Beyond Adoption Of Common Core Standards For College Readiness

  Twenty seven states have approved the k-12 common core standards, and this is an ecouraging development for k-16 curriculum alignment. But adopting content standards is just the first step. Here are some more:

Moving State Agendas Forward: A Comprehensive and Systemic College Readiness Agenda

College readiness standards must be formally adopted by P-12 and postsecondary education

Performance standards must reflect college readiness. The postsecondary sector should take part in setting these standards, and these standards should be linked to state performance standards.

 

High school assessments must measure progress on the specific state adopted standards

Assessments should measure student performance on readiness standards.  These standards can be used to guide instruction, particularly in students’ final year of high school.

 

Public school curriculum should reflect specific statewide readiness standards

Once readiness standards are in place, the curriculum should be modified as necessary, especially in the 12^th grade. Courses in the final year of high school should reflect reading, writing, and math skills necessary in college.

Teacher development should address the effective teaching of college readiness standards

Teacher training (including state in-service and pre-service teacher development) should help educators relate curriculum and teaching strategies to readiness standards.

Placement decisions by colleges and universities must use the adopted readiness standards

Instead of using ambiguous placement assessments, institutions of higher education should use common readiness standards to guide placements of students.

 

State accountability systems must create incentives across P-16 for college readiness and completion

Neither P-12 nor postsecondary systems are held accountable for college readiness. Authors suggest that P-12 should be held accountable for producing high school graduates that are college ready, and post secondary institutions should be held accountable for their support of college readiness, increasing the number of students who are successfully able to transition from remedial courses to college level courses, and increasing matriculation rates.

 Source :SREB