America’s schools have a profound responsibility to ensure that our nation’s 50 million students are college ready, career ready, and life ready. Standardized test scores – traditionally used as the primary readiness indicator – do not always provide an accurate representation of our students’ potential. Our students are more than a single test score. The below indicators reflect the depth and full picture of our students and the programs we offer. Like the global economy, today’s students are driven by ideas and innovations. They should not be reduced down to, or defined by, a single test score. Students learn in a variety of ways. They should be allowed to demonstrate readiness in a variety of ways.

Our Bobcat “High School” Ready indicators must reflect the educational landscape of the 21st Century. Middle school students are engaged in a world that was hard to imagine a decade ago, and they need to be prepared with 21st Century skills to participate in a future that they will help create. In order for our middle school students to demonstrate high school readiness, we must use a multi-measure approach that takes into consideration high school and post-secondary readiness indicators.