Are Our Nation’s 12th Graders Prepared for College and Job Training?

Regional Symposium in Boston on October 24 to Look at NAEP and 12th Grade Academic Preparedness 

Our nation is at a crossroads. A well-educated, highly trained citizenry is essential to maintain our democratic way of life and compete in the world marketplace. Postsecondary education and training are increasingly necessary for individual and national wellbeing. Yet today, we have no measure for telling whether our nation’s 12th grade students are academically prepared for college and job training. 

That’s why the NAEP 12th Grade Preparedness Commission is holding a symposium with regional leaders in government, education, business, and civil rights in Boston on Monday, October 24.  The purpose of the event, which will take place at the Westin Waterfront Hotel at 425 Summer Street from 9 to noon, is to discuss how The Nation’s Report Card can serve as this critical indicator.

A  panel of noted local leaders and education experts will address the importance of 12th grade academic preparedness, the implications for Massachusetts’ economy and jobs, and the potential relevance of NAEP as an indicator of preparedness for Massachusetts and the nation.  The speakers include Secretary of Education and MBAE Co-Founder Paul Reville, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Chairman, and former MBAE Chair, Maura Banta of IBM,  former Commissioner of Education and current National Assessment Governing Board Chair David Driscoll, Education Committee Co-Chairs Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Representative Alice Peisch, Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Freeland and Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester.  Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino have also been invited to speak.

For the past two years, I’ve served on the National Assessment Governing Board’s NAEP Business Policy Task Force that focuses on making NAEP results more relevant to the business community, improving the dissemination of NAEP reports to the business community, and advising on the use of NAEP in reporting on the preparedness of 12^th-grade students for postsecondary education and occupational training.  I’m pleased that Massachusetts education stakeholders will have this opportunity to provide feedback about the potential relevance of the NAEP research to local efforts to address academic preparedness, ideas for additional research the Governing Board can consider, and suggestions for potential research partners.  Whether you are attending the symposium or not, you can submit comments by email to 12th_Grade_Symposium@Reingold.com. 

MBAE is co-sponsoring the event as part of our work to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for success in college, career and citizenship.  This discussion will be well worth your while, so plan on joining us for the morning on Monday, October 24.  Seating is limited, so REGISTER today by clicking the link. 

NAEP—the National Assessment of Educational Progress—is also known as The Nation’s Report Card. It is the only continuing, nationally representative measure of student achievement in the U.S. The National Assessment Governing Board that oversees NAEP is conducting research to transform it into an indicator of 12th grade academic preparedness.  Visit the NAEP website for more information about reports and research .