Press Release
Clearinghouse Expands Services To Include High Schools
"Successful Outcomes" Enables High School Districts to Measure
the College Preparedness of Their Graduates
HERNDON, VA, October 17, 2003 - The National Student Clearinghouse, the nation's largest and most trusted
source for post-secondary student degree and enrollment verification, today
announced the launch of a new program, Successful Outcomes, which extends
its educational research and verification services to high school districts.
Through Successful Outcomes, high school districts can more accurately gauge
the college success of their graduates and outsource diploma verifications
to the Clearinghouse. There is a nominal fee for high school districts to
participate in Successful Outcomes. Several school districts are
participating in a pilot of the program, including Chesterfield County
Schools, VA; Jordan School District, UT; Knox County Schools, TN; and St.
Paul Public Schools, MN. A full release is scheduled for fall 2004.
Successful Outcomes combines two Clearinghouse services:
- EnrollmentSearch: Through EnrollmentSearch, administrators at
high school districts can access the Clearinghouse's 60 million student
records, the nation's largest database of enrollment and degree data, to
obtain accurate information on the college attendance, persistence and
degree attainments of their graduates. Data is available for 91% of
collegiate enrollment and 40% of all degrees awarded in the US.
EnrollmentSearch is used by nearly 1,000 colleges and universities to
perform institutional research.
How EnrollmentSearch works: The high school district submits an electronic
list to the Clearinghouse of their diploma recipients. The Clearinghouse
matches the district's information against its nationwide database and
returns an electronic list to the school district that includes: the name
and type of college(s) each diploma recipient attended, attendance dates,
enrollment status, degrees earned and, if available, major courses of study.
With this information, districts can measure the effectiveness of their
college preparation efforts.
- DiplomaVerify: Each year, high schools verify more than three million
diplomas for employers, background screening firms and college admissions
officers. DiplomaVerify automates diploma verifications for high schools by
making them available to employers and others 24/7 via the Clearinghouse's
secure Web site. High school records offices become more efficient as phone
calls and faxes requesting diploma verifications are eliminated. Over 100
million educational verifications are performed by the Clearinghouse
annually.
How DiplomaVerify works: The high school district submits a file to the
Clearinghouse of all the students to whom it has awarded diplomas. Once this
information is integrated into the Clearinghouse's secure Web site, the
district can begin referring organizations seeking verification of their
former students' diplomas to the Clearinghouse Web site.
"For the first time, through Successful Outcomes, we will have the
real world information we need to determine how well our high schools are
preparing students in our district for college," said Kent Pekel,
executive director, Strategic Planning & Implementation at St. Paul
Public Schools in Minnesota, "We're looking forward to applying our new
knowledge to help our students enjoy a more successful transition to
college. At the same time, we appreciate having access to the same
information and verification resources that have been used so successfully
by post-secondary institutions."
"The increased national focus on college preparedness makes it
imperative for school districts to learn how college-ready their students
really are. With Successful Outcomes, they can statistically measure the
effectiveness of their college preparation programs," said Daniel R.
Boehmer, president of the National Student Clearinghouse, "As a
long-time partner of the educational community, the Clearinghouse is pleased
to offer high schools access to the same information and services that have
proved so beneficial to the nation's colleges and universities."
High school districts that are interested in participating in Successful
Outcomes, or receiving additional information, can contact the Clearinghouse
at 703-742-4200.
About The National Student Clearinghouse
The National Student Clearinghouse is the largest enrollment and degree
verification service in the US. A non-profit organization established by the
higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse serves as a central
repository and single point of contact for the collection and timely
exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment, degree and certificate
records on behalf of participating institutions.
More than 2,700 colleges, representing 91% of the nation's enrollment,
participate in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers, student
credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the federal government
and others access the Clearinghouse's registry over 100 million times
annually to conduct electronic student record verifications.
For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.
National Student Clearinghouse Contact:
Kathleen Dugan
Marketing Director
703-742-4208
dugan@studentclearinghouse.org
