Ready for what? Confusion around college and career readiness

Florida’s College and Career Readiness Initiative (FCCRI) required schools to administer a community college placement test to 11th-grade students and enroll students who did not pass in a college readiness course. Christine Mokher, James Rosenbaum, Alexis Gable, Caitlin Ahearn, and Louis Jacobson surveyed teachers of the course and found that, from their perspective, the initiative overemphasized preparation for college degree programs and provided few options for lower-performing students. The use of the college placement test effectively conflated college and career readiness, leaving work-bound students unmotivated and discouraged. The authors recommend broadening the definition of readiness to include both college and careers and to raise the profile of certificate programs that could lead to well-paid careers without requiring a placement test.