Achieve's College and Career Readiness Quiz

That’s right. While most were satisfied with students’ computer and technology skills, more than 75% of college faculty were displeased with their students’ critical thinking, written communication, and work and study habits. Check out faculty and employers’ full impression of recent high school grads here.

Wrong. Approximately half of all recent grads report at least some gaps in their preparation for success after high school. For more details, check out the full results of our Rising to the Challenge survey of students.

You’re right! Six in ten recent high school grads say they would have worked harder in school had they known what colleges and employers expect. Check out our full student survey results here.

Correct! The development of the Common Core State Standards was a state-driven process, led by governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states through their membership organizations (the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers). For the full background on how the Common Core came to be, check out this website.

Incorrect. 74% of new college students who feel their high school set high expectations felt extremely or very well prepared for college, compared with only 36% of those who say they experienced low expectations. For more, check out the full set of student survey results.

That’s right. Recent grads told us in our 2014 survey that real-world learning opportunities, better communication about necessary courses, and opportunities to enroll in challenging courses were the top three things that would have encouraged them to work harder and be better prepared for life after high school.

Sorry! Across both consortia, no student was denied graduation / a diploma based on his or her PARCC or Smarter Balanced scores.  For more details, see page 25 of our 2014 Closing the Expectations Gap report.

Nope. 61% of employers reported that their newly-hired high school grads had to get additional training or education to make up for gaps in their preparation – up from 42% in 2004. See everything employers and college faculty had to say in our 2015 survey results.