College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief

Test Consortium Drafts College-Ready Criteria

By Catherine Gewertz — December 04, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Twenty-five states have drafted an initial definition of what college readiness means, and descriptions of the skills and knowledge students must demonstrate at each step of the way toward that goal, as part of the work of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, one of two federally funded groups of states that are designing assessment systems for the Common Core State Standards.

Smarter Balanced is soliciting public feedback on the documents through Jan. 15. States in the consortium will then revise them, with an eye toward final adoption in March.

Twenty-three other states have already completed their own college-readiness definition and achievement-level descriptors through the other assessment consortium. The Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers released its final college-readiness definition and achievement-level descriptors last month.

A version of this article appeared in the December 05, 2012 edition of Education Week as Test Consortium Drafts College-Ready Criteria

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Stop the Drop: Turn Communication Into an Enrollment Booster
Turn everyday communication with families into powerful PR that builds trust, boosts reputation, and drives enrollment.
Content provided by TalkingPoints
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Integrating and Interpreting MTSS Data: How Districts Are Designing Systems That Identify Student Needs
Discover practical ways to organize MTSS data that enable timely, confident MTSS decisions, ensuring every student is seen and supported.
Content provided by Panorama Education
Artificial Intelligence Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: AI Could Be Your Thought Partner
How can educators prepare young people for an AI-powered workplace? Join our discussion on using AI as a cognitive companion.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Classroom View: How AI Is Influencing Teacher Approaches to Career and Technical Ed.
Teachers share examples of how the technology is playing a bigger role in their lessons.
8 min read
Students in Bentonville public schools’ Ignite program work on projects during class on Nov. 5, 2025, in Bentonville, Ark. The program offer career-pathway training for juniors and seniors in the district.
Students in the digital media pathway at Bentonville public schools’ Ignite program work on a group project during class on Nov. 5, 2025, in Bentonville, Ark. The program—which integrates lessons about AI into its curriculum—offers career-pathway training for juniors and seniors in the district.
Wesley Hitt for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Schools Are Working to Show Boys That the Helping Professions Aren't 'Girly'
Experts say boys don't get support to enter traditionally female careers.
11 min read
PhD student and Physical Therapist Stephen Eaton, left, explains ultrasound imaging to RAMP students during a lab at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on Oct. 16, 2025, in Baltimore, Md. RAMP, which stands for Research and Mentoring Program, is a training program that targets high school juniors and seniors from Baltimore City to prepare them for careers in biomedical research.
Doctoral student and physical therapist Stephen Eaton, left, explains ultrasound imaging to students in the Research and Mentoring program during a lab at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on Oct. 16, 2025, in Baltimore. Men are heavily underrepresented in health fields, and more high schools are designing programs that, like RAMP, encourage boys to consider high-growth fields traditionally dominated by women.
KT Kanazawich for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Superintendents Develop New Strategies to Meet Evolving Workforce Needs
The Public Education Promise aims to help districts align their work with the needs of their communities.
4 min read
Lazaro Lopez, associate superintendent for teaching and learning at High School District 214, visits the manufacturing lab at Wheeling High School, where he talks with students and their instructor, in Wheeling, Ill., on Dec. 3, 2024.
Lazaro Lopez, the associate superintendent for teaching and learning at High School District 214, visits the manufacturing lab at Wheeling High School, where he talks with students and their instructor, in Wheeling, Ill., on Dec. 3, 2024. More districts are examining ways to create similarly aligned pathways of study that lead to strong work opportunities.
Jamie Kelter Davis for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on Rethinking High School: Integrating Career Prep & Academic Learning
This Spotlight will provide insights into real-world industry-focused learning that can help prepare students for the workforce.