DefiningandMeasuringCollegeandCareerReadiness

DavidTConley,PhDCEO,EducationalPolicyImprovementCenter

Professor,UniversityofOregon

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Collegereadinessandcareerreadinesshavebecomeimportantpolicygoalsforeducationoverthepastfewyears.

CommonCoreStateStandardspointtowardcollegeandcareerreadiness.

However,manypeoplecontendthatitisunclearwhatismeantbytheseterms.

Whatdotheymean?Whataresomedefinitions?Howcancollegeandcareerreadinessbemeasured?Whataretheimplicationsofvariousmeasurementapproaches?

Context

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1. Provideanoverviewoftheevolutionandcurrentstateofdefinitionsofcollegeandcareerreadiness.

2. Examinecurrentunderstandingsofcollegeandcareerready.

3. ReviewrecentresearchontheCommonCoreinrelationtocollegeandcareerreadiness.

4. Considerissuesrelatedtomeasuringcollegeandcareerreadiness.

PurposesofThisSession

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Conley,2007,2010 Thelevelofpreparationastudentneedsinorderto

enrollandsucceedwithoutremediationinacreditbearingcourseatapostsecondaryinstitutionthatoffersabaccalaureatedegreeortransfertoabaccalaureateprogram,orinahighqualitycertificateprogramthatenablesstudentstoenteracareerpathwaywithpotentialfutureadvancement.

Succeedisdefinedascompletingtheentrylevelcoursesorcorecertificatecoursesatalevelofunderstandingandproficiencythatmakesitpossibleforthestudenttoconsidertakingthenextcourseinthesequenceorthenextlevelofcourseinthesubjectareaorofcompletingthecertificate.

CollegeandCareerReadyDefinition

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ACT,2008 Thelevelofachievementastudentneedstobereadyto

enrollandsucceedwithoutremediationincreditbearingfirstyearpostsecondarycourses.Andbypostsecondarywemeanprimarilytwoyearorfouryearinstitutions,tradeschools,andtechnicalschools.Today,however,workplacereadinessdemandsthesamelevelofknowledgeandskillsascollegereadiness.

CollegeandCareerReadyDefinition

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NationalAssessmentGoverningBoarddefinespreparednessasasubsetofreadiness: Preparednessfocusesonacademicqualifications,

whicharemeasuredbyNAEP.Readinessincludesbehavioralaspectsofstudentperformancetimemanagement,persistence,andinterpersonalskills,forexamplewhicharenotmeasuredbyNAEP.(TechnicalPanelon12thGradePreparednessResearchFinalReport,2009).

Readinessvs.Preparedness

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DifferentTypesofReadiness

Workready=Meetsbasicexpectationsregardingworkplacebehavioranddemeanor

Jobready=Possessesspecifictrainingnecessarytobeginanentrylevelposition

Careerready=Possesseskeycontentknowledgeandkeylearningskillsandtechniquessufficienttobeginstudiesinacareerpathway

Collegeready=Ispreparedinthefourkeystocollegeandcareerreadinessnecessarytosucceedinentrylevelgeneraleducationcourses

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FourKeysToCollegeAndCareerReadiness

KeyContentKnowledge

KeyCognitiveStrategies

KeyLearningSkills&

Techniques

KeyTransitionKnowledge&

Skills

+ Keytermsandterminology

+ Factualinformation+ Linkingideas

+Organizingconcepts

+ Timemanagement+ Studyskills

+Goalsetting+ Selfawareness

+Persistence+Collaborativelearning

+ Studentownershipoflearning

+ Technologyproficiency

+Retentionoffactualinformation

+ Postsecondaryprogramselection

+ Admissionsandfinancialaidrequirements

+ Careerpathways+ Affordingcollege

+ Postsecondaryculture

+ Roleandidentityissues

+ Agency

2011DavidTConley

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StandardsforSuccess(2003) Firstcomprehensivesetofcollegereadinessstandards. Collectedinformationfrom400+facultyatAAU

universitiesonwhatwasnecessarytobereadytosucceedinentrylevelcourses.

IdentifiedKnowledgeandSkillsforUniversitySuccess.

Listedspecificobjectivesandcontentknowledge. Outlinedcognitivestrategiesanddescribedlearning

strategies. Didnotexplicitlyaddresscareerreadiness.

PriorReadinessStandards

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AmericanDiplomaProjectBenchmarks(2004,withrevisionsin2008) Contractedwitheconomiststoidentifypromisingjobs. Surveyedemployersfrom22occupations. Conductedfocusgroupswithsecondaryandpostsecondary

educatorsfromtwoyearandfouryearinstitutions. Includedbusinessrepresentativesindiscussionsandreviews

ofresultingstandards. Claimthestandardsreflectanunprecedentedconvergence

ofeducatorandemployeropinionsonwhatitmeanstobecollegeandcareerready.

PriorReadinessStandards

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CollegeBoardStandardsforCollegeSuccess(2006) Derivedfrommultiplesourcesandformulatedby

CollegeBoardStandardsAdvisoryCommittees,consistingofsecondaryandpostsecondaryeducators.

Sequencedfrom612andnotspecificallyasetofoutcomestandards.

ClaimtobealignedwithAdvancedPlacementandcollegereadiness.

Nospecificreferencetocareerreadiness.

PriorReadinessStandards

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ACTCollegeReadinessBenchmarks(2007) AnalyzedZone3O*NETjobs. Foundthat90%ofZone3jobsrequirea5ontheACTWorkKeys

assessment. KeyedCollegeReadinessBenchmarkstocutscoresontheACT. ConductedaconcordancebetweenACTandWorkKeysscores

onstatewidesampleof11thgraders. IdentifiedcomparablescoresonWorkKeysandACTCollege

ReadinessBenchmarks. Identifiedcommonskillsassociatedwitheachscore. Concludedthatcollegeandworkreadinesswerefunctionally

equivalent.

PriorReadinessStandards

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TexasCollegeandCareerReadinessStandards(2009) Developedviaconvergentconsensusmethodwith

teamsofsecondaryandpostsecondaryeducators. Reviewedextensivelybysecondaryandpostsecondary

educatorsinTexas. Validatedviapostsecondaryinstructorinputfrom913

coursesattwoyearandfouryearTexasinstitutions.

PriorReadinessStandards

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CommonCoreStateStandards(2010) EnglishLanguageArts/LiteracyStandardsdesigned

downfromtheCollegeandCareerReadyStandards. theCCRstandardsanchorthedocumentanddefinegeneral,crossdisciplinaryliteracyexpectationsthatmustbemetforstudentstobepreparedtoentercollegeandworkforcetrainingprogramsreadytosucceed.

MathematicsStandardsaresilentonreferencepointbeyondstatingtheyaretoenablestudentstoaccesstheknowledgeandskillsnecessaryintheirpostschoollives.

CurrentReadinessStandards:CommonCore

CurrentReadinessStandards:NAEP

Preparednessrepresentsacademicknowledgeandskilllevelsinreadingandmathematicsnecessaryforplacementinto: Jobtrainingprograms Creditbearingentrylevelgeneraleducationcoursesthat

counttowardafouryeardegree Preparednessisnotreadiness NAEPdefinitionisacademicpreparednessnotsuccess ReadinessismoreinclusivethanNAEPpreparedness

HabitsofthemindandbehaviorsthatcannotbemeasuredbyNAEP,althoughtheyarenecessaryforsuccess.

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CACTEStandardsin15industrysectors LinkedLearning MovementtodesignCTEcoursesthatalsomeetcollege

entrancerequirements HighSchoolsthatWork UniversityofCaliforniaprojecttodesignCTEcoursesthatfulfillUCAGrequirements

CurrentReadinessStandards:CTE

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IndustryStandards Manyindustrialgroupshavesetstandardsthatrequire

highlevelsofeducationandpreparation.Afewexamplesillustrate: SAEInternationalStandardsforAerospace,Automotive,CommercialVehicle

NationalRetailFederationforCustomerService,RetailManagement,RetailBusiness

NationalBioscienceIndustrySkillStandardsforTechnicians

CurrentReadinessStandards:WorkReadiness

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EPICTexasCollegeCareerReadinessInitiative AnalyzedinstructorratingsofTCCRSandsyllabifrom

913entrylevelcoursesattwoandfouryearpublicinstitutionsinTexas.

Determinedthatspecificcontentknowledgeexpectationsvariedsignificantlyinbothtwoandfouryearprograms,particularlyacrosscertificateprograms.

Foundacoreofcommonexpectationsinthelearningbehaviorsandcognitivestrategiesstudentsneededtodemonstrate.

CollegeandCareerReadinessResearch

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CommonCoreResearch

Conley,etal.(2011).ReachingtheGoal:TheApplicabilityandImportanceoftheCommonCoreStateStandardstoCollegeandCareerReadiness Studyof1900entrylevelcourses

in25areas,12fromfouryearinstitutions,13fromtwoyear.

GatheredinstructorsratingsofimportanceandapplicabilityofCCSStotheircourses.

Collectedsyllabiandkeyassignmentsandexams.

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KeyFindings CCSSareapplicableandimportanttosuccessinawide

rangeofpostsecondarycourses CognitivechallengeleveloftheCCSSissufficient. CCSSareacoherentrepresentationoftheknowledge

necessaryforsuccessincollegecourses. TheCCSSdonotomitkeyknowledgeandskills. Acoreofknowledgeandskilliscommonacrossgeneral

educationandcareerorientedcourses. However,careerareastendtohavedistinctknowledge

profilesthatdifferfromgeneraleducation.

CommonCoreResearch

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1897CoursesRated

Content area Course category N Total

English language arts

Composition I 312

1315

Composition II English Literature

Mathematics Calculus

302 College Algebra Statistics

Science Biology

281 Chemistry Physics

Social science

Introduction to Economics

420 Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Sociology U.S. History U.S. Government

Business management

Human Resource Management

243

582

Introduction to Accounting Introduction to Business Management Introduction to Marketing

Computer technology

Computer Science I 153 Database Management Systems

Fundamentals of Programming

Healthcare

Anatomy and Physiology

186 Foundations of Nursing Human Development Pharmacology

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RespondentsGeographicallyDistributed

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ApplicabilityRatingsforELAandLiteracy:

GeneralEducationCourses

0

20

40

60

80

100

Reading for Literature

Reading for Informational Texts

Writing Speaking and Listening

Language Reading for History/Social

Studies

Reading for Science and

Technical Subjects

Writing for History/Social Studies, Science, and

Technical Subjects

Percent

aApplicable is considered a rating of prerequisite, reviewed, introduced, or subsequent.

Figure 14. Percent of Respondents Rating at Least One Standard within the ELA and Literacy Strand as Applicablea to their Course, for ELA, Math, Science, and Social Science

ELA (312 respondents) Math (302 respondents) Science (281 respondents) Social science (420 respondents)

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ApplicabilityRatingsforELAandLiteracy:

CareerOrientedCourses

0

20

40

60

80

100

Reading for Literature

Reading for Informational

Texts

Writing Speaking and Listening

Language Reading for History/Social

Studies

Reading for Science and

Technical Subjects

Writing for History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical

Subjects

Percent

aApplicable is considered a rating of prerequisite, reviewed, introduced, or subsequent.

Figure 15. Percent of Respondents Rating at Least One Standard within the ELA and Literacy Strand as Applicablea to their Course, for Business Management, Computer Technology, and Healthcare

Business management (243 respondents) Computer technology (153 respondents) Healthcare (186 respondents)

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ApplicabilityRatingsforMathematics:GeneralEducationCourses

0

20

40

60

80

100

Number and Quantity

Algebra Functions Geometry Statistics and Probability

Mathematical Practices

Percent

aApplicable is considered a rating of prerequisite, reviewed, introduced, or subsequent.

Figure 34. Percent of Respondents Rating at Least One Standard within the Mathematics Conceptual Category as Applicablea to their Course, for ELA, Math, Science, and Social Science

ELA (312 respondents) Math (302 respondents) Science (281 respondents) Social science (420 respondents)

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ApplicabilityRatingsforMathematics:CareerOrientedCourses

0

20

40

60

80

100

Number and Quantity

Algebra Functions Geometry Statistics and Probability

Mathematical Practices

Percent

aApplicable is considered a rating of prerequisite, reviewed, introduced, or subsequent.

Figure 35. Percent of Respondents Rating at Least One Standard within the Mathematics Conceptual Category as Applicablea to their Course, for Business Management, Computer Technology, and Healthcare

Business management (243 respondents)

Computer technology (153 respondents)

Healthcare (186 respondents)

NAEPPreparednessStudies

ContentalignmentstudiestoevaluateextentofcontentoverlapbetweenNAEPandotherassessments(completed)

JudgmentalstandardsettingstudiestosetcutscoresonNAEPusingdefinitionsofpreparednessforthespecificpostsecondaryactivity(underway)

StatisticalrelationshipstudiestoprojectpreparednessindicatorsontoNAEPscalebyrelatingNAEPtoperformanceonotherassessments(underway)

Surveystudytocollectdataregardingcutscoresonotherassessmentsusedforplacementdecisions(underway)

BenchmarkingstudiestocollectNAEPdataonperformanceofstudentswhohaveenteredpostsecondaryactivities(cancelledfornow).

500

391

367

336

327

313

297

286

277

256

243

0

346

302

265

CollegeandCareerPreparedness:Same

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :A

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :B

E xemplarJ ob1E xemplarJ ob2E xemplarJ ob3

E xemplarJ ob4

E xemplarJ ob5P lac ementinentrylevelc reditbearingcours e

500

391

367

336

327

313

297

286

277

256

243

0

346

302

265

CollegeandCareerPreparedness:Different

E xemplarJ ob1E xemplarJ ob2

E xemplarJ ob3

E xemplarJ ob4

E xemplarJ ob5

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :A

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :B

P lac ementinentrylevelc reditbearingcours e

CollegeandCareerPreparedness:Unclear

500

391

367

336

327

313

297

286

277

256

243

0

346

302

265

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :B

C ollegeP reparednes sS tandards :A

P lac ementinentrylevelc reditbearingcours e

E xemplarJ ob4

E xemplarJ ob1

E xemplarJ ob5

E xemplarJ ob3

E xemplarJ ob2

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Collegeeligibilitymeasuresarewelldevelopedbutexceedinglynarrowinscope.

Fewgeneralcareerreadinessmeasuresexist. Eachphenomenonisfarmorecomplexthancurrentinstrumentsandmethodscangauge.

Anopennesstoawiderrangeofindicatorsanddataisnecessarytounderstandtherelationshipbetweenthetwoandtodevelopnewsystemsforquantifyingreadinessacrossbothdimensions.

MeasuringCollegeandCareerReadiness

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MeasuringCollegeandCareerReadiness

Abroaderrangeofmeasuresisnecessarytocapturecollegeandcareerreadiness.

Notallstudentsneedthesamesetofknowledgeandskillstosucceedincollegeandcareers.

Profilesofstudentstrengthsandweaknessesinrelationtospecificpostsecondaryprogramsofstudywouldallowforbettermatchesbetweenstudentsandprogramsandwouldenhancestudentsuccess.

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Collegeandcareerreadinesscanbedefinedalongacontinuumfromnarrowtobroad,fromunidimensionaltomultidimensional.

Anarrowdefinitioniseasiertomeasureandmaybeusefulatastatelevelasagrossindicatorofreadinessbutisfarlessusefulattheindividualstudentlevel.

Amoreexpansivedefinitionismorechallengingtomeasurebutyieldsmoreaccuratedataatthestatelevelandmoreactionableinformationattheschoolandstudentlevel.

CollegeandcareerreadydefinitionshaveareasofsignificantoverlapinnecessaryKeyContentKnowledgeandKeyLearningSkillsandTechniques.

Collegereadinessandcareerreadinessarenotexactlythesame,butthecommonalitiesaresufficientfordevelopingsimultaneousmeasures.

Conclusion

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ToLearnMoreAboutCollegeandCareerReadiness:

Formoreinformation,visitwww.epiconline.org