What Are College and Career Readiness Standards?

To help ensure that students are set up for success, most states today have woven college and career readiness standards into their curricula. These serve as benchmarks that can be used to determine and measure a student’s progress.

What are college and career readiness standards?

After realizing that many high school and college-aged students were unprepared to enter the workforce, the National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers created the Common Core State Standards. This set of rules aimed to provide a clear and consistent narrative so that teachers and parents could better understand what academic expectations their students would need to meet.

The standards are divided into two categories: college and career readiness standards, and grade-specific standards for elementary school through high school.

When it comes to career readiness, these standards are especially beneficial. They ensure that students are achieving the goals and acquiring the skills necessary to take the next step toward a fulfilling career after graduation. The standards also help with student career planning, because they inherently keep students on track and in tune with their own potential and their plans for the future.

How can schools meet college and career readiness standards?

Meeting college and career readiness standards may seem overwhelming. Platforms like PowerSchool Naviance CCLR are designed to streamline the process and make it easier for educators. Another way schools can prepare is by having students take career assessments or conduct career exploration activities to help make sure they stay on track for career readiness.

Take a deeper dive to learn more about what career readiness skills look like and get additional tips for how you can prepare your students for the future.