Dive Brief:
- Despite a wide consensus that many American students aren't ready for college or the workforce upon graduating high school, Anne O'Brien, deputy director of the Learning First Alliance, argues better standards are needed since standardized assessments are not one-size-fits-all.
- O'Brien says students should be evaluated for progress based on a variety of measures, not a single standardized test or exam score.
- The new Every Student Succeeds Act, O'Brien says, offers opportunity to widen accountability options for school systems and states.
Dive Insight:
A new system is available, using the National College and Career Readiness Indicators, a multi-metric index available online from RedefiningReady.org. It was developed by a school district in Chicago, in partnership with the School Superintendents Association, with the aim of which aims to examine student readiness through a multifaceted lens. The checklist of indicators include Advanced Placement (AP) exams and courses, ACT and SAT test scores, and a look at various math and English courses.
The new set of indicators isn't limited to college and careers alone. It also contains "life readiness" indicators, which, according to the website, means students "leave high school with the grit and perseverance to tackle and achieve their goals."