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The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Task Force on Integrating College and Career Readiness Report

To:
Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
From:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner
Date:
June 19, 2012

In December 2011, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the appointment of a task force comprised of local business, education, and community leaders to develop recommendations on better integrating college and career readiness into K-12 education. Board Chair Maura Banta asked Board member Gerald Chertavian, founder and CEO of Year Up, to chair the task force. Recognizing the importance of providing students with early access to career education and multiple pathways to success in post-secondary education, the Integrating College and Career Readiness Task Force has explored ways to address career readiness ensuring that all students are prepared for success in the 21st century economy.

The thirty-member task force met five times from January through May 2012 to: (1) adopt a clear, measurable definition of career readiness; (2) identify "power" standards (knowledge and skills) inherent in a core career development education program; (3) identify indicators of career readiness, including student assessments; and (4) identify and document successful policies and programs that provide students with multiple pathway options to integrate knowledge and skills for career readiness and readiness for postsecondary education.

The resulting task force report offers a set of policy and service delivery recommendations that will help all students in Massachusetts become ready for postsecondary education options and economically viable career pathways.

The work of the task force complements Governor Deval Patrick's Gateway Cities Education Agenda that sets new expectations for college and career readiness, aligning the Commonwealth's educational system with those of our competitor nations around the world. A successful education system is one that introduces secondary students to multiple success pathways by exposing them, early in high school, to career options, meaningful work-based learning experiences such as internships, assessing their career readiness, and more tightly linking secondary school achievement with college and career readiness standards.

The task force report is enclosed. Representatives from the task force will present highlights of the report at our June 26th meeting. I recommend that the Board review the report and direct me to report back in the fall on possible next steps.

If you need any additional information regarding this agenda item, please contact me or Associate Commissioner Patricia Gregson.

Attachment:

From Cradle to Career: Educating our Students for Lifelong Success - Recommendations from the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's Task Force on Integrating College and Career Readiness