ATLANTA – States need to develop college-readiness standards that high school students are expected to meet before graduation, says a new Southern Regional Education Board report.
High School to College and Careers: Aligning State Policies 2007 calls for the 16 SREB states to develop clear college-readiness academic standards for high school students, to rework high school tests to measure the standards, and to train teachers to use the standards in classrooms. The effort is aimed at curbing the number of students who must take remedial courses in college and improving high school and college graduation rates.
“College readiness is one of the most important but overlooked issues in education today,” said SREB President Dave Spence, a former senior higher education official in California, Florida and Georgia.
“ACT Inc. estimates that as many as four in five college freshmen aren’t ready for college-level course work in English, math and science. We must help more students make their way to higher levels of education if we are to see the economic and social progress that all of our states need.”
The new report details high school graduation requirements and tests for all 16 SREB states, allowing for easy state-to-state comparisons, and outlines programs and scholarships these states have implemented to promote smooth transitions and higher graduation rates.
For more information on your state’s progress on college readiness and high school graduation requirements, please contact SREB Communications.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
