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Tracking Two-Year College Outcomes: Comparing National Student Clearinghouse and Illinois Community College Board as Sources of Two-Year College Data Report

Improving methods of identifying, reporting, and interpreting CPS graduates’ outcomes

In this technical paper, we compare National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data with two-year college data obtained through Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) and summarize key insights for users of these data. A stronger understanding of the strengths and limitations of two-year college data from these two sources will allow researchers at the To&Through Project and the UChicago Consortium to make more informed decisions about how we can most comprehensively identify and report on CPS graduates’ outcomes at two-year colleges and how to interpret those outcomes. 

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Tracking Two-Year College Outcomes

In this technical paper, we examine the extent to which rates of enrollment and completion at Illinois two-year colleges differ between CPS graduates’ records in the ICCB and NSC datasets and look at whether completers with missing information in the NSC data completed a certificate or associate degree, according to their ICCB records. ​

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Key Insights from "Tracking Two-Year College Outcomes"

This brief summarizes key findings from the technical paper "Tracking Two-Year College Outcomes."

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NSC Resource Guide

The To&Through Project's NSC Resource Guide summarizes key resources and reports for those working with NSC data.

Webinar: Introduction to the Postsecondary Attainment Index

At our webinar "Introduction to the Postsecondary Attainment Index (PAI)," the authors of this technical report discussed their research and its relationship to the development of the PAI, which projects how many current ninth-graders will complete a college degree within 10 years if current rates of high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion hold. Watch the webinar.

Looking for concrete ways to set up students for postsecondary success? Take advantage of To&Through’s Postsecondary Success Resources for a set of CPS data-based tools to distribute and engage with.