Zachary W. Taylor ( zt@utexas ) Educational Policy and Leadership

1. “Five Easy Steps”:Improving the Readability of Financial Aid Information for Students and Their Support Networks Zachary W. Taylor (zt@utexas.edu) Educational Policy and Leadership The University of Texas at Austin

2. Introduction: • Degrees in English and Education • PhD student in Higher Education @ UT • Background as higher education administrator, college instructor, admissions reader, research assistant • Freelance readability consultant (free) • Presented/published research in a wide variety of conferences and publications across US • Google Scholar: ZW Taylor (link)

3. The Study: • 300 randomly-selected four-year institutions. • Average financial aid instructions written near the 14th-grade English reading comprehension level. • All institutions provided English-only content. • Average length: 1,015 words. • Several did not contain contact information.

4. Objectives: • Explain readability, translation, and accessibility hurdles in financial aid communication. • Provide best practices for writing. • Provide real-world examples of best practices. • Share freely-available technologies for communication auditing. • Demonstrate the ease of this technology in real time.

5. Readability and Higher Education • Grade-level readability measures • Measures difficulty of sentence structure and word choice, produces a grade-level of reading comprehension required to read text • Used extensively by U.S. Department of Defense • (Carver, 1974; Fry, 1986; Johnson, 1972; Kniffin, 1979; McClure, 1987; Sticht, 1970; Sticht & Zapf, 1976). • Average U.S. resident = 7th-grade reading level (Clear Language Group, 2016) • Only 37% of high school graduates read at the 12th-grade level in the United States (National Assessment Governing Board, 2016). • A lot of material in higher education is unreadable by its intended audience (students and support networks): • International graduate admissions materials (Taylor, 2017a) • Articulation agreements (Taylor, 2017b) • Emergency response messaging (Taylor, 2018) • Sexual assault reporting instructions (Taylor, 2018) • Undergraduate admissions materials (Taylor, 2018)

6. TAKEAWAY We may be taking our students’ literacy for granted.

7. Readability and Stress • Individuals who experience stress and/or anxiety do not read and comprehend at the same level as their non-stress/anxiety peers (Rai, Loschky, & Harris, 2015). • Individuals respond differently to stress = reading comprehension depends on difficulty and familiarity of reading task (Plieger, Felten, Diks, Tepel, Mies, & Reuter, 2017). • Origin and duration of stress and anxiety influences cognitive function and reading comprehension (Sandi, 2013). • Some acute stress in a well-rehearsed task may improve comprehension for some; long-term stress/anxiety not good. • “Fight or flight” response pertains to reading but primarily during familiar, well-rehearsed tasks i.e. taking the SAT.

8. TAKEAWAY Stress may affect students’ ability to comprehend how to apply for financial aid.

9. Lost in Translation • A recent study found 1% of four-year institutions in the U.S. (n=335) provided web-embedded translators on their international student websites. • Of these institutions, 91% provided English-only content for international students (Taylor, 2018) • Over 7 million Texas residents speak Spanish in the home (source: Texas Tribune)

10. TAKEAWAY We may be taking our students’ level of English fluency for granted.

11. Web (In)Accessible • January 18th 2018: all Title IV institutions must publish level-AA web accessible websites per Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) (source: Section 508) • Written into Texas State Law: (EIR Standards) • Websites must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust for students with different abilities. • In a recent pilot study (under review): • 0% of Texas institutions of higher education published level-AA accessible websites after the January 18th deadline. • Brazosport College published the most accessible website in Texas (2 errors, 11th-grade readability level, embedded translator)

12. TAKEAWAY We may be taking web accessibility for granted.

13. Best Practices: • Compose short sentences; use bullet points where possible. • Use active voice to reduce wordiness. • Be direct—use 2nd person pronouns (i.e. “you should”) • Move contact information to the top of the page. • Avoid jargon and acronyms = assume unfamiliarity. • Embed video/images to explain difficult concepts. • But prioritize text—it is translatable and web accessible, unlike media. • Ask a current student to audit writing (UNT). • Review your financial aid information: • Is it readable? Is it available in languages other than English? • Review WCAG standards—is your website compliant?

14. Navigation Change: Texas A&M Before and After

15. BEFORE: 13th-grade level Financial aid is federal, state, institutional and private fund(s) used to assist eligible students in funding their education. Financial aid can be a combination of scholarships, grants, loans and work study. Scholarships and grants are considered “free money” and require no repayment. Loans and work study are considered self-help aid because they require additional commitment from students. Most loans require repayment when a student becomes enrolled less than half time or graduates. Work study includes part-time employment either on or off campus with an employer who participates in the program. AFTER: 7.7th-grade level Financial aid is money that helps you pay for college. Financial aid can be a combination of scholarships, grants, loans and work study. Scholarships and grants are “free money” that you do not need to repay. Loans need to be paid back when you enroll less than half-time or you graduate. A part-time job can also help you pay for school and living expenses. Types of Aid: http://financialaid.tamu.edu/Undergraduate/Types-of-Aid

16. AFTER: 11th-grade level Some FAFSAs are selected for a process called verification. If your FAFSA has been selected for verification, you are not alone! About 30% of all FAFSA filers are selected for the verification process. During this process, the school will collect documentation to check the accuracy of the FAFSA information. If you are chosen for verification, documents will be requested through the Financial Aid Portal, which can be accessed through howdy.tamu.edu.  Please do not submit any documents to our office unless we ask for it. Verification: http://financialaid.tamu.edu/Verification.aspx BEFORE: 16th-grade level Verification is the process through which Scholarships & Financial Aid verifies the information you reported on your FAFSA is correct. Federal regulations require all institutions to perform verification on applicants who apply for financial aid and meet certain criteria determined by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are chosen for verification, documents will be requested through the Financial Aid Portal, which can be accessed through howdy.tamu.edu. Please do not submit any documentation to our office unless specifically directed to do so.

17. AFTER: 9th-grade level To apply for federal, state, and institutional financial aid, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA is free, easy to complete, and gives you access to the largest sources of financial aid to pay for college. Be sure to include the Texas A&M University School Code of 003632 so we get your information. Not sure where to start? View some helpful videos to help you get started. If you are ready, fill out the FAFSA now! FAFSA Information BEFORE: 13th-grade level If you are seeking financial assistance, make sure your FAFSA lists Texas A&M University as a school to receive your information electronically. Texas A&M University's federal school code is 003632. Complete all applicable sections and carefully review your information for accuracy. The FAFSA must be completed each spring in order for you to receive financial aid for the upcoming academic year. The online FAFSA is located at fafsa.ed.gov.

18. After: 16th-grade level (138 words) The State of Texas has a financial aid application for students who are not United States Citizens, but who are Texas residents. To fill out this application, you must meet the one of the following three criteria: You resided in Texas for 36 consecutive months before earning a high school diploma or GED, and Lived part of that time with a parent or legal guardian Were not a resident of another state Had not been admitted to a college and completed credit prior to 2001 You hold a visa* that allows you to live in the United States. You or your parent (if you are dependent) must be employed in Texas for at least 12 months before you enroll in college You (regardless of INS status) have filed an I-130 or I-140 to petition for permanent residency status. TASFA Information Before: 16.5th-grade level (204 words) In 2001, legislation was passed by the State of Texas to allow certain categories of foreign students to meet state requirements for residency. This classification enables these students to pay resident tuition and fee rates while attending public institutions of higher education in Texas in addition to meeting residency requirements for some state financial aid programs.To receive this classification, you must be able to meet one of the three criteria below: You must hold a visa that enables you to domicile in the United States*. You (or your parent, if you are a dependent) must be gainfully employed in Texas for at least 12 months preceding enrollment. You (regardless of INS status) have petitioned for permanent residency status (have filed an I-130 or I-140). You have resided in Texas for 36 consecutive months leading up to graduation from high school or the receipt of a GED certificate, living at least part of that time with a parent or court-appointed legal guardian. You have not established a residence in another state or location and have not taken ANY college hours prior to fall 2001 that required admission to an institution of higher education. (This includes hours taken through dual enrollment while attending high school).

21. Readability Tools for Practitioners: • Readable.io – this website provides up to 5 free readability audits, just cut-and-paste your text into the box on the screen and click “Measure Readability” • Online Utility.org – this website provides unlimited readability audits, just cut-and-paste your text into the box. • Webpagefx – this website allows for hyperlink upload and text upload to measure readability. • Microsoft Word – this link leads to instructions on how to display the readability level of text on any Microsoft Word application. • Readability Studio – this paid software download ($69, lifetime license) is excellent—the most accurate software I’ve tested, provides Spanish-language readability measures, and can analyze hyperlinks, plain text, and files (.doc, .pdf)

22. Accessibility Tools for Practitioners: • Tenon.io – this website allows up to 5 free web accessibility audits, also allows for downloading of error report in .csv form (can be converted to Excel). • aXe Browser Extension – this free, downloadable browser extension audits a webpage’s web accessibility but is less user-friendly—geared toward web pros. • Google Translate – this free, web-embedded application can be installed into any institutional website and translates many languages at 70% or higher accuracy. • Brazosport College – this website embeds Google Translate at the top of the landing page – this is very easy for web users to locate and engage with. • Skidmore College – this website embeds Google Translate on the admissions/financial aid webpage. The translator is easy to find and interact with.

23. Questions? And References References zt@utexas.edu