Article, Curriculum, Youth

The Common Core Initiative, Education Outcomes, and American Indian/Alaska Native Students: Observations and Recommendations

Many educators and policymakers in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities are concerned that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will fall short of their goal to ensure the preparation of all students for college and/or career.

This paper explores how the CCSS could affect AI/AN students, and examines how to best implement the standards to increase the likelihood for college and career success for this group of students. Specifically, the paper describes:

  • The importance of understanding the diversity among AI/AN communities
  • Why today’s education reforms might be viewed as forced assimilation
  • How previous education reforms have failed
  • What needs to happen for the CCSS to work
  • The impact of No Child Left Behind

In addition, the paper includes recommendations for how local and state education agencies, researchers, and policymakers can best proceed to help prepare AI/AN students to succeed in college and/or career.

To view the report, click here.

Curriculum, Research, Youth

ACT Report: The Condition of College and Career Readiness of American Indian Students

This report is designed to help inform the following questions regarding American Indian students:

  • Are American Indian students prepared for college and career?
  • Are enough American Indian students taking core courses?
  • Are core courses rigorous enough?
  • Are younger American Indian students on target for college and career?
  • What other dimensions of college and career readiness should we track?
  • Are American Indian students who are ready for college and career actually succeeding?

American Indian students are less likely than their peers to meet key college readiness benchmarks, even when taking academically rigorous courses in high school, according to a new report released today by ACT and the National Indian Education Association.

The report, The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2014: American Indian Students, examines the academic preparation and postsecondary aspirations of American Indian 2014 high school graduates who took the ACT® test. It is the third in a series of seven reports that focus on demographic groups of ACT test takers from the 2014 high school graduating class.

Among the findings:

  • 55 percent of American Indian students failed to meet any of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, and only one in 10 met all four. Among all students, 31 percent didn’t meet any Benchmarks, and 26 percent met all four.
  • Across all four subjects, the percentage of American Indian students meeting each Benchmark was lower than the proportion who took “core or more” (recommended core curriculum) courses.
  • In English, less than half—43 percent—of American Indian students who took related “core or more” courses met the Benchmark, compared to 67 percent of all students.
  • In reading, 28 percent who took “core or more” met the Benchmark, compared to 47 percent of all students.
  • In math, 23 percent who took “core or more” met the Benchmark, compared to 46 percent of all students.
  • In science, 22 percent who took “core or more” met the Benchmark, compared to 41 percent of all students.

To read the report, click here. For more information from the ACT website, click here.

Reports, STEM, Youth

Via ACT.org: The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2014

The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2014 is ACT’s annual report on the progress of the graduating class relative to college readiness. This year, 57% of the graduating class took the ACT® college readiness assessment. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the data pool, providing a comprehensive picture of the current graduating class in the context of readiness levels as well as offering a glimpse of the emerging educational pipeline.

This report is designed to help educators understand and answer the following questions:

  • Are your students prepared for college and career, and are your younger students on target?
  • Are enough of your students taking core courses, and are those courses rigorous enough?
  • What are the most popular majors/occupations, and what does the pipeline for each look like?
  • What other dimensions of college and career readiness, like academic behaviors, should educators track?
  • How are educators tracking progress on STEM initiatives?

The data includes average scores and benchmark attainment by state for the Class of 2014 as well as 2013 and other other readiness factors. To view the report, click here.