State Capacity for Leadership: Ensuring Meaningful Higher Education Involvement in State Implementation of New Assessments Aligned with the Common Core State Standards
| Title: | State Capacity for Leadership: Ensuring Meaningful Higher Education Involvement in State Implementation of New Assessments Aligned with the Common Core State Standards |
| Author: | Jones, Dennis P. McGuinness, Jr., Aims C. |
| Date: | 2011 |
| Catalog #: | |
| Price: | FREE |
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| Description: |
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and assessments aligned to them represent a
significant milestone in public education reform in the U.S. Developed with consultation from
higher education, the rigorous new standards and the assessments now being drafted by two
consortia promise to help students reach higher levels of academic achievement and increase their
likelihood of enrolling and succeeding in college.
The mission of the consortia is to create assessments that reflect the CCSS and accurately
measure college readiness. This work could lead to significant improvements in the preparation of
many students for postsecondary study and smooth their transition between high school and
college. Higher education systems stand to benefit as well since better preparation should reduce
the high proportion of students requiring developmental courses when they enroll, limit the costs
associated with those classes, and cut the average time to a credential. Achieving those results,
however, will require the support of higher education not only throughout the development of the
exams but also into their full implementation.
As a first step toward encouraging higher education systems to endorse and base judgments about
students’ college readiness on the new assessments, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
and Lumina Foundation requested the National Center for Higher Education Management
Systems (NCHEMS) to identify the conditions that help build consensus between K-12 and
postsecondary systems at a state level. Prepared for The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The Lumina Foundation. |