In this paper, we [Matthew Gaertner, David Conley, and Paul Stoltz] attempt to clarify the readiness landscape. We introduce three readiness paradigms—the college readiness index for middle school students, the Conley Readiness Index, and GRIT—and review their goals, theoretical foundations, and empirical support.
It’s been a year since our founder David Conley transitioned from his role as CEO of EPIC, but he’s still a visionary leader for much of our work. His newest…
A college and career ready student possesses the content knowledge, strategies, skills, and techniques necessary to be successful in any of a range of postsecondary setting. Success is defined as the ability to complete entry-level courses at a level of performance that is sufficient to enable students to continue to the next courses in their chosen field of study. Not every student needs exactly the same knowledge and skills to be college and career ready. A student’s college and career interests help identify the precise knowledge and skills the student needs.
The goal of this paper is to present a vision for a new system of educational assessment, one designed to support the kinds of ambitious teaching and learning that parents say they want for their children. Thankfully, the public schools do not have to create such a system from scratch—many schools already exhibit effective practices upon which others can build. For that to happen though, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders must be willing to adopt new ways of thinking about the role of assessment in education.
This white paper considers the benefits and limitations of multiple measures of college and career preparedness. The previous papers in this series evaluated measures against a framework consisting of 10 criteria. This white paper uses theory and practice related to measures of college and career preparedness as its frame of reference and primary organizing structure.
This white paper considers the career preparedness assessments used most widely by state educational systems—specifically ACT’s WorkKeys, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI), and industry certification assessments—as measures to be considered for California’s college and career indicator.
This white paper considers course-taking behavior—specifically the a–g subject requirements for the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) systems, career technical education (CTE) course pathways, and an integrated course pathway—as potential measures to be included in California’s college and career indicator.
This white paper considers innovative measures—specifically metacognitive assessments, performance assessments, and the California State Seal of Biliteracy—as potential measures to be included in California’s college and career indicator.
This white paper considers college admission exams—specifically the SAT® and ACT®—as potential measures to be included in California’s college and career indicator. The paper begins by presenting a brief overview of the two exams, their respective histories, and their current applications to other state accountability systems. Next, the SAT and ACT are evaluated against the framework being used for all five categories of potential college and career preparedness measures. This white paper concludes with a summary that identifies major strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs.
This white paper considers advanced coursework—specifically Advanced Placement® (AP) or International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme course-taking (participation) and/or exam scores—as measures of college and career preparedness. It begins by presenting a brief overview of the two programs, their respective histories, and their current applications in other states’ accountability systems. Next, the programs are evaluated against the framework being used for all five categories of potential college and career preparedness measures.