ACT and The Education Trust Team Up
to Define Rigor in High School

“Our previous research has shown how important it is for students to take not only the right number but also the right kind of courses in high school,” said Mary Stein, manager of elementary and secondary school programs at ACT. “With this study, we take the next step forward by specifying what these courses need to look like to successfully prepare students for college-level work.”

The improvement and reform of America's high schools is a top priority for both the Bush administration and the National Governors Association.

“The national conversation about high school reform has come not a moment too soon,” said Kati Haycock, director of The Education Trust, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help schools and colleges work for all of the students they serve. “In this economy, the skills and knowledge needed for college are the very same as those that young people need to find and hold a decent job. Yet, too many high school courses leave seniors unprepared for the world they will face after graduation. This report provides a blueprint for educators across the nation to improve the quality of education for all students.”

The new study, titled On Course for Success, looked at nine high schools across the United States that are already meeting high standards and overcoming the odds—schools that have a diverse student population (40 percent or more minority and/or 50 percent or more low-income) and are producing a higher-than-average proportion of graduates who are ready for college based on ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks. The high schools are in Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. A tenth school in Ohio was included to represent high schools that score at the top of ACT Assessment results regardless of population.

Researchers and content experts from ACT and The Education Trust studied courses taken by students at these schools who met or surpassed the College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT exam. They observed classes, met with and surveyed teachers, reviewed instructional materials and course syllabi, and studied course procedures.

The findings point to four major characteristics shared by these high performing high schools:

• High-level, college-oriented content in core courses—All schools offer coherent sequences of courses focused on college-readiness content at a level beyond most state and district standards.
• Qualified and experienced teachers—All of the teachers are certified in their subject area, and nearly all have a master's degree or higher with at least one degree in their subject area.
• Teaching that is flexible and responsive to students—Most teachers frequently ask and answer questions and check for student understanding. In classroom discussions and lectures, they help students make meaningful connections to the content by using examples that mean something to students and making reference to prior learning, current events, and popular culture.
• Out-of-classroom support for students—Students are provided with extra support outside the classroom through tutors, teachers, and other helpers, including peers and adults from the community. Teachers offer help outside of class and remind students they are available for assistance.

The report also provides detailed descriptions of courses that prepare students for college English, math, and science, including English for grades 10 and 11; geometry, Algebra II, and precalculus; and biology, chemistry, and physics.

“All students can benefit from taking high-quality core courses, but far too many—particularly children of color and those from low-income families—are fed watered-down coursework,” said Haycock. “We need to make high-quality college-prep courses part of every high school's curriculum, so that all students—not just a select few—are prepared for the future.”

ACT test results have consistently shown that many students who have taken core courses are still not prepared for college or the workforce—a finding consistent across all types of schools and all economic, ethnic, and racial groups. The current findings indicate that schools can be successful regardless of the makeup of the student population. These schools are successful because they provide high-quality course content.

The authors of the report recommend that each high school reevaluate the content of current college-preparatory classes to ensure that the focus is on the high-level skills needed for college and work readiness. Both organizations have released prior reports

(ACT's Crisis at the Core, The Education Trust's A New Core Curriculum for All) suggesting that all students benefit from a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, as the skills needed for success in the workplace are the same as those needed for success in the first year of college.

“All students have the right to take rigorous college-preparatory courses; they should be offered in every high school in the country,” said Stein. “These high-poverty, high-minority schools have given us a blueprint to follow. It's working for their students and it can work in every high school.”

On Course for Success is available in PDF format at www.act.org/path/policy/reports/success.html