Achieve, Inc.
American Diploma Project Network
The American Diploma Project (ADP) Network includes 30 states that are dedicated to making sure every high school graduate is prepared for college or work. Together, Network members are responsible for educating more than half 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 work. 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 [http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/default] (Outside Source) and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation [http://www.edexcellence.net/] (Outside Source).
In 2004, ADP published Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts [http://www.achieve.org/node/552] (Outside Source), the result of two years of research [http://www.achieve.org/node/226] (Outside Source). The report includes English and mathematics benchmarks [http://www.achieve.org/node/479] (Outside Source) 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-performance, high-growth jobs. Subsequent ADP reports have assessed the rigor of state high school exit exams and high school requirements.
The research shows that ADP expectations 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, the 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 [http://www.achieve.org/node/331] (Outside Source).
- Require all high school graduates to take challenging courses that actually prepare them for life after high school [http://www.achieve.org/node/332] (Outside Source).
- Streamline the assessment system so that the tests students take in high school also can serve as readiness tests for college and work [http://www.achieve.org/node/333] (Outside Source).
- Hold high schools accountable for graduating students who are ready for college or careers, and holding postsecondary institutions accountable for students' success once enrolled [http://www.achieve.org/node/335] (Outside Source).
For more information and a direct link to this page, please go to the following Web site: Achieve, Inc. [http://www.achieve.org/node/604] (Outside Source)
American Diploma Project (PDF; 33KB; 1p.; 22-Jan-2008)
