Posts published on May 11, 2009

Does College Ready=Career Ready?

  A major debate is growing about whether secondary students who want to attend technical colleges or work oriented programs in community colleges need the same academic preparation and college placement scores as students who go to four year colleges ,or intend to transfer there from community colleges. Some contend the academic standards should be identical for both groups. Others say the academic prep in high school should be different for students who want to pursue  postsecondary courses in welding or automotive repair. Achieve  Inc. is a national group led by business and Governors that contends there is a “strong convergence” in expectations of employers and colleges, so there should be no difference in standards. But I have never seen the conclusive evidence to support these statements, and wonder if a remediation placement cut score should be the same for all types of postsecondary aspirations. We need better  and more inclusive data from the technical trainers and employers before I will be convinced of equal demands for all types of occupational training and college 4 year degrees. For Achieve”s view see www.Achieve.org May Perspective Newsletter