David T Conley

In The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment, David T. Conley presents the case for a new, comprehensive system of assessment using different measurements for different purposes. Changes in the purposes of education, he argues, demand forms of assessment that go beyond merely ranking students to supporting the ambitious aim of helping all students meet career and college readiness goals. Conley describes the interplay between assessment and learning, and shows how “next generation” approaches can produce results that are more effective in informing classroom instruction. Acknowledging the complexity and limitations of many of these novel approaches, he suggests that rather than relying on a system built on a single measure—high-stakes, multiple-choice tests—what is needed is a system that draws on a more diverse portfolio of personalized assessments. Conley provides several examples of programs, schools, and districts that are piloting next generation approaches, and describes the opportunities and implementation challenges involved in making this shift. With decades of experience in learning and assessment, Conley outlines how next generation models can support ambitious learning for all students.

This book provides valuable insights into a dynamic structural change that is being experienced but not completely understood by educators and policymakers alike—the transfer of power from the local to the state and national levels. What will become of our public schools in this new era of leadership? The author traces the origins of this process, examines the implications, and considers where these changes might lead. This extremely timely volume:

Explores the direction of education policy and the ways in which both policymakers and educators can adapt and provide leadership in this new landscape.
Offers a concise, accessible summary of a multitude of specific programs and policies, helping us to think more systematically about the shifts in power relationships among education governance levels.
Presents an outline of actions that can be taken at the local, state, and national levels to help facilitate better working relationships and to help improve schools.
Examines the new federal role and recent federal legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Written for all educators (with the spotlight on those at the secondary level), this important resource shows teachers and school leaders alike how they can get students ready for college and careers, while simultaneously preparing them for the Common Core assessments. Getting Ready for College, Careers, and the Common Core is based on numerous research studies conducted by education expert David T. Conley and insights gained from his work with dozens of effective secondary schools. The book offers techniques and strategies for teaching the Common Core State Standards in ways that result in improved learning for all students.

Conley outlines a comprehensive framework for college and career readiness, which can be used to gauge readiness of both students and schools. His nationally known "Four Keys" model (Key Cognitive Strategies, Key Content Knowledge, Key Learning Skills & Techniques, and Key Transition Knowledge & Skills) specifies the teachable knowledge, skills, and abilities students must have to be effective learners. Most importantly, students must be able to take ownership of their learning and make connections between their aspirations and goals and what they are learning in school.

The book helps educators understand the "big picture" behind the Common Core by showing them how to teach toward the "deeper learning" that research has confirmed leads to more complex understanding and greater retention. This type of learning prepares students for the Common Core assessments and for success in college, careers, and beyond.

The book is ideally suited to study and discussion groups, for use by individual educators, and as a schoolwide resource. Central office administrators, board members, and educational policymakers will also find this book to be an essential resource for understanding college and career readiness and the Common Core.

Why do we need new measures of college and career readiness? Doesn’t the current system work entirely adequately to make determinations about who will succeed in college? Isn’t it sufficient to know which courses students took, the grades they received, their standing relative to others in their class, and maybe a score on an admission test? What’s changing that requires more information about students?

The study determines the extent of correspondence (alignment) between the exit level Common Core State Standards and each of five sets of existing standards (California and Massachusetts state standards, the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, the Knowledge and Skills for University Success, and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme).

The comparison standards were selected because they were either identified as exemplary state standards, were explicitly written at the college readiness level, or represented a rigorous instructional program focused on college readiness. The study address three research questions:

    To what extent are the knowledge and skills found in the comparison standards the same as or different from what is described in the Common Core State Standards? (match)

    What is the cognitive complexity level of the Common Core State Standards and to what extent are the matched comparison standards at a higher or lower level of cognitive complexity? (depth)

    How broadly do the matched comparison standards cover the content of the Common Core State Standards? (breadth)

We adapted Cook and Wilmes’s (2007) standards-to-standards alignment methodology that includes a combination of linking (match between standards) and correspondence (depth and breadth). The method derives from Webb’s alignment methodology (1997, 1999, 2002). The Cook and Webb approaches have been widely used to assess alignment of assessments and standards. The method employs panels of experts to review and rate content and cognitive processes for each standard and then use the expert ratings to calculate statistics of alignment.

David T. Conley A bout 67 percent of U.S. students who graduated from high school m 2004 went on to enroll in college—a higher proportion than in any previous year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005). Certainly, the rising college attendance rate is an accomplishment. But before we celebrate, we must consider how many of these hopeful, ambitious young people are likely to thrive in higher education. Here, the numbers are less encouraging. The most recent data available show that only about 35 percent of students who entered four-year colleges seeking a bachelor^ degree in 1998 had earned their degree four years later, and only 56 percent

Facilitative leadership" may be defined as the ability of principals to lead without controlling, while making it easier for all members of the school community to achieve agreed-upon goals. The bulk of the Bulletin consists of a discussion of 10 propositions related to facilitative leadership drawn from 3 sources: (1) studies in 1991-93 of 9 Oregon schools that were members of the Oregon Network, a federally funded grant designed to enable schools in school restructuring; (2) earlier research conducted with Oregon schools; and (3) observations of other researchers studying the interaction between leadership and restructuring. The propositions are grouped under three broad headings--creating and managing meaning, facilitating the process, and operating in an organizational context. Strengths and limitations of facilitative leadership are illuminated. Also described are the interactions among various organizational and system functions when leadership behaviors change. (Contains...

Educational restructuring, an emerging concept without a single definition or a definitive model, supports the notion of multiple alternatives. Typical school improvement and excellence initiatives do not, by themselves, constitute restructuring. Restructuring means that schools should be organized according to children's learning needs. To achieve real educational excellence for all students is likely to require significant alterations in our educational system at local, district, and state levels. Since restructuring means preserving and building upon successful educational practices and rethinking and redesigning what has failed, we must ultimately reexamine all aspects of schooling, including wission and goals, organization and management, curriculum, instruction, educator roles and responsibilities, parent and community involvement, school finance, and educational regulation and control. Several ongoing restructuring efforts provide concrete examples--the Coalition of Essen...

This three-phase study explored the impact of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) on college readiness by examining the academic and non-academic preparation of students who participated in the DP in the United States. For the purpose of this study, college readiness is understood as the level of preparation a student needs to enroll and succeed in college, not simply to gain admission—that is, readiness, not just eligibility (Conley 2007). Research suggests that, to be prepared for college and career success, students must have a variety of knowledge, skills and abilities, and that both academic and non-academic factors are important for success during the transition from high school to college.

In this article, David Conley focuses on how to assess meaningful learning in ways that promote student achievement while simultaneously meeting system accountability needs. The article draws upon research that supports the notion that a major shift in educational assessment is needed in order to encourage and evaluate the kind of learning that enables success in college and careers. Over the next several years, almost every state will either implement the Common Core State Standards or develop an alternative version of their own. The question worth posing is whether educational stakeholders should be satisfied with on- demand tests that measure only a subset of the standards, or will they demand something more like a system of assessments in which multiple measures result in deeper insight into student mastery of complex and cognitive challenging standards? This article presents a vision for a new system of assessments, one designed to support the kinds of ambitious teaching and le...

This article considers the importance of ownership of learning as a key component of college readiness. The article is organized around two conceptual models. The first is a four-part model of college readiness that includes key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, key learning skills and techniques, and key transition knowledge and skills. The second is a five-part model of ownership of learning that consists of the following elements: motivation and engagement, goal orientation and self-direction, self-efficacy and self-confidence, metacognition and self-monitoring, and persistence. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the role and importance of ownership of learning and makes the case that these elements can and should be taught to all students, and particularly in settings where an achievement gap exists.

The nature and importance of career readiness has changed dramatically over the past several decades and is currently undergoing an even more rapid evolution. Those embarking on a career or changing careers will need to be ready to manage a series of forces — some long term, some shorter term — that are reshaping the economy and the career landscape. This white paper provides an overview of these forces and suggests the key skills and capabilities those preparing for a career will benefit by mastering. More than anything else, tomorrow’s workplace will be one that values highly adaptable workers who can manage change, pivot to new opportunities, learn new skills, and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity while contributing high value through initiative, problem solving, and self-management.

In this study, the authors examined the psychometric properties of the key cognitive strategies (KCS) within the CollegeCareerReady™ School Diagnostic, a self-report measure of critical thinking skills intended for high school students. Using a cross-validation approach, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted with a randomly selected portion of the sample ( n = 516) and resulted in five reliable factors: (a) problem formulation, (b) research, (c) interpretation, (d) communication, and (e) precision/accuracy. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the remaining sample ( n = 808). Goodness-of-fit indices indicated acceptable model fit. The five-factor solution is consistent with earlier validity studies of the KCS framework. Implications for use by high school personnel in evaluation of instructional programs and as a value-added assessment are discussed.

The study could not have occurred without the ratings and reflections from the 1815 postsecondary instructors who completed the survey. These individuals were nominated by 1758 postsecondary liaisons, to whom we are also indebted. We are extremely grateful for the time and energy contributions from both of these groups. The fact that so many postsecondary educators across the United States gave of their time for this effort is a testament to the importance they place on the issue of students being well prepared for college. The study’s external reviewers provided valuable insights on an early version of the report. We thank John Kendall, David Stern, and Andrea Venezia for their helpful comments and questions. Rich Brown gave methodological feedback and advice in earlier stages of project planning and data collection. Beyond those listed as authors of the report, additional EPIC staff made significant contributions. Charis McGaughy and Mary Seburn worked on the initial design and pr...

This paper examines the relationship between the grades teachers give their students and the scores external raters give the same students ' work when using a common set of standards and criteria. Data were collected from 78 high school teachers participating in the Proficiency-Based Admission Standards System (PASS) project to establish standards for the Oregon University system. These teachers collected work from approximately 2,200 students over 1 academic year. Each teacher focused on one or two of the defined "proficiencies " in English or mathematics, and each collected multiple pieces of work from each of their students in targeted classes. Each teacher brought five to nine of these collections to be reviewed by trained reviewers, either other teachers or university professors. Findings suggest that proficiency scores are measuring something related to, but not the same as, grades. The degree of correlation between the two does suggest a relatively linear relat...

Papers and presentations have been reformatted for this document, but content remains unedited as submitted to WISCAPE. Feedback: We welcome your comments on this reader. Please send your feedback — with reference to “WP003 ” — to the address below or via email to wiscape-info@education.wisc.edu. WISCAPE’s mission is to facilitate and contribute to a dialogue about the challenges facing postsecondary education among education leaders and policymakers, community and government leaders, and other key stakeholders, including researchers, faculty, staff, and administrators. The goal of these exchanges is to increase participants ’ understanding of the complex structures and cultures in institutions of postsecondary education, thus improving their decision-making and leadership practices. WISCAPE carries out its mission through research and instruction, conferences and forums, and professional education programs.

... Increase Student Success By David T. Conley, director, Standards for Success Page 2. 10 Winter 2003 peerReview ... The American high school is strug-gling to find its identity. The current orga-nizational structure was promoted by a university president, James Bryant Conant. ...

This policy brief contains papers from participants in a symposium that examined the movement of high-school students from school to college or work. The preenters adopted a variety of perspectives to study these transitions so as to aid state policymakers, state education and higher education agency personnel, and postsecondary and secondary administrators and faculty. It outlines and analyzes current efforts, as well as research opportunities and challenges. It focuses on the disconnection between K-12 and postsecondary education systems and how this disconnection undermines student aspirations. Special attention is given to the findings of the Knowledge and Skills for University Success content standards and how these should be used in K-12 education. It also describes the American Diploma Project, a program that fosters efforts to make American high-school diplomas more consistently meaningful across states, resulting in better-prepared college students. Ways to promote successf...

A potential sea change is underway in U.S. education. With stunning rapidity, 47 states and the District of Columbia have signed on to replace their state content standards with the recently developed Common Core State Standards. Even more remarkable in some respects, 45 states have joined the two assessment consortia working to replace their existing tests with new assessments aligned with the standards.

This book provides valuable insights into a dynamic structural change that is being experienced, but not completely understood, by educators and policymakers alike - the transfer of power from the local to the state and national levels. What will become of our public schools in this new era of leadership? The author traces the origins of this process, examines the implications, and considers where these changes might lead.

No issue is perhaps more important and less understood than the changes that are occurring in the governance of American schools. The trend toward greater control at the state and federal levels has been firmly in place for most of the past fifty years, but has accelerated in the past fifteen years. This trend has been the trigger for academic content standards, statewide assessments, accountability systems, charter schools, and more. At the same time, local school districts and schools—and the administrators and teachers who work in them—are critical partners in achieving the educational improvement desired by state and federal policymakers. If educators and policymakers alike are to learn to work together collaboratively and cooperatively to improve public education, they must begin by understanding the new relationship that exists between them. This Policy Perspective is designed to help bridge the gap between the established beliefs and the new realities of educational governance.

There's little in life more comforting than clarity. Think of that fateful moment during your annual eye exam. As you peer through the high-tech viewfinder at two parallel images, the optometrist flicks through a sequential stack of lenses, and — click! — the images suddenly snap together into one clear, coherent picture. Wouldn't it be nice if every conundrum could be solved this way, if every misalignment and missed connection could be corrected with a click? As someone who's worked for decades in the arena of education policy and education reform, I often find myself yearning for alignment, for clarity. And I'm not alone. For as long as I can remember, colleagues representing every sector of American education — from pre-kindergarten to postdoctoral — have talked about how much better things would be, for students and for society, if the system were more seamless — more of a true system. While this agenda has been talked about in generic terms for years as an idea...

This report discusses what constitutes an adequate education in the state of Washington. It focuses on the Washington Quality Education Model (WQEM)--a new program created to define the vision of quality education--as well as the elements and indicators that constitute such an education. The goal of the program is to determine the kinds of staff, programs, and materials that must be provided if schools are going to offer a quality education that: (1) enables students to meet the standards set by the legislature in 1993; (2) allows schools in Washington to meet federal standards; and (3) is consistent with what Washingtonians want from their schools. The document explains how the combination of increasing demands on public education, brought on by enrollment surges, and higher standards made the project necessary. It explains the concept of adequacy and outlines the four basic models that were used to develop adequacy-funding models. The report then discusses adequacy as understood i...

This paper examines the relationship between the grades teachers give their students and the scores external raters give the same students' work when using a common set of standards and criteria. Data were collected from 78 high school teachers participating in the Proficiency-Based Admission Standards System (PASS) project to establish standards for the Oregon University system. These teachers collected work from approximately 2,200 students over 1 academic year. Each teacher focused on one or two of the defined "proficiencies" in English or mathematics, and each collected multiple pieces of work from each of their students in targeted classes. Each teacher brought five to nine of these collections to be reviewed by trained reviewers, either other teachers or university professors. Findings suggest that proficiency scores are measuring something related to, but not the same as, grades. The degree of correlation between the two does suggest a relatively linear relation...

This study reports the preliminary results from a field test of the College-readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS), a large-scale, 6th-12th grade criterion-referenced assessment system that utilizes classroom-embedded performance tasks to measure student progress toward the development of key cognitive skills associated with success in college. A sample of 1,795 students completed C-PAS performance tasks in English and mathematics at 13 New York City high schools in grades 9-12 during Fall 2007. The performance tasks were derived from construct maps and “task shells” designed to elicit the key cognitive strategies. Teachers administered the tasks to students and scored the tasks using standardized scoring guides. Preliminary analyses using Item Response Theory (IRT) yielded evidence that C-PAS measures the acquisition of college readiness cognitive thinking skills in both math and English. The study is significant because it suggests that cognitive strategies important to c...

In alignment studies, expert raters evaluate assessment items against standards and ratings are used to compute various alignment indices. Questions about rater reliability, however, are often ignored or inadequately addressed. This paper reports the results of a generalizability theory study of cognitive demand and rigor ratings of assessment items and college-readiness standards in the context of an alignment study of college admissions tests to a set of college readiness standards. Results indicate a higher level of generalizability for Math item and standard ratings than for English item and standard ratings, as well as a higher level of generalizability for cognitive demand ratings than for rigor ratings. Results also suggest that the standard of 5-6 raters in alignment studies may be insufficient for obtaining desired reliability. These findings may be used to carefully plan more robust alignment studies in the future so that higher levels of reliability across raters will be ...

Inevitably, reading is one of the requirements to be undergone. To improve the performance and quality, someone needs to have something new every day. It will suggest you to have more inspirations, then. However, the needs of inspirations will make you searching for some sources. Even from the other people experience, internet, and many books. Books and internet are the recommended media to help you improving your quality and performance.

The nature and importance of career readiness
has changed dramatically over the past several
decades and is currently undergoing an even more
rapid evolution. Those embarking on a career or
changing careers will need to be ready to manage
a series of forces — some long term, some shorter
term — that are reshaping the economy and the
career landscape. This white paper provides an
overview of these forces and suggests the key
skills and capabilities those preparing for a career
will benefit by mastering. More than anything
else, tomorrow’s workplace will be one that
values highly adaptable workers who can manage
change, pivot to new opportunities, learn new skills,
and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity while
contributing high value through initiative, problem
solving, and self-management.

Economic recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 will be long and complex in Oregon. This brief provides an overview of the major issues associated with the human resource development needs of workers affected by the current economic downturn. Issues are explained and suggestions offered for how Oregon might support economic recovery for its most affected citizens.

In this paper, I draw upon the results from research
conducted by my colleagues and me, as well as by others, to
argue that the time is ripe for a major shift in educational
assessment. In particular, analysis of syllabi, assignments,
assessments, and student work from entry-level college
courses, combined with perceptions of instructors of
those courses, provides a much more detailed picture of
what college and career readiness actually entails—the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions that can be assessed,
taught, and learned that are strongly associated with
success beyond high school (Achieve, Education Trust, &
Fordham Foundation 2004; ACT 2011; Conley 2003; Conley,
et al. 2006; Conley & Brown 2003; EPIC 2014a; Seburn,
Frain, & Conley 2013; THECB & EPIC 2009; College Board
2006). Advances in cognitive science (Bransford, Brown,
& Cocking 2000; Pellegrino & Hilton 2012), combined with
the development and implementation of Common Core
State Standards and their attendant assessments (Conley
2014a; CCSSO & NGA 2010a, 2010b), provide states with a
golden opportunity to move toward the notion of a more
comprehensive system of assessments in place of a limited
set of often-overlapping measures of reading and math.

The concept of metacognitive skills has a long history,
and educators have long shown an interest in cultivating
these skills in students. Researchers in cognitive
psychology, workplace success, and education have
established the existence and importance of intentional,
self-regulated, reflective learning. However,
numerous challenges remain to be surmounted before
metacognitive learning skills are viewed as being equal
in importance and relevance to content-knowledge
acquisition and are understood to be the complement
to content mastery.

This paper builds on work reported by Farrington
and others in 2012 when they assembled a broader
framework for noncognitive factors, of which learning
strategies were a part. The paper begins by comparing
the Farrington model with other models of learning
strategies, proceeds to considering examples of innovations
in the field, and concludes by identifying implications
for the field moving forward. The intent of this
paper is not to advance a singular definition, model,
or implementation process for learning strategies, but
rather to review the current state of the field and the
issues that need to be understood and confronted to
move beyond research and toward action.

The Common Core State Standards aim to support college and career readiness for all
students, and assessments from two multistate consortia are being designed to measure
how well students achieve that goal. As planned, the new consortia assessments should
be a significant advance over most states’ existing tests; however, they will not be able
to measure all of the Common Core Standards—especially those that require in-depth
inquiry, extended communication, and 21st century skills like collaboration and the
use of technologies.
To prepare students for college and careers in the 21st century economy, educational
systems will need to pay attention to all of these abilities. The needed transformations
in curriculum, instruction, and assessment will depend on states moving beyond their
current testing systems to new systems of assessment that are able to support the
development of deeper learning skills, to generate instructionally useful diagnostic
information, and to provide insights about a wider range of student capacities that are
actionable by students and inform parents, colleges, employers, and policymakers.
As is common in many other countries, such systems will combine traditional “sitdown”
tests with classroom-based performance assessments that allow students
to demonstrate their abilities to design and conduct investigations, solve complex
problems, and communicate in a variety of ways. New systems of assessments will also
trigger the need for new systems of accountability that can use assessment and other
data in ways that support the achievement of educational goals without distorting
teaching and learning. Productive systems of accountability should also use multiple
data sources appropriately selected to achieve key purposes. This report describes
how systems of assessment and accountability can be designed strategically to support
continuous improvement across all levels of the education enterprise.

This publication provides a clear, concise, and accurate summary of the following information about the Common Core State Standards:
• the rationale for the standards
• an overview of how they were developed
• a summary of the research base supporting them
• some of the evidence that the Common Core State Standards will
prepare students for college and careers
• insight into the changes in teaching and learning that are likely to
occur as the standards are implemented
• how to use the standards
These represent some of the most important issues on the minds of teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers, and members of the public at
large.

KEY QUESTIONS
What is college and career readiness?
What are the four keys to readiness?
What can you do to make your schools more effective at getting students ready for college and careers?
How does college and career readiness align with the Common Core?
How will California’s new accountability system promote college and career readiness?

Overview of data dashboards and Early Warning Systems, review of the rationale for them. Key characteristics of effective dashboards and early warning systems. Issues in choosing measures. Challenges in linking dashboards and EWS to Local Control Action Plans as required of California districts. Potential accountability implications. Process of constructing data dashboards and EWS. Ways to use the data to create action steps tied to LCAPs. Examples of dashboards and EWSs. How to connect data dashboards to LCAPs.

Presentation to the California State Board of Education on May 7, 2015 on the elements of a systems approach to educational accountability. Explores the use of multiple measures in a state accountability system based on a state-local partnership.

Presentation given at the Orange County (California) Department of Education to school administrators. Designed to help them produce better Local Control Action Plans and to think about approaches to accountability in a state-local partnership framework that involve the use of multiple measures.

Californians are just now beginning to recognize the scale and impact of recent policy changes in the state’s education system. The simultaneous adoption and implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) promise large and potentially transformational improvements in the state’s schools and classrooms. Ensuring that these reforms live up to their promise will require educators and policymakers to develop and pursue an integrated, long-term strategy that supports system-wide learning about the effects of policies and practices and continuous improvement at all levels of California’s education system. The engine that will drive this transformation is California’s new accountability system, which is different from the previous accountability system in nearly every important respect. Some key parts of the new system are still under construction, but the broad outline of what it will look like is already clear.

The stated aim of the Common Core State Standards is to define the knowledge and skills students should achieve in order to graduate from high school ready to succeed in entrylevel,
credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training
programs. As of July 2011, 44 states had taken up this invitation
and had adopted the standards. Major questions remain to be answered about these standards, chief among them the degree to which they reflect what is necessary to be ready for college and careers.

To help answer this question, the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) designed and conducted this study. It examines the degree to which the knowledge and skills contained in the Common Core State Standards are applicable to and important for
postsecondary readiness.

Our method was to have postsecondary instructors from a wide range of postsecondary courses and institutions rate each standard on its applicability and importance to their course. We began by recruiting a national sample of instructors from
two- and four-year institutions in 25 course categories. A total
of 1897 responses were received. First, we asked them to
rate the applicability of each Common Core standard to their
course. If the standard was applicable, we asked them to
rate the standard’s importance to success in the course.

Each instructor was given the opportunity to rate both
(English language arts [ELA] and literacy, and mathematics).
Responses to these two questions and several supplemental
questions provide the basis for our findings.
The 25 course categories include 14 from courses commonly
associated with general education requirements for a
bachelor’s degree and 11 that might be better considered
as career-oriented, often required for two-year certificates or,
in some cases, a bachelor’s degree in a career area. EPIC
has collected this type of self-reported information previously
and has found 70% to 90% consistency of instructor
ratings of the standards with independent third-party expert
analysis of course syllabi from these instructors (Conley,
Aspengren, Gallagher, Stout, & Veach, 2006; Educational
Policy Improvement Center, 2008). Given the exploratory
nature of this study, this method of data collection was
deemed appropriate. Caution is taken throughout the report
not to overgeneralize or place excessive weight on any
individual data point. Instead, the findings and conclusions
are summarized at a relatively high level of aggregation, while
the interested reader can still examine the more detailed
standards ratings.

We selected courses to be representative examples of
common offerings in seven major subject areas: English
language arts, mathematics, science, social science,
business management, computer technology, and healthcare.
The study does not cover the whole landscape of personnel
who could provide information on college- and careerreadiness,
nor do the selected courses comprehensively
cover all content areas. The data does, however, give insight
on the Common Core standards from college instructors in a
number of different fields and contexts.

Groundbreaking study on what it takes to succeed in entry-level university courses. Standards for Success gathered data at over 20 AAU universities from more than 400 faculty members and hundreds of courses at these universities. The final result was the first set of college-readiness standards in the U.S. derived from an analysis of what actually goes on in college courses.