Course Requirements

This brief, the second in the College and Career Development Organizer series, summarizes the goals and expectations of college and career readiness that have been collected and organizes this information into three key threads: 1) Core Content; 2) Pathways Content; 3) Lifelong Learning Skills. Along with a brief description of each thread, key components are highlighted and examples of each type of goal and expectation are provided.

In this brief, the National High School Center provides an overview of the College and Career Development Organizer. First, the brief describes the organizer and its intended use, providing specific examples of what it is and is not designed to do. Then, it walks potential users through the organizer to familiarize them with its content. Finally, the brief concludes with key considerations for those engaged in college and career readiness work.

This brief from Achieve provides advice to policymakers and practitioners on how to promote college and career readiness to the community at large. The document contains practical suggestions on phrasing when to help change the perception others may have of education reform being implemented.

This document states the need for statewide longitudinal data systems that can help facilitate sharing of student-level data across the education spectrum. The brief notes that doing this could help schools answer policy questions critical to increasing college and career readiness among students. Example questions include the number of high school graduates that have taken the required coursework to prepare for college, how many students are "on-track" for future success, etc.

This brief from Achieve identifies the key areas that state policymakers should consider in order to implement the new Common Core State Standards with fidelity. The brief provides suggestions for aligning these new standards with their existing standards and course requirements, as well as aligning assessments for collecting data and measuring achievement. The brief lists steps each state can take to ensure they are implementing the standards effectively.

This 2011 National Center for Education Statistics Congressionally-mandated report covers all aspects of education in America, with 50 indicators that include findings on enrollment trends, demographics, and outcomes. This report also features a closer look at postsecondary education by institution level and status (public, private not-for-profit, or private for-profit), describes the current state of postsecondary education, and how it has been changing in recent decades.

This report from Achieve, Inc., looks at high school exit exams and makes the argument that they are, in fact, not challenging enough. The author reviews several state exams, results, and structures and provides recommendations for states and policy makers on how to improve graduation tests and implementation of their assessment systems for graduation.

This ACT, Inc., policy report discusses and investigates the inconsistencies between a typical high school curriculum and what a student needs to know in order to be prepared for the workforce or postsecondary education. The report also stresses that the lack of academic rigor found in many high schools plays a part in the ensuing disconnect.

This examination of the high school graduation rates by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) highlights the necessity and need for a comprehensive, universal formula to be used across states, a vision shared by many stakeholders in high school reform.