As a number of states have created Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-focused options for students, and more states will make them available in the future, several important policy considerations merit analysis. These include the ways states have designed their STEM graduation options, with a focus on comparing the…

The Algebra II Variable explores state-level mathematics policies on Algebra II, with specific examinations of graduation requirements and assessment policies and alignment to postsecondary expectations. This brief explores inconsistencies that exist both within and across states and reflects on the role and purpose of Algebra II as the Launch…

Using a college admissions test as the statewide summative assessment is an attractive but risky option for some policymakers and parents. These assessments are used for admissions by nearly all higher education institutions, are shorter in length than most state-designed and consortia assessments, have brand name recognition, and are known for…

Every state has made the college and career readiness of its high school graduates a major priority, but few are doing a good job monitoring how well the education system is delivering on that goal. States mostly rely on high school graduation rates to gauge progress. While there have been signifcant improvements in the high school graduation…

Federal law requires that, at a minimum, states assess high school students at least once in English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, and science; these results are used for school accountability. With states' recent transitions to new assessments and accountability systems, Achieve wanted to know more about how these varied assessments,…

Even as graduation rates rise, policymakers and families wonder: Does a high school diploma mean that students are ready for what comes next? Graduates wonder: Did I take the right classes and have the experiences I need to pursue the future I envision for myself? State leaders should be reflecting too: Do our state policies set the right…

For more than a decade, Achieve has issued an annual 50-state report on each state's adoption of college- and career-ready (CCR) policies as reflected in state standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems. Having the right policies is necessary to ensure that students graduate academically prepared for college and…

"Making Career Readiness Count 3.0" provides an analysis of how the 50 states and the District of Columbia are including and incentivizing measures of career readiness in their new accountability systems under ESSA, as well as an analysis of state-level accountability systems in states with dual systems. This report is the result of a…

States cannot make good policy and practice decisions--and ultimately cannot improve student performance--if they do not have basic information about how students are performing along the way. As such, Achieve focused on states' publicly reported student performance against college- and career-ready (CCR) indicators in all 50 states and the…

The way that states structure student graduation choices -- as this new brief shows -- has a significant impact on the number and diversity of students who complete a college- and career-ready (CCR) graduation option. Some states automatically expect students to complete a CCR graduation option, giving them the ability to opt out into less…

This brief presents an opportunity to gauge how well students with disabilities (SWDs) are doing across the states with respect to selected aspects of readiness for postsecondary success, with an emphasis on the gaps in performance between SWDs and all students, in each state. Achieve has long worked to promote the importance of college and career…

Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to assess every student at least once in high school in reading or language arts, mathematics, and science, and some states have chosen to assess students more frequently. The passage of ESSA gives states a new opportunity in how they approach high…

Too many students and educators view the senior year and graduation from high school as an end point, rather than one vital step along the education pipeline. Students who engage in a fourth year of math tap into and build upon their advanced analytic skills and are more likely to have better success in postsecondary course work, as they have…

As states consider how their accountability systems will change under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), they face important decisions about which high school assessments to incorporate, what content their assessments will measure, which tests all students will take, and how rigorous those assessments will be. The purpose of this brief is to…

This fact sheet explains that to thrive in today's world, all students will need to graduate with very strong math skills. That can only mean one thing: advanced math courses are now essential math courses. Highlights of this paper include: (1) Advanced math equals college success; (2) Advanced math equals career opportunity; and (3) Advanced math…