s a parent, I want my two children to succeed in high school and college and have successful, productive careers. As commissioner of education, I have the same dream for all 4.6 million students enrolled in our Texas public schools.

I know that dream is not yet a reality, but many people are working toward that goal. It was my pleasure to serve as a member of the Commission for a College Ready Texas (CCRT) this past year. The commission was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in April 2007 to examine the gap that currently exists between high school exit standards and true college and workforce preparedness.

The commission’s job was to engage Texans in a discussion of what skills and knowledge a student must possess to be college ready and to share this information with the State Board of Education (SBOE). The board, by law, is the only body that holds the authority to incorporate college readiness standards into the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for our students. Throughout the process, it became clear that both commission members and SBOE members had the same goal in mind—to prepare students for a successful future.

One of the primary goals of the CCRT was to develop a definition of college readiness. Although definitions among parents, students, teachers, college faculty, employers, organizations and experts vary, most agree that college readiness is the
attainment of the core knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the first year after high school without the need for remedial or developmental education. The commission learned that although the lack of college readiness of high school graduates is a problem nationally, it is worse in Texas. Approximately 50 percent of college freshmen in Texas are enrolled in remedial or developmental education as compared to 28 percent across the United States.

The commission’s work underscored the disconnect between the current exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) passing standards and the level of performance that is needed to be college ready. This should not be a surprise since TAKS was designed to test whether students had learned the material taught in high school. The consensus was clear—it is time to raise the bar so we can determine whether a student is college ready.

To address this issue, the CCRT recommended aligning instructional materials, test development and professional development for educators with the goal of students progressing each year toward college readiness upon graduation from high school.

How do these changes impact teachers, and what do they mean for parents and students? The change must start with a consistent recognition that preparation for college readiness begins in kindergarten and continues through the 12th grade. Students, teachers and school personnel cannot view the senior year in high school as “marking time”; it must be a year of meaningful study.

Another critical issue is the number of students dropping out. Policymakers must comprehensively address issues of high school dropouts and stress the importance of striving for and obtaining a high school diploma.

Beyond these obvious fundamentals, the CCRT determined that meaningful professional development and teacher preparation programs can help ensure teachers are adequately prepared and supported in their task of increasing college readiness in Texas students.

Policymakers and high school guidance counselors can join teachers in the effort to better inform families of the value of education after high school as well as the knowledge, skills and specific courses required to be successful after high school. If parents stress the importance of a rigorous high school education to prepare for college or workforce readiness at home, students are much more likely to value and pursue that rigorous curriculum. To foster this, policymakers should work to increase public awareness of the need for college and career readiness and showcase the many postsecondary options available to students—including vocational programs.

Not one of these concepts will successfully operate in isolation. Responsible agencies, including the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the SBOE should align their infrastructures to ensure consistency in policies and programs essential to every student’s academic success. This includes aligning data systems and coordination of the way state and federal funds are spent. Consensus among policymakers and agencies must be reached in determining the standards for college readiness, passing scores for end-of-course exams and any other high school assessments that the SBOE may approve for use in Texas public schools. Leadership must agree on these fundamentals before educators can be reasonably expected to implement standards.

I am reassured that in our daily work as parents, teachers, administrators and policymakers, we all operate with a common goal—doing our best to prepare our children to be successful in the futures of their choice.
 

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