College Readiness

Given a growing asset-based approach to equipping English Learners (ELs) with the knowledge and skills to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, this brief examines ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary education outcomes in California. It includes a brief summary of relevant literature on college readiness among EL students. Researchers then present data retrieved from the California Department of Education on college readiness and postsecondary education. The results show that EL students lack access to college preparatory courses, have a low rate of meeting the state’s College/Career Indicator, and enroll in postsecondary education at lower rates than other groups. This policy brief concludes with recommendations for state-, district-, and school-level improvements for ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary enrollment.

Knowing that our MBTI test personality type results will see us through college and well beyond, we can now step into the world of the eight letters of MBTI Type and what MBTI Types and pairs correlate to what specific areas of studies, and eventually majors. An MBTI “pair” refers to taking half or two letters out of your 4-letter MBTI Type and studying them uniquely from your entire Type. This manner of study has been met with great success and validity.

The UMES School of Business and Technology in collaboration with the Center for Student Technology Certification and Training has initiated an innovative three-prong program that uses the IC3 test to evaluate the information and digital literacy of new freshmen in order to examine whether students have the minimal skills necessary for college success, followed by a computer concepts course designed to prepare them for workforce entry, and finally including the availability of advanced course work and professional certifications in order to provide them with the opportunity to develop enhanced skills.

This paper discusses college readiness and the issues today's college faculty face in having to teach both high school and college at the same time. It seems more students then ever before need some type of remedial or developmental education during the first year of college.

Gilliland, B. (2017). Opportunity gaps: Curricular discontinuities across ESL, mainstream, and college English. In C. Ortmeier-Hooper & T. Ruecker (Eds.), Linguistically diverse immigrant and resident writers: Transitions from high school to college (pp. 21-35). New York: Routledge.

This article provides further detail on a middle school college readiness index, which was devised to generate earlier and more nuanced readiness diagnoses to K-12 students. Issues of reliability and validity (including construct underrepresentation and construct-irrelevant variance) are discussed in detail. In addition, comments from Lazowski et al. and Mattern et al. provide a useful summary of areas where more college readiness research is needed. This rejoinder elaborates on those essential next steps, including deploying readiness indicators in school settings. Advances in the measurement of noncognitive skills will require more validity research using more contemporary data from authentic school settings. Still, the middle school college readiness index is a promising proof of concept, demonstrating the utility of diverse, early measures to support targeted, timely interventions.

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic preparation, build students’ college aspirations, increase students’ and their families’ college knowledge, and provide students and their families with college planning and financial aid information conducive to successful enrollment in postsecondary institutions. We highlight the critical components of a comprehensive multi-system college readiness partnership program, offer some parent involvement and outreach strategies for collaborating with African-American and Latino families, describe how to locate and leverage resources through community asset mapping, and describe a partnership process model for building school-family-community partnerships focused on college readiness.

... 2005; Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000, 2001; McDonough, 2005b; Perna, 2000; Perna et al., 2008). Although there has been much written about the influence of school counselors on the college choice process, there is limited empirical evidence with large samples Julia Bryan, ...

Students vary in the degree to which high school and family life prepare them for college, and that preparation has a dramatic impact on their transition to college and subsequent success there. This article introduces a new and more complex way of thinking about what constitutes readiness.

This special issue furthers the conversation begun in the August 2014 of edition of Education Policy Analysis Archives in the article Accountability for College and Career Readiness: Developing a New Paradigm by Linda Darling-Hammond, Gene Wilhoit and Linda Pittenger. That paper posits that as schools across the country take on the challenge of preparing all children for success in college, career, and life, states must in turn move toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability. The authors recommend “an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and appropriate resources, so that all students regardless of background are prepared for both college and career when they graduate from high school” (p. 1). This issue focuses particularly upon accountability for meaningful learning with subsequent issues focusing on professional accountability and resource accountability.

As educational stakeholders endeavor to prepare more students for postsecond-ary success, the construct of college readiness has gained national attention. Scholarly perspectives vary regarding what constitutes readiness, but even less is known about the perceptions of secondary educators tasked with preparing college-ready students. Drawing on interview data and sensemaking theory, we explore the perspectives of 108 teachers working in eight early college high schools in a border region of Texas. Findings suggest teachers rely primarily on their personal and professional experience to make sense of college readiness, resulting in wide variation with respect to how they approach it in their classrooms. The article closes with implications for policy and practice.

The college-for-all movement is variously framed as a civil rights issue, an economic imperative, and a requirement for navigating our increasingly globalized society. In response, large urban school districts across the United States have adopted and implemented new policies for graduation that require high school students to complete a college preparatory education. These policies are relatively new, and their impli- cations are just beginning to emerge. As a case of public scholarship, we describe the collective problem-solving process that unfolded over a decade, from 2007 to 2017, as researchers and practitioners in a new K-12 urban public school worked together to expand access to college for traditionally underrepresented students. We describe three practical problems—how to frame, support, and track a college-for-all reform effort—and detail how grappling with these problems locally provides unique insight into the larger college-for-all policy context. In particular, we explore the role of learning supports, status hierarchies, and resources in realizing the college-for-all ideal. We also articulate a fundamental framing tension between social justice as redistribution and recognition and suggest that the notion of parity of participation guide policy and action.

Using social capital theory as a framework, the authors examined data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002) to examine how student contact with high school counselors about college information and other college-related variables influence students’ college application rates. In addition to some college related variables, the number of school counselors, and student contact were significant predictors of college application rates.  Implications for school counselors and counselor training are included.

This article investigates the experience of 229 low-income students of color who participated in an innovative high school internship program between 2011 and 2015. Using mixed methods (interviews, observations, and survey), the authors aim to understand the types of knowledge, information, and supports these students develop and expand in relation to careers and the college-going process. The authors draw on students’ community cultural wealth to highlight the way the internship program supports students’ aspirational, navigational, linguistic, resistant, and social capital.

Background/Context: To enhance postsecondary completion and minimize equity gaps, researchers have focused on defining, measuring, and developing students' college readiness, or the preparation required to persist in higher education. While this work has been useful to identify the ingredients of postsecondary success, the emphasis on individual achievement runs the risk of portraying marginalized students as deficient. Culturally relevant studies that highlight institutional accountability for college readiness are needed to inform policy and practice.

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic preparation, build students’ college aspirations, increase students’ and their families’ college knowledge, and provide students and their families with college planning and financial aid information conducive to successful enrollment in postsecondary institutions. We highlight the critical components of a comprehensive multi-system college readiness partnership program, offer some parent involvement and outreach strategies for collaborating with African-American and Latino families, describe how to locate and leverage resources through community asset mapping, and describe a partnership process model for building school-family-community partnerships focused on college readiness.

Considering the current structural challenges that exist for students of color (SOC) in accessing a higher education, an epistemology is needed that better represents the complex process SOC endure in this pursuit. College access literature either proposes stages (Hossler and Gallagher in Coll Univ 62(3):207-221, 1987), contextual layers (Perna in Higher education: handbook of theory and research. Springer, Amsterdam, 2006) or a pipeline approach (Horn in Confronting the odds: students at risk and the pipeline to higher education. National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, D.C., 1997; Cabrera and LaNasa in Understanding the colleges choice of disadvantaged. Jossey-Bass Inc, San Francisco, 2000a) that do not consider the additional resources and skills SOC must possess in navigating their educational pathways. This paper presents findings from two larger studies to propose an approach that colors outside the standard college access and readiness frameworks and uses a more culturally responsive approach to consider the complex and auspicious ways in which SOC navigate their college pathways. Culturally responsive recommendations for increasing college readiness and access for SOC in secondary schools will be provided based on the perspectives of SOC themselves.

The graduation of the first two batches of the Filipino senior high school (postsecondary) graduates calls for an examination of their college readiness since admission to tertiary education is one of the curricular exits of the K to 12 Program. Using the College Readiness Test (CRT) as a criterion-referenced measure, this study determined the college readiness of the K to 12 graduates based on the overall CRT results and specifically in its seven (7) learning areas namely English, Filipino, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Humanities, which ought to be mastered in the K to 12 Program. The test of concurrent validity has proven that the CRT is a credible measure of college readiness in these learning areas. It has also ascertained this concurrent validity of the CRT in relation to a College Admission Test (CAT), which is a norm-referenced test that measures the college readiness of K to 12 graduates admitted in one public university in the northeastern part of the Philippines. As a descriptive-correlational research and using 7,533 K to 12 graduates as respondents, it was found that overall, the K to 12 graduates were college-unready. They poorly performed in Science and Mathematics but manifested college readiness with languages and literature. Also, campus assignment plays a significant variable in explaining the differentials in the college readiness of the respondents. On the whole, the study offers manifold benefits for policy reforms along curriculum alignment, tertiary admissions, and transition interventions to improve the quality of the K to 12 graduates. Contribution/Originality: This study is one of the first attempts to document the college readiness of Filipino K to 12 graduates as a response to the call of the Philippine Congress to examine the quality of the K to 12 graduates. This study is going to be an input for policy formulation among DepEd, CHED and HEIs along instructional delivery, curricular reforms, college admissions and retention, and intervention measures. 1. INTRODUCTION College readiness generally refers to the ability of the high school graduates to be admitted to college and to succeed in foundation courses without remediation. It focuses on the knowledge and skills essential to successfully pursue college (Baber, Zamani-Gallaher, Stevenson, & Porter, 2019). In fact, it is an evolving educational concept with the following takeaways. First, it has been understood in diverse contexts such as, "best practices" and

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?

In a bid to align the Zimbabwe education and training sub-sectors to the evolving needs of the nation, the Nziramasanga Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training (CIET) put forward several recommendations. One of the recommendations was that the state should increase access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) by coming up with a formal primary school based ECD curriculum (CIET: 1992). Technocrats in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) translated the CIET recommendations into an actionable curriculum policy. Between 2014 and 2016, the MoPSE designed a new curriculum and prepared the relevant teaching-learning inputs (Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education: 2015-2022 (CFPSE: 2015-2022). The MoPSE said, schools were ready to implement the new curriculum with effect from January 2017(CFPSE: 2015-2022). On the contrary, some sectors of the society doubted that schools were prepared. The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), alleged teachers and parents were not consulted and schools were ill prepared (News Day Zimbabwe: 09/01/17). A pre-research research established that 16 private ECD centers dotted around Bindura urban had a combined enrolment of 1200 children which was almost 50% of the ECD market share. This background motivated the researchers to find out if primary schools were prepared to implement the ECD curriculum.

The graduation of the first two batches of the Filipino senior high school (post-secondary) graduates calls for an examination of their college readiness since admission to tertiary education is one of the curricular exits of the K to 12 Program. Using the College Readiness Test (CRT) as a criterion-referenced measure, this study determined the college readiness of the K to 12 graduates based on the overall CRT results and specifically in its seven (7) learning areas namely English, Filipino, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Humanities, which ought to be mastered in the K to 12 Program. The test of concurrent validity has proven that the CRT is a credible measure of college readiness in these learning areas. It has also ascertained this concurrent validity of the CRT in relation to a College Admission Test (CAT), which is a norm-referenced test that measures the college readiness of K to 12 graduates admitted in one public university in the north-eastern part of...

The study illustrated brief summary of historical development of school counselling service in both the United States of America and Turkey. The paper analyzed the BA students who were provided with school counselling in high school. Students’ perceptions were identified with regard to academic achievements, social/personal problems, and vocational planning. A survey was carried out to obtain the data.  Moreover, the participants were asked to rate the effectiveness and importance of school counselling. The research results revealed that students were well aware of the significance and effectiveness of guidance program and school counsellors.

The graduation of the first two batches of the Filipino senior high school (post-secondary) graduates calls for an examination of their college readiness since admission to tertiary education is one of the curricular exits of the K to 12 Program. Using the College Readiness Test (CRT) as a criterion-referenced measure, this study determined the college readiness of the K to 12 graduates based on the overall CRT results and specifically in its seven (7) learning areas namely English, Filipino, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Humanities, which ought to be mastered in the K to 12 Program. The test of concurrent validity has proven that the CRT is a credible measure of college readiness in these learning areas. It has also ascertained this concurrent validity of the CRT in relation to a College Admission Test (CAT), which is a norm-referenced test that measures the college readiness of K to 12 graduates admitted in one public university in the north-eastern part of the Philippines. As a descriptive-correlational research and using 7,533 K to 12 graduates as respondents, it was found that overall, the K to 12 graduates were college-unready. They poorly performed in Science and Mathematics but manifested college readiness with languages and literature. Also, campus assignment plays a significant variable in explaining the differentials in the college readiness of the respondents. On the whole, the study offers manifold benefits for policy reforms along curriculum alignment, tertiary admissions, and transition interventions to improve the quality of the K to 12 graduates.

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.

Gelişen Bilgi ve İletişim Teknolojileri (BİT) ile birlikte öğretimde ve eğitimde yeni anlayışlar ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu anlayışların en önemlilerinden birisi e-öğrenmedir. E-öğrenme öğrenenlere bilgiyi hızlı ve ucuz bir şekilde iletmek için sıklıkla kullanılmaktadır. Bu noktada öğrenenlerin ve öğreticilerin e-öğrenmeye ne kadar hazır oldukları sorusu gündeme gelmektedir. Araştırmanın temel amacı üniversite öğrencilerinin ve akademik personelinin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluk düzeylerini saptamak ve bu saptamaya dayanarak bahsi geçen iki paydaşın e-öğrenme hazır bulunuşluk düzeylerini geliştirecek önerilerde bulunmaktır.
Araştırmada iki farklı gruptan veri toplanmıştır. İlk olarak üniversite öğrencilerinden, ikinci olarak ise akademik personelden veri toplanmıştır. Üniversite öğrencisi kısmını Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi’nde öğrenim gören 1802 öğretmen adayı oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada üniversite öğrencilerine araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen Üniversite öğrencilerinin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğu ölçeği uygulanmıştır. Ayrıca üniversite öğrencilerine demografik bilgileri, öğrenim bilgileri yanı sıra, bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri kullanım tercihlerini içeren bir anket de uygulanmıştır. Akademik personeli kısmını ise Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi’nde görev yapan 96 akademik personel oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada akademik personele akademik personelin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğu ölçeği uygulanmıştır. Üniversite öğrencilerinin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğu ölçeğinde olduğu gibi akademik personele de demografik bilgilerini ve BİT kullanım tercihlerini içeren bir anket uygulanmıştır.
Araştırma kapsamında geliştirilen ölçeklere ilişkin bulgulara bakıldığında, “üniversite öğrencilerinin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğu ölçeğinin” 33 madde ve 6 faktörden oluştuğu bulunmuştur. Bahsi geçen ölçeğin faktörleri şu şekildedir: Bilgisayar öz yeterliği, internet öz yeterliği, çevrimiçi iletişim öz yeterliği, kendi kendine öğrenme, öğrenen kontrolü ve son olarak e-öğrenmeye yönelik motivasyondur. Ölçeğin genel Cronbach Alfa güvenirlik katsayısı 0,93 olarak elde edilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında geliştirilen ikinci ölçek olan “akademik personelin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğu” ölçeğinin ise 35 madde ve 4 faktörden oluştuğu bulunmuştur. Bu ölçeğin faktörleri şu şekildedir: Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri kullanım öz yeterliği, e-öğrenmede kendine güven, e-öğrenmeye yönelik tutum ve e-öğrenmeye yönelik eğitim ihtiyacı. Ölçeğin genel Cronbach Alfa güvenirlik katsayısı 0,92 olarak hesaplanmıştır.
Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre üniversite öğrencilerinin e-öğrenmeye hazır olmak için gerekli fiziksel donanıma sahip oldukları tespit edilmiştir. Üniversite öğrencileri internete en çok evlerinden bağlanmakta ve bunun için en çok dizüstü bilgisayar kullanmaktadırlar. Ayrıca üniversite öğrencileri interneti ve sosyal ağ sitelerini sık sık kullanmaktadırlar. Bunun yanında üniversite öğrencilerinin internet öz yeterlik seviyeleri oldukça yüksek iken, e-öğrenmeye yönelik motivasyonlarının düşük olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Veriler eğitim fakültesinin programlarına göre analiz edildiğinde, bilgisayar ve öğretim teknolojileri eğitimi, Alman dili eğitimi ve fizik eğitimi programlarının e-öğrenmeye hazır olan grupta yer alırken, ilköğretim matematik eğitimi ve psikolojik danışma ve rehberlik programının e-öğrenmeye hazır olmayan grupta yer aldığı görülmüştür. Üniversite öğrencilerinin sınıf düzeyine göre e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşlukları da incelenmiş ve sınıf düzeyi arttıkça üniversite öğrencilerinin e-öğrenmeye daha hazır olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. E-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluğun faktörlerinin internet kullanım amaçları ile pozitif yönde anlamlı ilişki verdiği de diğer bulgular arasındadır. Akademik personele ilişkin bulgulara gelindiğinde, akademik personelin en yüksek düzeyde bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri kullanım öz yeterliği faktörüne, en düşük düzeyde ise e-öğrenmede kendine güven faktörüne sahip olduğu bulunmuştur. Bunun yanı sıra, akademik personelin e-öğrenmeye hazır bulunuşluk düzeylerinin ünvanlara göre değişmediği belirlenmiştir.
Araştırma sonucunda üniversite öğrencilerinin ve akademik personelinin e-öğrenmeye hangi nedenlerden dolayı hazır olmadıkları belirlenmiş ve araştırmanın bulgulardan yola çıkarak üniversite rektörlüklerine ve diğer yetkili mercilere bahsi geçen iki paydaşı e-öğrenmeye daha hazır hale getirecek önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

New paradigms have recently emerged in education and instruction with the advances in information and communication technologies. Amongst these paradigms, e-learning is one of the most significant ones. E-learning is often used with the aim of delivering information to learners in a fast and cheap way. Nonetheless, at this point, the question of how much learners and teachers are ready to e-learning gains currency. Therefore, the basic purpose of the current study is to determine e-learning readiness levels of university students and academic staff and, based on this determination, make some suggestions to enhance aforementioned stakeholders’ readiness levels for e-learning.
In the current study, data were collected from two different groups. First group was university students. As for second group, it was composed of academic staff. A total of 1802 university students from Hacettepe University faculty of education constituted the group of university students. “The scale of University Students’ Readiness for E-learning” developed by author was administered to university students. Besides, a questionnaire including university students’ demographic and educational information and information and communication technologies usage preferences was administered too. When it comes to the group of academic staff, data were gathered from Hacettepe University faculty of education and 96 academicians were reached in total. “The scale of Academic Staff’s Readiness for E-learning” was administered to them. Like the previous scale, a questionnaire including demographic information and information and communication technologies usage preferences of academic staff was also administered to them.
As far as the scales developed within the scope of current study are concerned, the scale of university students’ readiness for e-learning consisted of 33 items and 6 factors. The factors of the previously mentioned scale are as follows: Computer self-efficacy, internet self-efficacy, online communication self-efficacy, self-directed learning, learner control, and finally motivation for e-learning. Overall Cronbach
Alpha reliability coefficient of the aforementioned scale was calculated to be 0.93. As for the scale of academic staff’s readiness for e-learning, the second scale developed within the scope of the current study, it was found out that it consisted of 35 items and 4 factors. Its factors are as follows: information and communication technologies usage self-efficacy, self-confidence in e-learning, attitude towards e-learning, and finally education need towards e-learning. Overall Cronbach Alpha reliability of this scale was found out as 0.92.
When it comes to the findings of the study, first, findings regarding university students were mentioned. To begin with, it was determined that university students possess physical tools required to be ready for e-learning. They connect internet mostly from their homes and to do that make us of mostly notebooks. In addition, university students often use internet and social networks. Besides, it was concluded that while their levels of internet self-efficacy were remarkably high, those of motivation were remarkably low. When the data are analyzed according to divisions of the faculty of education, it was revealed that divisions of computer education and instructional technologies, German language education, and physics education were found out to be amongst the group ready to e-learning, whereas divisions of elementary mathematics education and guidance and psychological counseling were found out to be amongst the unready group. University students’ readiness levels according to grade level were also examined, and it was concluded that the higher the grade level is the readier for e-learning university students are. It was also found that factors of readiness for e-learning yielded positive and statistically significant correlation coefficients with usage purposes of internet. As for findings pertaining to academic staff, it was first found out that the factor of information and communication technologies usage preferences was the highest one whereas self-confidence in e-learning was the lowest one. In addition to that, it was also found out that academic title has no statistically significant impact on the academic staff’s e-learning readiness level.
In the thesis, reasons as to why university students and academic staff are not ready for e-learning were determined and, based on the findings of the study, suggestions that may improve aforementioned stakeholders’ readiness for e-learning were made to the university rectorships as well as other competent authorities.

The indigenous peoples (IPs) are recognized as one of the disadvantaged social groups constituting Philippine minorities. While there have been several studies seeking to explain issues relating to IPs' participation in education, these have not adequately provided baseline data on the their academic profile and college preparedness, which are essential in understanding their effective transition from basic to tertiary education. Using descriptive-correlational design, this study investigated the association of academic profile and college preparedness of 1,860 IPs enrolled in a public university in the northern Philippines. The results revealed that the majority of respondents were college unprepared. Moreover, the level of preparedness differed significantly in terms of the type of senior high school (SHS) where they graduated, as well as the SHS track and strand they had taken. Kendall's tau-b statistic results showed that IPs who had higher SHS grade point average (GPA), more academic and nonacademic awards, greater participation in organizations and more involvement in cocurricular activities tended to be more college prepared. In regard to educational practice, improving college preparedness with due consideration of the academic profile facilitates an increased ability for IPs to be admitted to college and to succeed without remediation in college foundation courses.

It is important to remember that The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test is here to expand on your horizons and not to close opportunities or beliefs you might have. The MBTI test should not be used to constrain you from making choices that you feel strongly about. Even though the job categories as they pertain to Type are known to be your best fit type, this does not mean that other job categories should be removed from your list if you feel strongly about a job choice that might fall slightly out of your personality type best-fit job and study areas.

Moving forward, the ACT goal in establishing a holistic approach to CCR is to better assist students
and adults in identifying and navigating potential barriers at key transition points throughout the K–
Career continuum. ACT is developing an expanded framework that has been empirically tested and
includes knowledge and skills related to success in education and in the workplace. This expanded
framework includes skills in at least four domains:
• Core academic skills in mathematics, science, and English language arts (ELA) based on an
expanded definition of the skills and mapped to learning progressions from kindergarten through
career (K–Career).
• Cross-cutting capabilities such as critical thinking and collaborative problem solving, and
information and technology skills.
• Behavioral skills related to success in education and the workforce, such as dependability,
working effectively with others, adapting, and managing stress.
• Education and career skills needed to successfully navigate educational and career paths,
including self-knowledge of abilities, likes and dislikes, values, etc., knowledge about majors and
occupations, and a variety of skills related to educational and career exploration, planning, and
decision making.
Each of these skills will be clearly articulated at important transition points throughout the K–Career
continuum. The ultimate goal in developing a more holistic view of CCR is to provide individuals with
feedback that is more personalized and developmentally appropriate and to offer insights in the form
of actionable information, empowering students to reach their full potential.

Popular conceptions of college and career readiness are broadening beyond strictly academic competencies like literacy and numeracy. New thinking on the many dimensions of preparedness has produced volumes of research and scores of new products. In fact, educators and employers may find it difficult to separate signal from noise and focus on the readiness paradigms that suit their needs. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the readiness landscape. We introduce three readiness paradigms—the college readiness index for middle school students, the Conley Readiness Index, and GRIT—and review their goals, theoretical foundations, and empirical support. This paper dedicates particular focus to strands of convergence and divergence between these three approaches. A few core tenets underpin each of the three readiness paradigms: (1) scholars, educational practitioners, and employers must develop an expanded definition of readiness and success, (2) useful readiness paradigms should empower the learner, and (3) rigorous measurement still matters. The paper concludes with a short set of recommendations focused on how new approaches to college and career readiness can be used to support smarter and earlier interventions and open college and career pathways to all learners.

Educators and policymakers are keenly aware of the need to prepare students to compete in an increasingly global society. It is widely accepted that a high school diploma is not sufficient and that secondary schools have a responsibility to prepare students to be college and career ready. This study examined participation in a rigorous secondary curriculum and the corresponding outcomes related to college enrollment, persistence, and graduation. Focusing on the involvement of students in high-rigor courses that provide a stronger pathway to college, we seek to understand further the indicators that lead to postsecondary success. The sample comprises 1464 students who graduated from high school between 2009 and 2014. The primary analytic technique was binary logistic regression. The results from this study confirmed that a positive relationship exists between high-rigor courses and college success. This relationship was evident even after controlling for relevant student demographics including gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The academic benefits of the high-rigor course participation are discussed.

In research and in practice, two similar but significantly different definitions arise for the term First Generation College Student (FGCS). The difference is whether it refers to students neither of whose parents attended vs. graduated from a four-year college. Using the completion standard, 25-50% of all college students are First Generation; in community colleges, that numbers is estimated to be 75%. These percentages are significant and would seem encouraging when thinking that so many students in college are taking a different educational path than their parents did (or were able to), however, enrollment does not equate to completion.

Unfortunately, FGCSs do not graduate at the same rates as student‘s who have at least one parent who completed a college education. The discrepancy exists even when accounting for factors such as academic preparation, achievement scores, and high school grades. Being First Generation does not only impact the student who may have little guidance when making the decision to pursue a college education; it impacts the families who may wish to help but do not have the knowledge or experience to offer guidance and may themselves encounter anxiety as their student ventures into unfamiliar territory. Narrowing the college experience knowledge gap between FGCSs and Continuing Generation College Students can help universities narrow the achievement gap between the two groups.

The purpose of this descriptive project is three-fold, (1) To identify factors that may impede FGCSs and underrepresented students from successfully transitioning to and completing college, (2) to determine and describe the structure of a handbook that informs current/potential Texas State students and their families about the college experience and identifies available resources to overcome college challenges, and (3) to develop a handbook that Texas State can use as a recruitment tool and that students and parents can use as a guide through the student‘s selection of and transition to college.

Abstract
Undergraduate students lack the opportunity and environment to contemplate and develop ecoliteracy skills that serve to integrate subject matter into their everyday experiences. Ecoliteracy is grounded in Capra's web of life theoretical framework and represents students' capacities to read world systems objectively with their head, heart, hands, and spirit. Contemplative pedagogy provides educators with exercises that give students time to reflect on the integration of learning. Ecoliteracy and contemplative pedagogy research has shown little quantitative data pertaining to how contemplative pedagogy affects undergraduate student ecoliteracy. To address that gap, this causal-comparative study measured the use of contemplative pedagogy exercises relative to undergraduate student ecoliteracy. A convenience sample of 150 undergraduate students who did and did not experience contemplative pedagogy exercises completed the New Ecological Paradigm Scale and Self-Compassion Scale Short Form. Independent-samples t tests measured the differences between the 2 groups. Findings indicated that students who did not experience contemplative pedagogy exercises in the classroom were more likely to self-report higher ecoliteracy. A possible interpretation of these findings is that current contemplative pedagogy exercises may focus students' attention internally and not adequately promote the world-centered view that would more readily advance student ecoliteracy skills. Results of this study provide further insight that may inform professional development and contemplative pedagogy exercises that empowers students' ecoliteracy skills by encouraging critical thinking, action, and compassion towards positive social change.

The graduation of the first two batches of the Filipino senior high school (post-secondary) graduates calls for an examination of their college readiness since admission to tertiary education is one of the curricular exits of the K to 12 Program. Using the College Readiness Test (CRT) as a criterion-referenced measure, this study determined the college readiness of the K to 12 graduates based on the overall CRT results and specifically in its seven (7) learning areas namely English, Filipino, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Humanities, which ought to be mastered in the K to 12 Program. The test of concurrent validity has proven that the CRT is a credible measure of college readiness in these learning areas. It has also ascertained this concurrent validity of the CRT in relation to a College Admission Test (CAT), which is a norm-referenced test that measures the college readiness of K to 12 graduates admitted in one public university in the north-eastern part of...

Designing and validating a college readiness test addresses the absence of standardized Philippine-based College Readiness Test (CRT) congruent with the College Readiness Standards (CRS) set by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). It also resolves the varied and arbitrary indices used by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to measure the preparedness of K to 12 Filipino graduates to enter college. In this regard, this study establishes the validity and reliability of the CRT to measure the combination of knowledge, skills, and reflective thinking necessary for the K to 12 graduates to be admitted and to succeed without remediation in the General Education courses in HEIs. Using multi-stage sampling in a select province of the Philippines and with due consideration of the district, type of school, and academic tracks offered in senior high school, the study has generated that the 200-item CRT has desirable difficulty index (65.64), reasonably good discrimination index (0.22), and large functioning distractors (68.91% distractor efficiency). Notably, there is a significant positive relationship between discrimination and difficulty indices as well as the distractor efficiency and difficulty index of the CRT items. Also, the CRT is reliable as it possesses inter-item consistency (r=0.796). Thus, it is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the college readiness of Filipino K to 12 graduates with its features of being contextualized, gender-fair, and criterion-referenced.