college readiness
EPIC's mission is to create a climate of increased college readiness for U.S. high school students. These reports and presentations convey research-based findings on what it really takes for students to succeed in college and how to best prepare them for success.
Redefining College Readiness*
published for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The purpose of this report is to provide an operational definition of college readiness that differs from current representations of this concept primarily in its scope. The report suggests that, while much has been learned about this phenomenon, particularly during the past 20 years, few systematic attempts have been made to integrate the various aspects or components of college readiness that have been investigated in some depth during this period of time. As a result, college readiness continues to be defined primarily in terms of high school courses taken and grades received, along with scores on national tests, as its primary metrics. March 2007
*previously titled Toward A More Comprehensive Conception of College Readiness
The Challenge of College Readiness
published by David Conley in Educational Leadership Shows a mismatch between high school preparation and college expectations. How can high schools prepare students for college success? About 67 percent of U.S. students who graduated from high school in 2004 went on to enroll in college at a higher proportion than in any previous year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005). Certainly, the rising college attendance rate is an accomplishment. But before we celebrate, we must consider how many of these hopeful, ambitious young people are likely to thrive in higher education. April 2007
College Knowledge:
What It Really Takes for Students to Succeed and What We Can Do to
Get Them Ready
by David Conley
Although more and more students have the test scores and transcripts to get into college, far too many are struggling once they get there. These students are surprised to find that college coursework demands so much more of them than high school. For the first time, they are asked to think deeply, write extensively, document assertions, solve non-routine problems, apply concepts, and accept unvarnished critiques of their work. College Knowledge confronts this problem by looking at the disconnect between what high schools do and what colleges expect and proposes a solution by identifying what students need to know, and be able to do, in order to succeed.
Work Samples
Collected from freshman students and faculty at research universities across the nation, these examples of student work are accompanied by course syllabi, assignments, lab exercises, and tests. They represent the range and types of assignments students receive when they enter college. They also demonstrate the quality of work students are expected to produce to be successful in entry-level university courses. To download this publication for free visit our partner, Center for Educational Policy Research.