A handful of states have taken action toward improving college readiness -- notably Arkansas, California, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas, all of which have at least established specific state policy agendas for dealing with the problem
There is simply not the critical convergence of thinking around various elements of the readiness challenge that is necessary for all interests to establish or commit to a bold action agenda.
n other words, frequently the most difficult task is defining the problem clearly and in such ways that all of the key parties embrace the definition. The solutions are more apparent when the definition is clarified.
Improving college readiness depends on strengthening high school graduation requirements and diplomas, but states and higher education systems cannot delay dealing with the readiness problem until these graduation requirements rise to meet college-readiness standards
We must specify what readiness means in those essential skills that every person needs to learn further in school and at work -- reading, writing and math.
Sixth, postsecondary education and the public schools need to recognize that meeting the college-readiness challenge will center on setting specific, measurable performance standards in key learning skills and having more students achieve them.
uniformly communicating them to all high schools in a state.
College readiness will be improved only when high school classroom teachers receive clear and concise signals about standards, backed by all of postsecondary education in their state
provide high school students information about postsecondary academic content standards.
The Regents exams
Moreover, CUNY, uses the K-12 Regents exams as its own placement exam, a policy that can reduce remediation by sending clear signals about college standards to high school students.
1. Automatically enroll students in CR program.
2. Post college acceptance letters prominently.
3. Award ceremonies focuse on students' academic accomplishments.
4. Require students to apply to at least one college.
5. Faculty advisors meet with students regularly to review grades, discuss course selection, develop strategies to overcome learning obstacles.
6. College counselor work with students, providing technical support related to college application, choice and financial aid.
7. Arrange multiple visits to college campuses.
8. Senior seminars (financial aid applications, encouragement and support)
Principle 2: Align the Core Academic Program with College Readiness Standards
1. Align course expectations, assignments, goals, and activities vertically across grades 9-12, using a set of college readiness standards as the reference point.
2. Require all students at a given grade level in a given subject to complete a common performance task (particularly important in schools with diverse students populations)
strategies and programs: collect, orgnize, and retain factual information; take better notes; time management; work in teams; reflect on the quality of work.
e.g. students assemble work samples regularly->self-assess their performance using scoring guide->assess work and set goals with advisor and parents.
Principle 4: Prepare Students for the Complexity of Applying to College
1. Provide college information to students repeatedly and systematically during all four years of high school.
2. Require all students to take one or more college readiness tests. student advisors helped students interpret the results.
3. Extensive programs: financial aid program, visitation programs, dual enrollment courses.
Principle 1: Create and Maintain a College-Going Culture
Focus on four components of CR, learning from some best-practice high schools on students preparation for college and making their transition successful.
None of the experts are comfortable with the current definitions.
After synthesizing data from many sources, I estimate that 60 percent of students ages 17 to 20 in two-year colleges, and 30 percent in four-year institutions, need remedial courses.
All analysts agree that there has been remedial outsourcing by four-year institutions in the last decade
Secondary and postsecondary education systems need to create a process to define and measure remediation based on curriculum content and assessment standards for specific subjects
Recent report on how to make better use of tracking data to determine high school's college readiness effectiveness. Of note, the report mentions that current NCLB standards are poor predictors of college success. The report notes that schools that failed NCLB benchmarks graduated students who went on to earn high GPA and return for a second year in college. This is in contrast to schools who passed NCLB benchmarks, but scored low on GPA and 2nd year return rates.
The video linked on this site summarizes the report's data.
STW seeks to advance the mathematics, science, communications, problem-solving and technical achievement of students by providing a framework of goals, key practices and key conditions for accelerating learning and setting higher standards.