Streamline the Assessment System

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Supporting Research and Data from Achieve

Very few states measure high school students' readiness for college and the workplace. And colleges use admissions and placement exams that are, by and large, disconnected from the curriculum students study in high school. The tests that states give to high school students, usually in the 10th or 11th grade, typically measure 8th, 9th and 10th grade skills — only a subset of the skills that students will ultimately need after graduation.

The result: Colleges and employers pay little attention to state test results, sending a signal to students and parents that student performance on those tests does not matter.

States should assess all high school students before their senior year to measure whether graduates are on track for credit-bearing college courses and 21st century jobs. Using high school test results for college placement and ultimately for hiring decisions sends a clear signal to students about what is important to know. Administering tests in the junior or senior year of high school allows states to measure content more closely aligned with postsecondary and workplace expectations. And it helps educators work with high school students to close any learning gaps before high school graduation. Postsecondary institutions, then, can confidently use these results for placement decisions.

According to Achieve's report, Closing the Expectations Gap 2008, 22 states use or have plans to use state assessment results for college placement decisions. States already are incorporating a college-readiness assessment into their high school testing systems by:

Creating a series of end-of-course tests. A growing number of states are pursuing end-of-course tests as a strategy for measuring college- and career-ready knowledge and skills. The benefit of this approach is that these tests can be tied closely to the curriculum, providing helpful information to schools and parents about student performance in key courses. End-of-course tests also provide a way to ensure consistency of course content and rigor across the state — a concern in states that are raising course requirements for graduation. Higher education institutions also are beginning to use these exams for course placement. For example, the City University of New York (CUNY) and State University of New York (SUNY) are using the New York State Regents exams in mathematics and English to determine whether students have mastered the content they need for college admissions and placement into credit-bearing courses. In addition, fourteen states have committed to administering the Common Algebra II end-of-course exam, which may be used by higher education for admissions and placement.

Adapting existing 11th grade assessments to include more challenging content. In California, the state education department and the California State University (CSU) system worked together to add questions to the state’s 11th grade test that more accurately measure the skills CSU faculty members say incoming freshmen need for entry-level courses. Now, students who score well on that 11th grade test and continue to take challenging courses in 12th grade are exempt from the CSU-required placement tests. The results from the modified 11th grade exams also give students advanced notice as to whether they need to adjust their senior-year coursework. Additionally, Texas has set two cut scores on its 11th grade exam, enabling the assessment to serve as both a high school graduation test and college placement exam.

Incorporating college admissions tests into their testing systems. Some states are incorporating widely accepted college admissions tests, notably the ACT and SAT, into their high school assessment systems to ascertain whether students are ready for college or careers. Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee have done so with the ACT. Maine began administering an augmented version of the SAT statewide in spring 2006. The challenge with this strategy is to ensure that the exam is aligned with the state high school standards and fits into the broader high school assessment system.