ERIC Number: ED610372
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 27
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
College and Career Readiness, or a New Form of Tracking?
Graziano, Lynne; Aldeman, Chad
Bellwether Education Partners
In the past few years, there has been a surge of interest in expanding the scope of high schools. Shifting away from an earlier era that focused primarily on graduation rates and achievement tests, states have built a range of college- and career-readiness measures to track things like whether students are taking and passing advanced courses, completing industry certifications, or pursuing other work-based learning opportunities. It is not enough for states to promote high school college and career preparation in "general"; they also need to ensure that the promise and potential economic gains of the path they follow are being shared "equally." Across the country, Black and Hispanic students have much less access to rigorous academic preparation and course offerings than their white peers. Differences also exist across gender lines. While female students enroll in advanced coursework tracks at higher rates than male students, female students still risk being "tracked" into lower-paying areas such as education and nursing. As states seek to expand college and career readiness in their high schools, they can take steps to mitigate against these inequities. In late 2019 and early 2020, the authors set out to examine whether states are alert to the potential lack of economic opportunity students face when not equitably prepared for postsecondary success. The results represent a particular snapshot in time, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools and businesses to close all across the country. This paper walks through a short description of the promise of college and career preparation coursework and programs, explains what was found about how states are measuring and weighing these options in their accountability equations, and then concludes with a set of recommendations for state leaders seeking to improve opportunities for students through data, clear guidance, and accountability measures.
Descriptors: College Readiness, Career Readiness, Track System (Education), High School Students, Minority Group Students, Equal Education, Racial Bias, Ethnicity, Gender Bias, Program Effectiveness, Accountability, State Standards, Advanced Placement Programs, Vocational Education, Work Experience Programs, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Dual Enrollment, Military Schools, Postsecondary Education, College Entrance Examinations
Bellwether Education Partners. e-mail: contactus@bellwethereducation.org; Web site: http://bellwethereducation.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Joyce Foundation
Authoring Institution: Bellwether Education Partners
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test); ACT Assessment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A