When students finish high school ready to go to college, they are also prepared for many other opportunities. Educators, policymakers, employers, and students are all starting to reach the same conclusion: All students need to be taught to a college-readiness standard.

The skills that make a student ready for college are the skills all young adults need to be successful—whether they immediately enroll in a postsecondary program or not. Only when educators, policy-makers, and families embrace the idea that all students need to be brought to that level will we create opportunities for all.

The current national conversation in education is about how we do this. How do we change the perception that high school prepares some students for college and other students for blue collar vocations? How do we convince all the teachers, politicians, parents, and students themselves that all students can be college material?

At ACT, we are fully engaged in the conversation. At our annual meeting, and at a conference we co-sponsored with The University of Iowa’s Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment, the discussion was frank and forward looking. Tools were evaluated. Evidence of what works, and what doesn’t, was presented. Opinions of where to go from here were put forward.

The shared conclusion: Much progress has been made, but much work remains to be done. This is truly a time of opportunity for all who serve students.