In September 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1458, which calls for California's school accountability system to shift from a near-exclusive reliance on state test scores to a broader range of measures demonstrating student achievement. At the high school level, starting in the 2015-16 school year, the Academic Performance…

In many circles, efforts are under way to develop definitions of college readiness, career readiness, or both. This brief contains a definition that is the culmination of 18 years of study and research on this topic. This definition, then, is based on both empirical evidence gathered via multiple research studies and on-the-ground interactions…

Many students who are "eligible" for college are not "ready" for college. Readiness is much more complex and multidimensional than eligibility. Most high schools are organized to make students eligible for college admission, not make them ready to succeed in entry-level college courses. Over the past 15 years, the author has conducted research on…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an operational definition of college readiness that differs in scope from current representations of this concept. This paper suggests that, although much has been learned about this phenomenon, particularly during the past 20 years, few systematic attempts have been made to integrate the various aspects or…

This paper presents findings from five separate investigations undertaken as part of the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative, a legislatively mandated program to increase the number of students attending and succeeding in college. It highlights activities designed to improve alignment between high school and college. These activities…

Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) researchers visited 38 public high schools around the United States in 2007 and 2008 with the goal of validating and operationalizing a definition of college readiness. Schools in the sample were selected because they were demonstrating success at enabling more students from underrepresented groups to…

The likelihood that students will make a successful transition to the college environment is often a function of their readiness--the degree to which previous educational and personal experiences have equipped them for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college. A key problem is that the current measures of college preparation are…

The likelihood that students will make a successful transition to the college environment is often a function of their readiness--the degree to which previous educational and personal experiences have equipped them for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college. A key problem is that the current measures of college preparation are…

An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States today aspire to graduate from college. Yet statistics indicate that the percentage of college students receiving bachelor's degrees has remained relatively constant over the past 25 years, that it now takes on average 6 years to get a four-year college degree, and that…

Many students falter in college because of a gap between their high school experiences and the higher expectations they encounter in college courses. Research has found that college instructors often expect students to exercise higher-level thinking skills, such as interpreting and analyzing information, supporting arguments with evidence, and…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an operational definition of college readiness that differs from current representations of this concept primarily in its scope. The paper suggests that, while much has been learned about this phenomenon, particularly during the past 20 years, few systematic attempts have been made to integrate the various…

Describes the disconnect between the standards and assessment movement in K-12 education and preparation for college success. Discusses the challenges facing public and higher education in more clearly articulating and merging their educational goals. Describes school reform efforts that may hold promise for linking the two systems. (EV)

This paper presents findings of a study on the gap between high-school academic content standards and the knowledge and skills needed for success in entry-level university courses. The study had two parts. The first described the development of standards of knowledge and skills for university success (KSUS) through a combination of a modified…

It is time for high school and college educators alike to come to grips with the fact that high school and college are not nearly as well aligned as they need to be. As a result, many high school students who have set attending college as a goal never get there, and many who do make it struggle to succeed once they arrive. Merely taking…

High school and college educators alike have to face the fact the high school and college are not nearly as well aligned as they need to be. Just taking college-prep courses in high school and achieving the grade point average required for admission are not sufficient to ensure student success in college. In this article, the author discusses what…