Following a national trend, state policy has focused on accountability measures such as high-stakes high school exit exams, standards-based reforms, and graduation curriculum requirements. Yet the effect of these accountability policies on students' readiness for college is relatively untested. In a multilevel model (students within states), the…

This report provides information about the performance of 2010 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2010 and tested under standard time conditions. The ACT is designed for students who plan to attend college, and the report results…

Since 1959, ACT has collected and reported data on students' academic readiness for college. Because becoming ready for college is a process that occurs throughout elementary and secondary education, measuring academic performance over time in the context of college readiness provides meaningful and compelling information about the college…

How realistic are high school students' educational aspirations? Reviewing the findings of the High School Survey of Student Engagement, Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Kuh note a troubling mismatch between the academic habits of many high school students and what will be expected of them in college. (Contains 1 figure and 19 endnotes.)