By Collin F. Payne and William Corrin

Too many students graduate from high school unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education. As a result, leaders at the federal, state, and district levels are developing new initiatives to help high school students, particularly those in low-performing schools in high-poverty communities, prepare for the academic demands of college by providing a strong, college preparatory curriculum and academic supports. In conjunction with these curricular changes, most programs also institute a formalized system of advising to help students overcome the complicated college and financial aid application process, improving their access to postsecondary education. This combination of raised academic expectations, additional academic supports, and advising aid is designed to provide students, especially those who would not previously be considered “college material,” with the skills and ability to succeed in postsecondary education.

This issue focus describes several of the key program components shared by many of these initiatives and ends with some open research questions. But, first, a few definitions:

College Readiness: Programs emphasizing “college readiness” place a focus on providing high school students with the fundamental preparedness needed to transition into college-level coursework, without the need for academic remediation. As instructional quality can vary widely from classroom to classroom and school to school, pinning down definitive curricular standards is difficult. In most programs, though, the guidelines for a core college preparatory curriculum include some or all of the following: four years of English, three years of science (including biology, chemistry, and physics), three years of math (including completion of Algebra 2), three years of social studies, and at least one semester of computer training. Most programs focusing on readiness also seek to increase the rigor of these requirements (for instance, by using Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or accelerated courses), ensuring that they are challenging enough to prepare students for college classes.

College Access: The term “college access” is used to describe programs that seek to raise students’ likelihood of attending college by providing information and assistance through the application process. Multiple studies have shown that, beyond academic preparation, the strongest predictors of college attendance include social and parental support and access to information about admissions, testing, and financial aid.[1] College access initiatives target students with proven skills (through grades or test scores) but who are at risk of not continuing to postsecondary education. Such programs often include additional counseling and support beyond the admissions process, focusing on the development of study skills and attitudes needed for success in college.

“College Capable” and Lower-Skilled Students: A distinction between college capable/higher-skilled students and general education/lower-skilled students is made (explicitly or implicitly) by most programs. In general, initiatives focusing on college access tend to engage higher-skilled students, who often only need additional counseling to gain entry to college. Programs centered on college readiness vary in the extent to which they make these skills distinctions. Some initiatives place a select group of students in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and usually require certain grades or test scores to gain entry. Other programs focus on increasing the rigor of an entire school’s curriculum, requiring individuals previously enrolled as general education students to take college preparatory courses.

Typical Program Components in College Readiness Initiatives

Four program components — counseling, student academic supports, curricular rigor, and incentives — appear most often in college preparatory initiatives. Each of these elements deals with a part of the college access/readiness puzzle, but the most promising initiatives to date have combined several of these components into their structural framework.

Counseling: Access to supportive counseling is integral to any program seeking to assist low-income or minority students continue on to postsecondary education. Many of these young people are first-generation college students and thus may not have easy access to adults knowledgeable about the application process for admission and financial aid. To overcome these barriers, intensive counseling is made available to all individuals considering college. Counseling programs focused on social support and student well-being have also proven to increase rates of college-going,[2] and other programs that have incorporated attitudinal counseling and the formation of supportive peer networks have also shown success.

Student Academic Supports: Beyond assistance with college and financial aid applications, many students (especially first-generation college students) require added academic support to ease the transition into college. Such students could benefit from assistance in planning out a college preparatory curriculum and in preparing for college entrance exams and standardized tests. These added supports often come in the form of a specific “college preparatory” course that students can enroll in either before or after school. Other forms of support include summer programs and access to additional academic tutoring opportunities.

Curricular Rigor: Any initiative seeking to boost postsecondary participation among disadvantaged youth needs to address the problem of curricular preparation. Approximately one-third of college students need remediation in a core subject, and being placed in remedial classes greatly lowers the likelihood of eventual graduation. Students in any high school program focusing on college enrollment and success need a curriculum of high-level, college preparatory courses.

Incentives: Incentives for success (either financial or nonfinancial) are a useful tool in engaging students in college preparatory behavior. One way in which incentives may be used is to provide individuals who meet certain grade and coursework standards with scholarship assistance. Such programs may enroll students early in high school, providing incentives along the way for students who continue to meet or exceed the curricular requirements. The use of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in a college preparatory curriculum (especially if the program picks up the cost of the AP exam) provides another incentive to students — sometimes the credit they earn from the course will apply towards their eventual college degree.

Unaddressed Research Questions

A number of questions related to college readiness initiatives remain unanswered, including:

What program components work best for which students? Many of the programs focused on college readiness have already been the subject of evaluation. However, these studies have looked at initiatives as whole systems and thus have been unable investigate the efficacy of the programs’ individual components.

How long-lasting are the effects of these programs? Among college readiness initiatives that have been evaluated, the most prominent measure of success is the proportion of students continuing to postsecondary education. However, how many of these individuals avoid remediation? Stay enrolled in college? Graduate with a degree?

What constitutes high-quality curricula? Curricular reform is often at the center of these initiatives, but there is usually little explanation of what constitutes “academic rigor.” Future research needs to develop a more structured set of criteria for assessing quality, as well as data collection and analysis strategies to measure against these criteria.