Upward Bound Students Compared to Other College-Bound Students: Profiles of Nonacademic Characteristics and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Profiles of 2,538 Upward Bound (UB) students who completed the ACT college admissions test in 1998 were compared to those of 997,069 non-UB students in the ACT-tested 1998 high school graduating class. Demographic and achievement variables compared were: gender; racel ethnicity, family income; ACT Composite scores; and years of English, mathematics, social studies, science, and foreign language courses taken. Although issues related to causality were beyond the study's scope, several patterns of similarities and differences emerged from these comparisons. On average, educational aspirations of UB students were as high as those of non-UB students; however, UB participants may have gained better understandings of available college support options, as evidenced by their greater willingness to seek formal assistance in key skill areas. INTRODUCTION Upward Bound, established in 1965, is one of the five federally funded TRIO programs designed to help disadvantaged students complete high school and prepare for postsecondary education. Eligible students usually are those from families with taxable incomes below 150% of the poverty level1 and whose parents have not graduated from college. Typically, students enter Upward Bound as 9th or 10th graders. They participate in weekly activities during the academic year and in an intensive summer program in which they study literature, composition, mathematics, and science on college campuses. A recent national evaluation of Upward Bound concluded that students in the program develop aspirations to complete more schooling and take more academic courses than would likely be the case had they not entered the program. Students with lower academic expectations tended to benefit most, and Hispanic students were found to benefit more than those in other racial/ ethnic groups (Myers & Moore, 1997; Myers & Schirm, 1999). During the 1999 fiscal year, 56,462 students participated in 679 Upward Bound programs, 35 of which were designed for military veterans and 81 of which focused on mathematics and science. The 35 Upward Bound programs for military veterans provide intensive basic skills development and remedial courses to prepare veterans for postsecondary education. The 81 mathematics and science Upward Bound programs help students strengthen their mathematics and science skills and learn computer technology while polishing their English, foreign language, and study skills. Federal funding for all Upward Bound programs in fiscal year 1999 was $258.8 million.2 Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to compare Upward Bound (UB) students who completed the ACT college admissions examination during academic year 1997-98 with nonUpward Bound (non-UB) college-bound students in the graduating class of 1998.1 The study was also designed to compare students in each group whose high school coursetaking patterns either did or did not adhere to ACT's definition of Core course taking, a pattern of course taking consisting of four or more years of English plus three or more years each of mathematics, social sciences, and natural science. Using data obtained from the ACT Assessment (hereafter called the ACT), including its associated demographic and student academic information questionnaires, profiles of UB students preparing for college were compared with those of non-UB students involved in the same process. Specifically, the study addressed the following research questions: What are the demographic characteristics of ACT-tested UB and non-UB students? How do the two groups compare with respect to their highest educational aspirations and their expected first-year college grade point averages? What are their planned major areas of study, and how sure are they about their first choice of major? Are the two groups equally likely to apply for financial aid, to want help finding employment while attending college, and to work the same number of hours per week during their first year of college? …