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SENIOR EXIT QUESTIONNAIRE

The Senior Exit Questionnaire is a short online survey developed by the Data and Evaluation team that is administered to high school seniors in the May before high school graduation. On the survey, students are asked a series of questions about their postsecondary plans. In 2008, 94% of seniors completed the survey.

FAFSA

Through a partnership with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the Data and Evaluation team is able to track submission and completion of the FAFSA for current seniors with a valid Social Security number. In addition, ISAC provides information on student eligibility for federal and state-based grants. The student-level data is reported to the schools weekly starting in mid-February and continues until the end of the school year.

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

Through the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), the Data and Evaluation team obtains actual college enrollment data for CPS graduates. More than 2,900 US colleges and universities are included in the NSC database which includes 91% of higher education students. The college enrollment data is used to produce several reports. College fall enrollment reports track whether graduates enrolled in college in the fall after high school graduation. College retention reports examine persistence in students’ first, second, and third years of college. College graduation reports have not yet been released, but they will track college completion rates at intervals of three years (for Associate’s) and six years (for Bachelor’s) after high school graduation.

EMPLOYMENT

Through an agreement with the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Data and Evaluation team is able to track the employment of graduates employed in the state of Illinoisl. Because the data is provided by quarter, the Data and Evaluation team tracks employment in the fall after high school graduation, continuous employment through the year after graduation, and earnings.

CAREER EXPLORATION

The Department of College and Career Preparation purchases a career and college exploration software called Choices Planner than includes an electronic portfolio. Through this, schools can track student activity on the software and a variety of exploration indicators, such as the careers and colleges students are interested, students that have completed a resume, and students that have applied to colleges.