Dive Brief:
- The adoption of Common Core State Standards and related assessments provides an opportunity to bridge the gap between high schools and higher education, according to a new report from the New America Foundation.
- The non-partisan think tank says that colleges and universities should use the Common Core standards to guide and shape the instruction of future teachers, as well as the remedial courses they offer to incoming students.
- New state assessments of whether prospective students are ready for college or certain careers should provide an avenue for students to meet minimum college eligibility requirements, qualify for state financial aid, and be placed appropriately in their first year of college-credit classes, says Lindsey Tepe, the report’s author.
Dive Insight:
The report, “Common Core Goes to College: Building Better Connections Between High School and Higher Education,” looks at how state and institutional higher ed policies — including policies on admissions, qualifying for financial aid, retesting and course placement, and developmental education and teacher preparation — expose and even create detours for students trying to make the jump from high school to college. States need to address “the complicated, piecemeal higher ed policies and practices which have been put into place over the past century,” Tepe says.