College Readiness - A New Definition and Perspective For Today"s College-Bound Student
In a report prepared for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007, David T.
Conley proposed an "operational definition college readiness of that differs from current representations of this concept primarily in its scope.
" Conley states that "College readiness continues to be defined primarily in terms of high school courses taken and grades received along with scores on national tests as its primary metrics.
" Given the current state of what I call the "college failure epidemic," where 60% of entering college freshmen will not finish their degree in four years and almost half will not finish in 6 years, this fresh perspective not only has merit, but needs to be integrated into the entire college bound process to insure our children are not only survive, but are prepared to thrive in college.
In this article I will address Conley's core definitions and provide an operational outline to understand, interpret, and apply these valuable perspectives.
Conley states: "College readiness continues to be defined primarily in terms of high school courses taken and grades received along with scores on national tests as its primary metrics.
" Simply put, the current college readiness perspective is a function of high school courses, grade point average (GPA) and SAT/ACT scores.
Indeed, in my experience, a good SAT/ACT score alone can open many doors and draw significant attention, though it may overstate the student's real readiness for college.
Conley presents four components of college readiness and defines them as follows: Key Cognitive Strategies: Intellectual Openness, Inquisitiveness, Analysis, Reasoning-Argumentation-Proof, Interpretation, Precision and Accuracy, Problem Solving.
Academic Knowledge and Skills: Overarching Academic Skills (Writing and Research) and Core Academic Subject Knowledge and Skills (English, Math, Science, Social Science, Language, the Arts).
Academic Behaviors: Self-Awareness, Self-Monitoring, and Self-Control Contextual Skills and Awareness: Privileged information necessary to understand how college operates as a system and culture that includes the Interpersonal and Social Skills to interact in a diverse environment, and "College Knowledge" - the information, formal and informal, stated and unstated, necessary for gaining admissions to and navigating within the postsecondary system.
To restate these in terms that a layman, a parent, a student, even a teacher or administrator can understand and apply, here is my "hip pocket" version of the elements of college preparation.
Key Cognitive Strategies - the intellectual ability to Access, Acquire, Analyze, and Articulate Knowledge and Thoughts.
To be able to Read, Organize, Analyze, and Document (write) what was learned.
Academic Knowledge and Skill - content knowledge of core academic subjects and the skill to Read, Study, Test, and Write to the speed and intensity required in the higher education environment.
Academic Behaviors - Leadership of Self: assuming adult responsibilities and accountabilities, exercising self-discipline, self-motivation, self-reliance, and self-determination to read-study-test-write within expectations and time constraints.
Simply - growing up and acting grown up - long before you start college.
Contextual Skills and Awareness - "College Knowledge" - learning and understanding the Selection, Application, Funding, and Enrollment process of admissions, and developing the interpersonal, conflict resolution, and social skills required in a diverse environment.
This will help set a framework on what to look for in the college bound process.
I will address these in detail in subsequent articles.
Citation: Conley, D.
T.
(2007).
Redefining College Readiness.
Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center.
Conley proposed an "operational definition college readiness of that differs from current representations of this concept primarily in its scope.
" Conley states that "College readiness continues to be defined primarily in terms of high school courses taken and grades received along with scores on national tests as its primary metrics.
" Given the current state of what I call the "college failure epidemic," where 60% of entering college freshmen will not finish their degree in four years and almost half will not finish in 6 years, this fresh perspective not only has merit, but needs to be integrated into the entire college bound process to insure our children are not only survive, but are prepared to thrive in college.
In this article I will address Conley's core definitions and provide an operational outline to understand, interpret, and apply these valuable perspectives.
Conley states: "College readiness continues to be defined primarily in terms of high school courses taken and grades received along with scores on national tests as its primary metrics.
" Simply put, the current college readiness perspective is a function of high school courses, grade point average (GPA) and SAT/ACT scores.
Indeed, in my experience, a good SAT/ACT score alone can open many doors and draw significant attention, though it may overstate the student's real readiness for college.
Conley presents four components of college readiness and defines them as follows: Key Cognitive Strategies: Intellectual Openness, Inquisitiveness, Analysis, Reasoning-Argumentation-Proof, Interpretation, Precision and Accuracy, Problem Solving.
Academic Knowledge and Skills: Overarching Academic Skills (Writing and Research) and Core Academic Subject Knowledge and Skills (English, Math, Science, Social Science, Language, the Arts).
Academic Behaviors: Self-Awareness, Self-Monitoring, and Self-Control Contextual Skills and Awareness: Privileged information necessary to understand how college operates as a system and culture that includes the Interpersonal and Social Skills to interact in a diverse environment, and "College Knowledge" - the information, formal and informal, stated and unstated, necessary for gaining admissions to and navigating within the postsecondary system.
To restate these in terms that a layman, a parent, a student, even a teacher or administrator can understand and apply, here is my "hip pocket" version of the elements of college preparation.
Key Cognitive Strategies - the intellectual ability to Access, Acquire, Analyze, and Articulate Knowledge and Thoughts.
To be able to Read, Organize, Analyze, and Document (write) what was learned.
Academic Knowledge and Skill - content knowledge of core academic subjects and the skill to Read, Study, Test, and Write to the speed and intensity required in the higher education environment.
Academic Behaviors - Leadership of Self: assuming adult responsibilities and accountabilities, exercising self-discipline, self-motivation, self-reliance, and self-determination to read-study-test-write within expectations and time constraints.
Simply - growing up and acting grown up - long before you start college.
Contextual Skills and Awareness - "College Knowledge" - learning and understanding the Selection, Application, Funding, and Enrollment process of admissions, and developing the interpersonal, conflict resolution, and social skills required in a diverse environment.
This will help set a framework on what to look for in the college bound process.
I will address these in detail in subsequent articles.
Citation: Conley, D.
T.
(2007).
Redefining College Readiness.
Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center.
