On November 2, The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), one of the two state-led consortia working to develop assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards, unveiled its College- and Career-Ready Determinations (CCRD) policy and Policy-Level Descriptors (PLDs). The CCRD and PLDs, reported about in an earlier CTE Policy Watch blog post, establish a common benchmark to define the academic preparation in English Language Arts/literacy and mathematics which students will need to be college and career ready.
The policy and determinations determine the level of academic preparation needed for students to be successful in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in two- and four-year public institutions of higher education. These institutions include technical colleges and other institutions that award degrees or credentials aligned to entry requirements of middle- or high-skilled jobs. Students who achieve at the CCRD level on the high school assessments will be able to enter directly into certain entry-level, credit-bearing courses in those subject areas without having to take placement tests.
The CCRD policy recognizes that while academic preparation is an essential part of students' readiness for college and careers, it does not encompass the full range of knowledge, skills, and characteristics that students need for ultimate success, such as persistence, motivation, time management, employability skills, and technical skills. ACTE has participated in the conversation on this issue and is pleased that the PARCC recognizes that the CCRD and PLDs are not inclusive of all which is needed for students to be career ready. PARCC says that the CCRDs serve as one piece of a larger set of strategies states may deploy to support students as a part of a broader agenda to increase college completion rates and career success.
For more information, visit the PARCC website.
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