To close the expectations gap and better prepare students for college and the workplace, states must first ensure that high school standards reflect the real-world skills and knowledge students need to be successful after they graduate.

Academic standards provide a foundation for decisions on curriculum, instruction and assessment, and they communicate core learning goals to teachers, parents and students. But too often state high school standards are not anchored in the skills and knowledge employers and colleges now demand. As a result, students can graduate high school and believe they've done well, but they can still find themselves unprepared for work and learning.

To ratchet up standards to what is required in the real world, colleges and universities must clearly define the knowledge and skills necessary for enrolling in credit-bearing courses. Similarly, employers must be clear about the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the global knowledge economy. Then, the K-12 system will need to align its standards, curricula and assessments with those college- and career-ready expectations.

Why It's Important

Aligned standards provide the foundation to improve curriculum, instruction and assessment and better prepare students for college and the workplace. Currently, 31 states have adopted college- and career-ready standards.

• Four out of five college students (82 percent) and non-college students (80 percent) say that they would have worked harder if their schools had demanded more of them and set higher academic standards. (Achieve)
• Nearly two-thirds of high school students (65 percent) would work harder if high school offered more demanding and interesting courses. (National Governors Association)

Achieve's Alignment Institutes

To facilitate state efforts, Achieve has created a series of institutes that bring together K-12, postsecondary and business leaders from ADP Network states to define the core knowledge and skills in mathematics and English that graduates need for college and career readiness and to strengthen their high school standards as necessary. The ADP Network states participating in these institutes include Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. Of these 22 states, half – Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee – have adopted aligned standards. The progress made in this area demonstrates the power of voluntary, state-led efforts in developing aligned standards.