Connection Champions

The development of students’ college readiness is the responsibility of many individuals working in collaboration -- from K-12 educators, to postsecondary faculty, to members of the employer community. All of these “connection champions” have a stake in the success of students’ transition into entry-level credit-bearing coursework and quality jobs. Each brings a unique perspective to the alignment of expectations for students across the P-20 continuum.

Likewise, entire postsecondary campuses and systems are stepping forward to improve students’ college readiness. For example:

Defining the expectations required to enter credit-bearing college coursework.

• Virginia faculty defined threshold skills needed for general education and communicated these skills to K-12 leaders through a state education office survey. See samples of these surveys in mathematics and English Language Arts. Read Virginia's postsecondary outreach plan here.

• The Hawaii P-20 Initiative asked both faculty and employers to identify the skills high school graduates needed to be successful. See the results of their survey here.

• Kentucky faculty defined expectations for actual placement in general education coursework. See Kentucky’s Statewide Placement Policy Standards 

Aligning high school exit standards with expectations for entry-level college coursework.

• The Georgia University System and Georgia Technical College System have joined with the K-12 system to develop and mutually endorse high school standards that close the expectations gap and ensure high school graduates are “college-ready”. See Georgia’s College Ready Standards in mathematics and English Language Arts

• New Mexico’s 2- and 4-year postsecondary institutions are “forward mapping” the recently adopted high school “college-ready” mathematics standards onto College Algebra

• Aligning assessments and courses for exiting high school with placement in credit-bearing college coursework.

• Fifteen American Diploma Project states are joining in creation of an Algebra II end of course exam that will be used not only to improve high school Algebra II curriculum and instruction but also to serve as an indicator of readiness for first-year college credit-bearing courses

• Indiana created the CORE 40 curriculum required for high school graduation and college admission at both public and private institutions

• The California State University System’s Early Assessment Program supplements state assessment, signals college readiness of high school juniors and provides resources to build student proficiency prior to their exiting high school

   

• Kentucky faculty set threshold scores on national ACT and SAT equivalent assessments that are aligned with entry level expectations for success in general education writing and mathematics courses

Giving feedback to high schools on the success of their students in college.

• Kentucky tells every high school how many of their students went to college, how well prepared they were, their major and whether or not they were academically successful.  See a sample Kentucky High School Feedback Report

• Document progress of all students and use results for improving retention and graduation.

• The 20 postsecondary systems participating in the Access to Success Initiative are aiming to improve overall student success, and to close by at least half the gaps in both college-going and college completion that separate low-income and minority students from others