District Postsecondary Success Rubric

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Seven focus areas graphic: number 1 - shared postsecondary vision, plan & framework, number 2 - postsecondary data systems & structures, number 3 - continuous improvement cycles, number 4 - adult capacity building, number 5 - institutional partnerships, number 6 - student supports and advising programs, number 7 - aligned human and financial capital. Core areas are those practices that must be in place in order to achieve comprehensive improvements in postsecondary outcomes. We encourage districts to focus on improving Core Areas before addressing Secondary Areas in order to ensure a strong foundation for success across all areas.

Navigate to the next page to fill out the rubric for your district.

Scoring Guidelines:

Consider your district's position and efforts with regard to each category.

Select the indicators that most align with your district's current state. Select only one per level per indicator.

For each section, select your district's overall score based on the majority of your responses across the indicators within that focus area. For example, if you selected mostly "practicing" indicators, select "practicing" for that section.

Houston Independent School District: District Improvement Plan (see "Innovation and Post-secondary," pg. 126 and "College Readiness," pg. 138)
TN ESSA State Plan (read about one of TN's five priorities "High School and Bridge to Postsecondary" and aligned accountability framework [pg. 299-312 and 81-200])
Maryland State Plan for Postsecondary Education

Beginning: District has not yet fully developed its vision for student postsecondary success

Practicing: A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Persisting: A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Beginning: Improvement planning framework does not include postsecondary pathway priorities and strategies

Practicing: School improvement planning framework includes postsecondary pathway priorities and strategies

Persisting: School improvement planning framework includes postsecondary priorities & strategies; school accountability framework incorporates key college readiness metrics (e.g. enrollment %, FAFSA completion, student persistence)

Beginning:
Postsecondary pathway success strategies are broad and fragmented and may not align with other improvement priorities & strategies

Practicing:
Some postsecondary pathway success strategies are narrowly-focused, coherent, and align to other improvement priorities & strategies.

Persisting:
Almost all postsecondary pathway success strategies are narrowly-focused, coherent, and align to other improvement strategies

Beginning:
District has not yet fully developed its vision for student postsecondary success

Practicing:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Persisting:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Notes


Shared Postsecondary Vision, Plan & Framework:

Overall Score

Title

Iowa Postsecondary Readiness Reports

Oakland Unified School District Public Dashboards (see "Post Secondary Readiness -> College Enrollment")
Roadmap for Tracking Your Student Results: Program Data & Systems

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) District student information system does not include data on key postsecondary pathway indicators 2) Limited rules for capturing and cleaning data 3) Little or no collaboration between district and postsecondary pathway providers around shared data 4) Most data tools & dashboards are de-contextualized from user needs. Limited feedback from external stakeholders 5) Little or no data collaboration between district and schools on key postsecondary pathway indicators	1) District has a student information system linked to key datasets (NSC, NCES, IPEDS); limited capacity to report on key postsecondary pathway indicators 2) Some rules for capturing and cleaning data 3) Informal data sharing between district and postsecondary pathway providers 4) Most data tools & dashboards are user-centered; analytic design includes some feedback from external stakeholders 5) Intermittent data collaboration between district and schools on key postsecondary pathway indicators 6) Central office staff support and develop some school-based data specialists and building leaders on postsecondary data analytics through an opt-in approach	1) District has a comprehensive student information system that has the capacity to report on key postsecondary pathway indicators and is linked to key datasets (NSC, NCES, IPEDS) 2) Consistent and clear rules for capturing and cleaning data 3) Formalized data sharing agreements between district and postsecondary pathway providers 4) Almost all data tools & dashboards are user-centered. Analytic design is reflective of feedback from external stakeholders 5) Data collaboration between district & schools that improves system efficacy 6) Central office staff support and develop most school-based data specialists and building leaders on postsecondary data analytics through an opt-out approach

Notes


Post-secondary Data Systems & Structures:

Overall Score

Postsecondary Success Asset Mapping
Carnegie Foundation: Continuous Improvement in Education (see "Case 3: Strive Partnership Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky," pg. 18-21)
Sharing Accountability & Results: How San Jose Unified School District is taking its College Readiness Indicator System (CRIS) to Scale and Transforming Leadership Culture on the Way

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) Inconsistent continuous improvement cycles focused on postsecondary data 2) Limited collection of key-postsecondary data 3) Postsecondary pathway continuous improvement process has not yet been codified 4) District provides limited support and resources to school teams 5) No formal or tracked priorities, initiatives, or action steps related to postsecondary success initiatives sustained over time	1) Partially planned or inconsistent continuous improvement cycles & problem solving focused on postsecondary data 2) Regular collection of and process for some key postsecondary data 3) Some data reflection protocols & norms used 4) District provides some support and resources to school teams 5) Some priorities, initiatives, & action steps related to post-secondary success sustained over time. Some sharing of priorities with stakeholders	1) Established and consistent school and district continuous improvement cycles & problem solving focused on postsecondary data that lead to system-wide practice changes for all students 2) Regular collection of and process for most key postsecondary data. Data collection challenges addressed 3) Data reflection protocols and norms used regularly 4) District provides ongoing support and resources to targeted school teams based on data trends 5) Priorities, initiatives, & action steps related to postsecondary success sustained over time and communicated to stakeholders

Notes


Continuous Improvement Cycles:

Overall Score

Leveraging Partnership for Districtwide Postsecondary Advising with AchieveMpls
New Visions College Knowledge Professional Learning
Building College Readiness Indicator System: Progress in the Dallas Independent School District (see "Building Adult Capacity around Data Use and College Readiness," pg. 16-18)

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) Central office leaders and principal supervisors engage in limited professional learning about postsecondary pathways 2) District personnel owns the design and facilitation of most postsecondary pathway professional learning 3) Most college and career readiness focused professional learning and ongoing coaching is not job-embedded, sustained, tailored, and reflects stand-alone, 1-day workshops 4) Limited educator reflective dialogue centered on cultural competence, culturally responsive practice, and adult identity 5) Districts provide limited informational resources to school staff on the latest research on postsecondary pathways, college match, financial aid, etc. 6) N/A	1) Central office leaders and principal supervisors engage in some professional learning about postsecondary pathways 2) District personnel owns the design and facilitation of most postsecondary pathway professional learning 3) Some postsecondary-focused professional learning is job-embedded, sustained, & reflects adult learning principles 4) Some educators across the district engage in reflective dialogue centered on cultural competence, culturally responsive practice, adult identity. Dialogue occurs in a silo 5) District provides some informational resources to school staff on the latest research on postsecondary pathways, college match, financial aid, etc. 6) 1-2 role-alike “networks for postsecondary improvement”	1) District provides professional learning about postsecondary pathways to central office leaders and principal supervisors 2) District personnel build the capacity of school staff to design and facilitate postsecondary-focused professional learning across the district, leading to the diffusion of new practice 3) Postsecondary-focused professional learning is job-embedded, sustained, and reflects adult learning principles 4) Educators across the district engage in reflective dialogue centered on culturally responsive practice.Educators connect these reflections with student postsecondary aspirations 5) District provides comprehensive and diverse informational resources to school staff on the latest research on postsecondary pathways, college match, financial aid, etc. 6) Multiple, role-alike, interdependent, “networks for postsecondary improvement”

Notes


Adult Capacity Building:

Overall Score

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) Little or no support from districts to schools to offer postsecondary pathway courses (dual enrollment, IB, AP, CTE, etc.) 2) No alignment of teacher, counselor, and school leader professional learning to postsecondary pathway courses and curricula 3) Student access to postsecondary pathway courses varies 4) College and career advisory class implemented informally and intermittently across the district 5) District offers a limited number of academic supports that help teachers and counselors facilitate academic interventions for priority students 6) Limited postsecondary advising structures or internal capacity	1) District provides informal support to schools to offer some postsecondary pathway courses (dual enrollment, IB, AP, CTE, etc.) 2) Limited alignment of teacher, counselor, and school leader professional learning to postsecondary pathway courses and curricula 3) Student access to postsecondary pathway courses varies 4) Research-backed advisory class for high school students that honors students’ aspirations and develops non-cognitive skills and mindsets needed for success in college and beyond exists in some schools 5) Postsecondary advising offered across the district, but is not integrated into longer-term curriculum 6) District offers a variety of academic supports that help teachers and counselors facilitate academic interventions for priority students	1) District provides direct support to schools to offer postsecondary pathway courses (dual enrollment, IB, AP, CTE, etc.) 2) Alignment of teacher, counselor, and school leader professional learning to postsecondary pathway courses and curricula 3) Students have equitable access to postsecondary pathway courses 4) System-wide, consistent, credit-bearing, research-backed advisory class for high school students that honors students’ aspirations, develops non-cognitive skills and mindsets needed for success in college and beyond, and provides equitable and high quality postsecondary advising 5) Postsecondary advising integrated into long-term curriculum and academic programming 6) District offers a variety of timely academic supports that help teachers and counselors facilitate academic and non-cognitive interventions for priority students

Notes


Student Support & Advising Programming:

Overall Score

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) Few or no formalized partnerships between district & postsecondary partners 2) External support is minimal & ad hoc 3) No systemic facilitation of postsecondary pathway activities: field trips, info sessions, site visits, etc 4) Ongoing support to alumni is provided by schools or individual teachers & counselors 5) No system-wide activities or initiatives designed to mitigate summer melt 6) N/A	1) District has developed some partnerships with postsecondary partners. Partners provide supplemental postsecondary pathway knowledge to students 2) Partnerships are formalized with MOUs and focused on logistics 3) District facilitates and tracks regular postsecondary pathway activities 4) District provides ongoing assistance to alumni that opt-in to supports 5) Some system-wide programs, designed with partners, are provided to a subset of students to mitigate summer melt 6) Brainstorming meetings between partners to ensure alignment between school requirements and postsecondary pathway expectations	1) District has a range of postsecondary partners, that support students and schools most in need. Partners provide supplemental postsecondary pathway knowledge to students 2) District collaborates with high capacity partners and engages in dialogue to improve program implementation. Partners have reviewed their roles & responsibilities 3) District facilitates regular and wide-ranging postsecondary activities 4) District provides ongoing, opt-out, support to alumni post-graduation through a variety of strategies (joint summer bridge programs, technology nudges, etc.) 5) Wide-range of system-wide programs, designed with postsecondary partners, are provided to a majority of students to mitigate summer melt 6) Collaborative planning with partners to ensure alignment between school requirements and postsecondary pathway expectations

Notes


Institutional Partnerships:

Overall Score

Beginning	Practicing	Persisting
1) Limited funding secured and delineated in budget to sustain postsecondary programs 2) Funding is ad-hoc and may not align to high impact programs 3) Funding is overly reliant on 1-2 sources 4) Limited central office staffing of system-level postsecondary personnel 5) Postsecondary pathway competencies are not present in the recruitment, selection, or professional learning for key staff 6) Limited or no alignment between human resource policies and postsecondary 7) Postsecondary success teams operate mostly in a silo with limited collaboration 8) Limited budgetary or human capital commitment to counselor staffing & ratios 9) Counselors used for non-core responsibilities	1) Short-term funding secured & delineated in budget to sustain postsecondary programs 2) Some funding aligns to high-impact, research-based, programs that build system capacity 3) Funding is overly reliant on 1-2 sources 4) Some central office staffing of system-level postsecondary teams 5) Postsecondary pathway competencies embedded into recruitment, selection, and professional learning for some key staff 6) Some alignment between human resource policies and postsecondary goals 7) Some district-wide human capital commitment to adequate counselor staffing and ratios 8) Informal collaboration between postsecondary success team and other departments. 9) Postsecondary success data and initiatives introduced at cabinet meetings	1) Long-term funding secured and delineated in budget to sustain postsecondary programs 2) Funding aligns to high-impact, research-based programs that build system capacity and is equity-focused 3) District obtains funding from diverse sources 4) Central office staffing allocates appropriate capacity to system-level college and career readiness team. Team’s purpose is clear 5) Postsecondary pathway competencies embedded into recruitment, selection, and professional learning for key staff 6) Human resources policies support postsecondary pathway goals 7) Staffing ratios allow for a full range of counseling services and limited non-core responsibilities 8) Regular cross-department postsecondary success collaborative structures. 9) Postsecondary success focus in cabinet meetings

Notes


Aligned Human & Financial Capital:

Overall Score

Select which applies to your district

Beginning:
District has not yet fully developed its vision for student postsecondary success

Practicing:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Persisting:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Select which applies to your district

Beginning:
District has not yet fully developed its vision for student postsecondary success

Practicing:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

Persisting:
A district-wide vision codifies student postsecondary success as critical to the district’s mission and aligned to its core values

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