Posts published on October 19, 2009

Guest blogging, and a new piece by Michael W. Kirst

Posted by guest blogger Matthew Rosin, senior research associate, EdSource (Mountain View, CA).

It’s a privilege to be a guest blogger on The College Puzzle for the next two weeks during Michael W. Kirst’s absence. In keeping with Michael’s practice, I will post regarding interesting new developments in the secondary-to-postsecondary area.

This will include a series of posts about California’s Early Assessment Program (EAP), which has drawn attention as a potential model for other states to better align their K-12 and college academic standards, and to connect their existing high school assessments with the placement expectations of public postsecondary institutions. In part, these posts will draw on a report EdSource published in November 2008, High School to Community College: New Efforts to Build Shared Expectations.

In the meantime, I draw your attention to a short new piece by Michael W. Kirst, newly published by Education Commission of the States (ECS): “Progress and Gaps in College Preparation Policy.” He highlights four levers for improving college preparation policy: standards alignment, financial and other support for students, longitudinal data systems, and accountability.

A PDF of Michael’s new piece is available here.