Publications by Dr. David Conley

Rethinking College Readiness

presented by David Conley, PhD This is adapted from an article of the same title and written by the same author in 2007. This version provides an abbreviated explanation of the author’s scientifically-grounded model of measuring student readiness by considering their mastery of: contextual skills and awareness, academic behaviors, key content, and key cognitive strategies. These four faucets of college readiness are a more accurate measure of the likelihood of student postsecondary success than are conventional standards that consider courses taken and grades received. Spring 2009

Formative Assessment for College Readiness: Measuring Skill and Growth in Five Key Cognitive Strategies Associated with Postsecondary Success

presented by David Conley, PhD, Allison Lombardi, MA, Mary Seburn, PhD, and Charis McGaughy, PhD at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association in San Diego, California This study reports the preliminary results from a field test of the College-readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS), a large-scale, 6th-12th grade criterion-referenced assessment system that utilizes classroom-embedded performance tasks to measure student progress toward the development of key cognitive skills associated with success in college. April 2009

Rethinking College Readiness

published by David Conley in New Directions for Higher Education Special Issue: The First Year and Beyond: Rethinking the Challenge of Collegiate Transition The likelihood that students will make a successful transition to the college environment is often a function of their readiness—the degree to which previous educational and personal experiences have equipped them for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college. A key problem is that the current measures of college preparation are limited in their ability to communicate to students and educators the true range of what students must do to be fully ready to succeed in college. This chapter presents a broader, more comprehensive conception of college readiness built on four facets: key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, academic behaviors, and contextual skills and knowledge. December 5, 2008

What Makes A Student College Ready?

published by David Conley in Educational Leadership A study of 38 exemplary high schools provides guidelines for ensuring that students are prepared for postsecondary success. Preparing students for college has become a higher priority in many schools as parents, business leaders, and politicians emphasize the importance of a highly educated workforce and citizenry. But what steps do schools need to take to ensure that more students are ready? October 2008

Secondary Education in Oregon and Ireland: An Overview

by David Conley Presented at the Irish American Higher Education Research Organization (IA HERO) Colloquium, this paper provides a brief overview of the American and Irish school systems, with a particular focus on upper secondary education, known as high school in the United States and as the Senior Cycle in the Republic of Ireland. We examine briefly how and why the State of Oregon and Ireland are revising their upper secondary programs, and we consider the importance of the new sets of cross-curricular skills that both Oregon and Ireland are striving to have taught in their high school and Senior Cycle programs, respectively. While the upper secondary programs in these two countries differ in structure, content, and assessment, both face similar challenges preparing more students for postsecondary education and workforce participation. August 2008

College Readiness and High School-to-College Success

by David Conley, presented at the Aspen Institute The nation's K-12 educational systems may be reaching a potentially historical turning point. Initially designed to educate students to a “common” level of basic education, public schools are now expected increasingly to prepare the vast majority of students for education beyond high school. Achieving this difficult goal is complicated by a number of factors. These include the limitations of the existing means for determining college eligibility, the separate governance systems for K-12 and postsecondary education, changes in the demographics of American public school students, and even the well-intentioned efforts of states to raise high school graduation requirements. What will it take to transform American education from sorting and selecting students for college to enabling more students to be truly ready for postsecondary success? February 2008

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

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—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

Comparing State High School Assessments to Standards for Success in Entry-Level University Courses

by Richard S. Brown and David T. Conley This paper shares the results of a study that analyzed the content of state tests relative to a set of standards that identify knowledge and skills necessary for success in entry-level university courses. Math and English assessments from 20 states were analyzed. Exams were found to be moderately aligned with a subset of the university standards, but in an uneven fashion. Suggestions were made for future research. 2007

Improving Adequacy Funding Methodology Through a Mixed-Method Approach

by David Conley and Kathryn Rooney Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, this paper presents a methodological strategy that addresses some of the criticisms of adequacy funding models. To do so, the paper describes the process utilized to develop an adequacy-funding model for the state of Washington public k-12 schools. The multi-step, multi-model approach is described in detail in order to illustrate how precision and accuracy can be Improving Adequacy Funding Methodology increased even with currently available methods and data. The paper concludes with a response to some of the critiques of adequacy funding research. March 2008

Analyzing College Science Course Content: Implications for Instruction and System Alignment

by David Conley and Carla Bowers Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, The purpose of this study was to gain greater insight into the degree of alignment between high school and college science classes by determining the content taught in entry-level Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics courses and the level of knowledge and preparation entry-level postsecondary instructors expected of students in those courses. Findings revealed that instructors taught most material as new or assumed students would learn it in a later course. This study delineates the curriculum in entry-level college science courses, the relative importance entry-level college instructors place on the curriculum topics they teach, and, by implication, the level of preparation high school students need to achieve. March 2008

Comparing State High School Assessments to Standards for Success in Entry-Level University Courses

published in the Journal of Educational Assessment This study analyzed the content of state tests relative to a set of standards that identify knowledge and skills necessary for success in entry-level university courses. 2007

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What We Must Do to Create a System That Prepares Students for College Success

published by WestEd An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States aspire to graduate from college. However, far too many of these students are struggling once they enter college. This Policy Perspectives paper helps secondary and postsecondary educators create a more aligned education system that prepares students for college success. 2006

College Knowledge: Getting In Is Only Half The Battle

published by Principal Leadership To help students meet the intellectual demands of college, secondary schools must create a sequenced curriculum that is aligned with college course work. Postsecondary and secondary school faculty members can develop such a curriculum jointly. A series of questions can help secondary schools ensure appropriate and challenging course sequencing. September 2005

Connecting the Dots: Linking High Schools and Postsecondary Education to Increase Student Success

published by Peer Review Will standards-based educational reform result in more students being prepared to succeed in college? Without some sort of plan to connect the two systems, the answer is "who knows?" Winter 2003

Equitable Exams, Not Another Test

published by the San Francisco Chronicle There should be one set of measures of high school learning and college admission. May 19, 2002

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