Principal’s Notes April 1:

In leadership this past week we discussed the following topics:

College Ready Standards- This week we read and discussed an article entitled High School Teaching for the Twenty-first Century: Preparing Students for College. According to the article “most students need at least some post-secondary education to earn a decent wage. An estimated 85% of current jobs and almost 90% of the fastest-growing and best paying jobs require some post-secondary education.” The article goes on to report that 80% of high school age students nationally are aware of the need to continue with some level of post-secondary education. However, nationally a mere 34% graduate ready for the post-secondary experience. The article cites as a cause for the low readiness percentage a misalignment with what high schools teach and what colleges expect. It claims that today’s high schools do not focus on “college readiness standards” to guide curriculum and instruction but rather, continue to emphasize lots of content.

It was a relevant and timely topic given our work on course competencies and assessments and our pending response to the NEASC five year report due next year. While the article offers a compelling case for advancing rigor and aligning with college expectations, it did not seem to address other essential components of an effective school, i.e. environment and personalization.

If you would like to read the article, I have attached the link below. It is about 12 pages in length and goes into some detail about college readiness standards.

www.all4ed.org-files-archive-publications-HSTeach21st.pdf