Family & Community Students & Families Student and Secondary Support
College and Career Readiness

The College and Career Readiness initiative is focused on improving high schools and is coordinating statewide efforts through a grade PK-16 strategy. Through this initiative, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is working to strengthen the high school diploma for all students. Part of this involves defining "what is college ready" and identifying the types and characteristics of courses that prepare students for success in both college and a career.

MassCore

Strengthening the Value of a High School Diploma

New Competency Determination Regulations
Students in the class of 2010 and beyond will need to either reach proficiency or prove they have taken steps to get there before earning their competency determination.
[, 1.4MB] Presentation to MSSAA July 2007 regarding standards and options for implementing the Educational Proficiency Plan requirement.

Changes to the Certificate of Mastery
The Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery is a part of the Education Reform Law of 1993 and was first awarded in the spring of 2000 to recognize and reward high academic achievement on MCAS in high school and in competitions and student publications. Changes to the certificate were made in October 2006 to reposition it to clearly indicate college and career-readiness, rather than solely academic achievement.

Certificate of Occupational Proficiency
The certificate of occupational proficiency will be awarded to students who successfully complete a comprehensive education and training program in a particular trade or professional skill area and reflect a determination that the recipient has demonstrated mastery of a core of skills, competencies and knowledge comparable to that possessed by students of equivalent age entering the particular trade or profession from the most educationally advanced education systems in the world.

Increasing Public Awareness of the Need for all High School Graduates to be College and Career Ready

Massachusetts has launched an aggressive outreach campaign through the THINK AGAIN campaign aimed at encouraging teens to stay in high school, take challenging courses and go on to college. In 2006, the Department held a student contest in which high school students were asked to produce TV and/or print advertisements promoting this effort. The winners received $1,000, and the top 10 were posted on the Department's website. The Department has also partnered with the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education to create readysetgotocollege.com, an informational website detailing what students need to do to complete high school, prepare for college, apply for financial aid, and find the school that is right for them.

Other Department Initiatives

NGA Grant
Massachusetts was one of 10 states selected by the National Governors Association to receive a 2-year $2 million education reform grant in July 2005, following a highly competitive process.

State Scholars Initiative (SSI)
The SSI is a national business/education partnership effort working to increase the number of students who take a rigorous curriculum in high school designed to strengthen their chances for success in college and the workplace.

American Diploma Project
Massachusetts is one of 22 states that have partnered with the American Diploma Project (ADP) and Achieve to align our state standards with college and work ready standards.

High School Conferences
The Department offers forums for administrators/faculty in large, comprehensive high schools to share practices for creating high performing, academically challenging, and personalized schools.

Resources
This site offers links to resources related to College and Career Readiness.

For more information, contact:

Stafford Peat, Administrator
Student and Secondary Support Unit
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main Street Malden, MA 02148

781-338-6312 (phone)
781-338-3089 (fax)
speat@doe.mass.edu