The American Diploma Project (ADP) Network now includes 35 states that are dedicated to making sure that every high school graduate is prepared for college or careers. Together, Network member states are responsible for educating 85 percent of all U.S. public school students.

What Are States Doing?

Governors, state superintendents of education, business executives and college leaders are working to bring value to the high school diploma by raising the rigor of high school standards, assessments and curriculum and aligning expectations with the demands of postsecondary education and careers. The Network is building on the work begun by the American Diploma Project (ADP), an initiative launched by Achieve in partnership with The Education Trust and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 2001.

In 2004, ADP published Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts, the result of two years of research. The report includes English and mathematics benchmarks that describe the specific content and skills that graduates must have mastered by the time they leave high school if they expect to succeed in postsecondary education or in high-growth jobs. Subsequent reports have assessed the rigor of state high school exit exams and high school graduation requirements, examined the use of advanced math knowledge and skills in a range of workplaces, and, most recently, have described the emergence of a consistent and common core of knowledge in English and mathematics required of students in states that have adopted college- and career-ready standards.

Research shows that ADP benchmarks are significantly more rigorous than current high school standards, resulting in an expectations gap that explains why many high school graduates aren't prepared to succeed when they arrive at college or the workplace.

How Are States Closing the Expectations Gap?

To close the expectations gap, ADP Network states have committed to the following four actions:

• Align high school standards and assessments with the knowledge and skills required for success after high school.
• Require all high school graduates to complete a college- and career-ready curriculum so that earning a diploma assures a student is prepared for opportunities after high school.
• Build assessments into the statewide system that measure students’ readiness for college and careers.
• Develop an accountability system that promotes college and career readiness.

Although all Network states are committed to a common set of key policy priorities, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Each state has developed its own action plan for carrying out the agenda. View each state's profile.

Closing the Expectations Gap 2010 reports on the progress states have made since the ADP Network was launched in 2005 in adopting the pillars of the ADP policy agenda. To date, ADP Network states have led the nation in implementing college- and career-ready policies, and many more are in the process of adopting these policies in their states.

The 35 states in the ADP Network: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.