https://news.utexas.edu/2016/10/26/ut-austin-and-aisd-partner-to-boost-college-readiness-0] (“The University of Texas at Austin is launching the TEXAS MicroMajor, a new initiative to help high school students become better prepared for success at leading universities.”); see also Texas MicroMajor, UNIV. TEX. AUSTIN: ONRAMPS, http://onramps.utexas.edu/initiatives/txmm/ (“Completing a Texas MicroMajor will help students become more competitive for success at UT Austin or other colleges and universities. In addition to standing out in college applications, students may be able to earn up to 12 hours of transferable credit, save in college tuition costs, and develop the skills necessary to excel in the workplace.”) (last visited Mar. 13, 2019). UT could also explore the possibility of ISDs teaming up with the community colleges currently partnered with UT to extend dual credit coursework to high school juniors and seniors.

Texas Legislature which feeder schools may need additional resources.

Thus, if UT implements this strategy, the University fulfills its core values

while undermining the correlation between high rates of economic

disadvantage and under-preparedness.