Tennessee Promise students are morelikely to succeed and less likely to drop out than their peers not receiving Promise scholarships . Fifty-six percent of Tennessee Promise students who entered college in 2015 had graduated, transferred to a four-year university or remained in school two years later, while just 39 percent of recent high school graduates not in the program had done the same. To further increase program success, the state plans to direct supports to students still enrolled and analyze data on major course loads and summer enrollment to identify barriers that hinder attainment. Despite these successes, enrollment gaps raise equity questions, as minority students were less likely than white students to participate in the program. In 2015, 71 percent of eligible white community college students enrolled in the program, compared to only 46 percent of eligible black students and 56 percent of eligible Hispanic students. Read more from the Tennessean, and for more information on Tennessee's effort to improve student success starting in K-12, check out our alignment brief on  TN SAILS.

In South Dakota, 11th grade students who score at Level 3 or 4 in English and math on Smarter Balanced assessments, or earn an ACT composite score of 18, are now guaranteed "general acceptance" to the state's six public universities and four technical institutes. Students who receive the letters of guaranteed general acceptance must submit an admission application, pay the fee, and send in their high school transcripts by Dec. 1 of their senior year. Their enrollment is contingent on graduating from high school, and students may have to meet additional requirements to pursue specific majors. Read more on aligned assessments and proactive admissions in South Dakota in  Edweek.