The College Readiness Gap

A new ACT survey shows a giant gap between high school teachers’ perceptions of their students’ ability to succeed in college, and the opinions of students’ college professors. Nearly 9 in 10 high school teachers say their students are either “well” or “very well” prepared for college-level work in their subject area after leaving their courses. Yet only a quarter of college instructors report that their incoming students are either "well" or "very well" prepared for first-year credit-bearing courses in their subject area. These percentages remain virtually unchanged from a similar survey from 2009.

ACT’s survey is indicative of the college readiness (and therefore completion) gap currently facing our nation. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, 4.3 million freshmen started college in fall 2004.  More than half (60+ percent) of these first-year college students discovered that, despite being fully eligible to attend college, they had to take remedial courses in English or mathematics, which do not earn college credits. This made graduating on time, or at all, more difficult.  In part because of this college readiness deficit, 2.1 million of the 4.3 million freshmen did not officially graduate (though some may still be working towards a degree).  To put this in a global context, the U.S. has fallen from first in the world in college completion, to 14th (among OECD countries).  (See chart below for more on this.) 

If the U.S. wants to be able to compete in the economy of tomorrow, we need to prepare students to succeed in college and career today. In my heart of hearts, I do believe we’re all on the same page about this --- families, teachers, students, policy makers, funders. We want students to thrive in P-12, and be ready to take on whatever challenges they seek in postsecondary education, and eventual careers. But we’ve got a ways to go in identifying and scaling solutions.

I’m regularly shocked by the data (which I suppose is better than being numbed by it).  But I’m also looking to be re-inspired by the solutions. What’s working? What’s scalable? A recent report released by America’s Promise Alliance helps point us in that direction. In conversations with leaders from Baltimore, Denver, Louisville, and Miami, the report authors were able to identify some of what’s working on college readiness, access, and completion. For example, Howard County Community College in Maryland provides readiness testing to high schools in the county. Some of the schools have developed a “college- readiness class” in partnership with the community college for students whose tests show they need additional instruction.  Louisville is providing parent academies and scholarships, creating pathways from GED to college, and offering summer transition and credit-bearing programs for incoming freshmen.  Miami Dade College invites students to campus to work with staff on seeking and applying for scholarships in the college’s computer lab, drawing 2,500 students to the campus last year.  And leaders Colorado established the Denver Scholarship Foundation which (among other things) provides students with personal guidance through the selection, application and financial aid processes.

Common Core, too, is doing a lot to help students get ready for college.  It’s raising standards and spurring discussions around college readiness and the meaning of a high school diploma. However, major gaps remain in the implementation of the standards – and the tools to provide all students what they need for postsecondary success. We need to continue to update curricula, as well as the accompanying (print and digital) textbooks. We need to better support teachers, counselors, and wraparound service providers so they can help students meet these higher standards– through pre-service and in-service training. We also need to continue to create and foster ongoing and systemic opportunities for k12 and postsecondary educators to collaborate to find common solutions and to better engage extant resources.

ACT reports a more than 60 percentage point gap in high school versus college educators’ perceptions of their students’ readiness.  Now, it’s up to us to question our own perceptions about what works, what doesn’t, and why not -- so that we can test and scale solutions that work, close the 60 point gap, and ensure all students have access to entering college, and thriving there.