The College- and Career-Ready Agenda: Five Years Later

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the "Closing the Expectations Gap" report, which Achieve has conducted annually since 2005 when it first launched the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network to challenge states to work together to align high school expectations with the demands of college and the workplace. Over the past five years, since the National Governors Association (NGA) and Achieve co-sponsored the National Education Summit on High Schools, states have made impressive progress in aligning their high school standards, graduation requirements and assessment and accountability systems with college- and career-ready expectations. Briefly, the report finds:

Standards: At the time of the National Education Summit, only three states had end of high school standards aligned with the demands of college and career. Today, 31 states have developed and adopted high school academic standards in English and mathematics that are aligned with college- and career-ready expectations.

Graduation Requirements: In 2005, only three states had established college- and career-ready graduation requirements. Today, 20 states and the District of Columbia require all students to complete such a curriculum to earn a high school diploma.

Assessments: Five years ago, three states administered high school assessments capable of measuring college- and career-ready content that clearly signal students' readiness for first-year, credit-bearing postsecondary courses. Today, 14 states administer such exams.

P-20 Data Systems: In 2005, only three states had operational P-20 longitudinal data systems that link states' student-level K-12 data with similar data from their postsecondary systems. Today, 16 states are matching such data annually.

Accountability: In 2005, no state had a comprehensive reporting and accountability system that valued college and career readiness. While progress in this area has been slowest, 22 states have now incorporated at least one of four accountability indicators that Achieve has identified as critical to promoting college and career readiness, with only one state making full use of all of the indicators in its accountability system. 

The progress states have made over the past five years in adopting policies that aim to ensure all students graduate from high school ready to take the next step demonstrates that the notion of "college and career readiness for all" has gone from a radical concept to the new norm throughout the country, largely due to state leadership. What was once an agenda driven by a handful of state leaders is now a national movement, influencing education reform at the local, state and federal levels.

To see a copy of the report, the PowerPoint, and to watch a video of the press event, go to www.achieve.org/ClosingtheExpectationsGap2010.