There may be as many definitions of college and career readiness as there are colleges to attend and careers to pursue.
It seems every postsecondary institution wants to put its own spin on what it takes to be successful after high school, and every employer would like to specify exactly what it takes to be productive in the profession.
Even individual states have developed independent narratives of what it means to be college and career ready, which can range from separate definitions for college readiness and for career readiness, to a combined explanation of the concept as a whole.
The College and Career Readiness and Success Center at the American Institutes for Research conducted a study in 2014 that compared all of the state definitions for college and career readiness and sought out the commonalities.
Most state definitions have a combined definition of college and career readiness and do not separate the definitions. The focus is on the knowledge and skills consistent for both college readiness and career readiness.
What Institute Researchers found was that academic knowledge, critical thinking, communication, perseverance, and citizenship were the five main categories.
In each category that helped define college and career readiness, a state may have defined the term using broad, wide, strokes, or using detailed, delicate marks.
For instance, academic knowledge may refer specifically to skills and abilities in English and mathematics or it may refer generally to courses in core-content areas.
In either instance, these skills are considered necessary to success for students pursuing a career directly after high school or those seeking further education.
The other categories can also vary in definition, but are deemed equally important to college and career readiness as a whole.
Critical thinking can also be defined as problem solving, and the ability to make productive use of knowledge.
Students with this ability are employees worth hiring.
When it comes to communication, students must have the ability to collaborate with a diverse group of people and yet work independently when asked.
Flexibility is key in today’s ever-changing workplace.
This is why perseverance, sometimes called “grit,” is one of most talked about requirements for college and career readiness.
It is not just enough to have the resume that shows you have the degree or certification for the position; will you stay around when the times are stressful and tough to complete the job?
And of course, citizenship: future colleges and employers want to know they are taking on good citizens.
Community service isn’t something that you do because you have to, or at least it shouldn’t be. It should be something you do because you enjoy giving back.
Rockdale ISD strives to prepare all Rockdale students to be college and career ready in each of these areas.
If you are a parent of an RISD student, or anyone interested in the RISD CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) plan, please visit the Rockdale ISD website www.rockdaleisd.net.
If you have questions regarding the program, please contact the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness, Britina Pesak at bpesak@rockdaleisd.net or 512-430-6000.
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