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

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

published by David Conley in 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 better prepares students for college success. 2006

College Knowledge: Getting In Is Only Half The Battle

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

Mixed Messages

A study conducted by Standards for Success (S4S), a consortium of universities belonging to the Association of American Universities (AAU), has found that state high school exams bear an inconsistent relationship to the knowledge and skills necessary for college success. This first-of-its-kind study, Mixed Messages: What State High School Tests Communicate about Student Readiness for College, was undertaken to determine the degree of alignment that exists between state high school exams and university success standards. To download this publication for free visit our partner, Center for Educational Policy Research.