What is College-Ready?

The term "college-ready" is one that has become all too familiar to high school teachers. That term has been used to embrace many different statistics that seek to measure a student's chances of being successful in a college classroom. From our Levels 4 and 5 on End of Course tests, to PLAN, SAT, ACT and DAP scores, everyone seems to have a way of predicting a student's success before they ever set foot on a college campus. Before we accept these tests as the gold standard that they claim to be, there are a few things that anyone associated with a high school in a low-wealth area should understand.

Consider these facts:

• Only 42% of Americans over 25 have a post-secondary degree.
• Research suggests that college recruiters tend to focus on schools with a track record of successful students and may actually be overlooking schools with a high ratio of African American or Latino students, despite their ability to handle college rigor.
• Though the number of African American and Latino enrollments have greatly increased since 1995 (73% and 107% respectively), these students are attending schools with open-enrollment policies that are perceived as academically weaker.
• More African American and Latino students with an A average are choosing to attend community colleges over white students with an A average.
• Each year, there are as many as 111,000 high-scoring African American and Hispanic students that do not attend college or do not graduate. (That makes over 2 million students since 1995)
• The SAT claims that a student scoring a 1550 out of 2400 has a 65% chance of scoring a B average in their first year of college
• Students with this score have a 69% chance of graduating within 6 years of college
• Students below this score only show a 45% chance of graduating within 6 years
• In 2014, less than half of test-takers achieved a 1550
• Only 16% of African American and 23% of Hispanic students scored a 1550
• The ACT claims that students meeting the benchmark score for each area have a 50% chance of finishing with a B average in the subject area in their first year of college
• Only 40% of test-takers met the benchmark in 3 or 4 areas of the test in 2014
• 33% did not make the benchmark in any subject area

These statistics prove what most teachers in low-wealth areas already know. There are many other factors aside from performance on the SAT or ACT that keep minority students from attending college. With these factors hanging over our student's heads, how on earth do we work to continue to make our students college ready? Well, not-so-fast! New research says that these tests are ignoring some very important factors: Grades and Grit. Students with higher GPAs in high school and lower SAT or ACT scores are actually proving to outperform students with just high test scores. Other studies point to students with a growth mindset are also outperforming students with just high scores.

Keeping students working hard in the classroom, taking challenging courses and teaching them the value of grit is showing to be a far better indicator of college readiness than any of the standardized tests that are currently being used. This information is going to be very valuable for us in the next few months. Between upcoming tests where students can work hard to perform, scheduling for next year's classes and an incoming crop of freshmen just 6 months away, grit and grades need to be on everyone's mind! Every teacher and parent can help by preaching the value of hard work and resilience at every opportunity. Let's fill every student's ear every chance we get!