The College and Career Readines and Success Center closed on September 30,2019 because the grant cycle for the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Centers ended. The information on this website will no longer be updated. Visit www.air.org for updates on college and career readiness.
This brief discusses the barriers to community college completion faced by students, such as lack of preparation, financial aid, and competing obligations. The brief also offers solutions for improving community college student outcomes through implementing promising practices and strategies, some of which include curriculum alignment and student supports.
Hillsboro High School has been chosen as the first school in Tennessee, and among one of 27 in the nation, to offer a career-related International Baccalaureate program. Students in the program will be able to earn an International Baccalaureate Career-related Certificate (IBCC) and take IB courses with a career focus. IBCC will serve as a supplemental track to the IB Diploma Program at Hillsboro, where students are required to complete rigorous coursework, pass six subject area exams, conduct research, and engage in community service.
The 2014 GED test will be computer-based and aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The revised test will measure whether students are college and career ready and will also test on the following subjects: reasoning through language arts, mathematical reasoning, science, and social studies.
This report from the National Association of State Budget Officers describes the current challenges of public higher education finance and shares examples of how states are implementing policy and budget strategies that address these challenges. In addition, this report provides an analysis of collaborative partnerships between states and institutions of higher education designed to improve the higher education system as well as recommendations for finance reform.
Submitted by Austin Pate on
On August 15 the College and Career Readiness and Success Center and the American Youth Policy Forum co-hosted the webinar, “Transforming Remediation: Understanding the Research, Policy, and Practice.” The Webinar addressed barriers to the successful completion of postsecondary education, specifically the need to alter and reform remedial education practices.
Data suggests that the Postsecondary Success Collaborative, a program aimed to smooth the transition from high school to college, has increased college enrollment rates. Target high schools participating in the initiative saw a 12% increase in the number of students enrolling in college. The initiative provides school districts with a $5.1 million grant with participants agreeing to use the funds to "coordinate academic programs, align K-12 curriculums with postsecondary and workforce requirements, and engage community groups".
The National Assessment Governing Board voted to adopt a definition for what it means to be "college prepared" in regards to reading and mathematics assessment scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The definitions are based on more than 30 studies and will be used for the reporting of assessment scores in 2014. In addition to setting college readiness benchmarks within the NAEP, the board tried to set career readiness benchmarks, but were unable to draw conslusions relating NAEP performance to careers.
Submitted by CCRS Center on
Looking for new college and career readiness and success-related resources? Here are some pieces that other organizations have recently released:
College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (U.S. Department of Education, April 2013)
This study calculates high school graduation rates and the percentage of all students who left high school eligible to apply for college from 1991 to 2002. The study finds that during this period the graduation rate went from 72% to 71%, while the college readiness rate increased from 25% to 34%.
This report evaluates the effectiveness of six types of school-to-career (STC) programs, with specific focus on participation resulting in increased post-secondary college enrollment or employment. National longitudinal survey data were analyzed to assess the results. The study indicated that some STC programs (school enterprises) increase post-secondary college enrollment, other programs (cooperative education and internships/apprenticeships) increase post-secondary employment, and Tech Prep reduces post-secondary college enrollment but may increase post-secondary employment.
