With all 50 states and the District of Columbia having adopted college- and career-ready standards in English and mathematics, Achieve's eighth annual "Closing the Expectations Gap" 2013 report shows how all states are aligning those standards with policies and practice to better ensure that all students are academically prepared for life after high school. For more, visit http://www.achieve.org/ClosingtheExpectationsGap2013

2. Background
 This is the eighth year that Achieve has surveyed all 50 states and
reported on state progress in adopting college- and career-ready
standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability
and data systems.
 This year’s report includes information on policy adoption and
implementation as well as recommendations for states as they look
toward transition to assessments aligned to college- and career-ready
standards.
 The report includes state-by-state results on the policies and practices of
forty-nine states and the District of Columbia that participated in this
year’s survey.
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3. The College- and Career-Ready Agenda
#1 - Align high school standards with the demands of college
and careers.
#2 - Require students to take a college- and career-ready
course of study to earn a high school diploma.
#3 - Develop statewide high school assessment systems
anchored to college- and career-ready expectations.
#4 - Develop reporting and accountability systems that
promote college and career readiness.
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4. State Progress on Adopting Policies to
Ensure that High School Students
Graduate College and Career Ready
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5. College- and Career-Ready Policy Adoption
by State
CCR Standards,
Assessments, and
Graduation Requirements
5
CCR Standards and
Assessments
CCR Standards and
Graduation Requirements
CCR Standards
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6. #1 - College- and Career-Ready Standards
In the survey, Achieve asked states whether they have
developed and adopted high school academic content
standards in English and mathematics aligned to college- and
career-ready expectations.
Achieve also asked about state efforts to support
implementation, including access to high-quality instructional
materials and professional learning opportunities aligned to the
CCSS/CCR standards.
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7. Standards Implementation
Number of States Reporting Full Implementation of the
CCSS/CCR Standards (ELA/Literacy and Mathematics K–12)
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8. State Efforts to Support College- and Career-
Ready Standards Implementation
 41 states reported guiding/supporting district and school use by providing high-quality
processes, protocols and exemplars
 30 states reported they are developing curricular and supplemental materials for
voluntary use by districts and schools to align the state’s required courses to the
CCSS/CCR standards
 17 states responded that they are approving/certifying a list of curricular and
supplemental materials aligned to the new CCSS/CCR standards
 5 states reported they are requiring district and school use of curricular
materials aligned to the state’s required courses and the CCSS/CCR standards
**Types of efforts listed above are not mutually exclusive
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9. State Efforts to Support Professional
Development in Light of the CCSS/CCR
Standards
 38 states have developed a coordinated agency-wide plan and calendar for
professional development aligned to the CCSS/CCR standards
 30 states have directed regional centers to provide training and support aligned
to CCSS/CCR standards
 16 states have or will identify high-quality or promising providers for
districts/schools to access
 8 states have or will audit existing professional development offerings for
alignment to the CCSS/CCR standards
Regardless of the role the state plays, it is critical that states make certain
that the professional development teachers, principals and leaders receive is
aligned to the CCSS/CCR standards, high quality and capable of affecting
changes in instruction.
**Types of efforts listed above are not mutually exclusive
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10. #2 - College- and Career-Ready
Graduation Requirements
In the survey, Achieve asked states whether they require all
students to complete a college- and career-ready course of
study in order to earn a high school diploma.
Achieve also asked states how they ensure that the courses
students take are aligned with the state’s academic content
standards and that the content of courses is consistent and
equally rigorous across schools and districts.
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11. As of 2013, 19 States and DC Adopted
Policies that Require Students to Default Into a
College- and Career-Ready Course of Study
Mandatory Requirements
Default Requirements
DC
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12. Raising the Bar with
College- and Career-Ready
Graduation Requirements
 31 states with CCSS/CCR standards have not aligned their graduation
requirements to their standards to ensure that all students meet the college- and
career-ready expectations found in their standards.
 This year’s survey data indicate that most states without CCR course
requirements are not considering proposals to raise their minimum high school
graduation course requirements to the CCR level.
 States send mixed signals about their commitment to CCR when the courses — or
competency-based demonstrations — encompass only a subset of the academic
knowledge and skills in literacy and mathematics needed to qualify for and
succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing postsecondary coursework and/or job
training.
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13. Ensuring Rigor and Consistency of Course
Requirements
 38 states reported having at least one mechanism in place to monitor the rigor and
consistency of the courses — and the standards covered by the courses — that
students are required to complete.
 Of the 12 states with default CCR diplomas, only four states keep track of the
numbers of students who opt out or modify the default CCR requirements. And
only one state reports this information at the school level.
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14. #3 - High School Assessments Anchored
to College- and Career-Ready Expectations
In the survey, Achieve asked states whether they administer to
all students an assessment of college- and career-ready
knowledge and skills capable of producing a readiness score
used by postsecondary institutions and employers.
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15. In 2013, 19 States Administer Tests Aligned
with College- and Career-Ready Expectations
National College Admissions Test
State-Developed Assessment
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16. State Actions to Smooth Transition to
Assessments of CCR/CCSS Standards
Assessment Transition Action* States Totals
Removing items from state assessments that do not
align to the CCSS/CCR standards
CO, DE, GA, HI, KS, LA, ME, MA, MI, NV, NH,
NJ, ND, OH, PA, SC, TN, UT, WY
19
Adding new items to state assessments that align to
the CCSS/CCR standards
AK, AZ, DE, FL, GA, KS, LA, MA, NV, NJ, NM,
ND, OK, PA, TX, UT, WA, WY
18
Expanding or creating new constructed-response or
performance-based assessments
GA, KS, LA, NM, ND, OK, TN, TX, WV 9
Raising standard for “proficiency” on state
assessments
FL, GA, MI, NE, TX, WI 6
Administering a CCSS/CCR aligned assessment AL, DC, IL, KY, MN, NY, NC, VA 8
No changes planned to state assessments at this time AR, CA, CT, IA, MD, MS, MO, OR, RI, VT 10
*These actions are not mutually exclusive, with the exception of “No changes planned to state assessments at this time.” For most states, the transition
actions apply to both English language arts and mathematics for grades 3-8 and high school. However, in a few cases, states made changes to one
subject or grade band. Too, a number of states have plans to raise proficiency standards on their transition assessments after the 2013-14 school
year; these plans are not reflected in the above table.
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17. #4 - Reporting & Accountability Systems that
Promote College and Career Readiness
In the survey, Achieve asked states whether they have
incorporated a set of college- and career-ready indicators into
their data, reporting and accountability systems.
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18. Key College- and Career-Ready
Accountability Indicators and Uses
INDICATORS
the percentage of students who...
Earn a college- and
career-ready diploma
Score college-ready on
high school assessments
Earn college credit
while in high school
Are required to take remedial
courses in college
USES
Annual school-level
public reporting
Set statewide
performance goals
Provide school-level
incentives to improve
Factor into accountability
formula
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19. In 2013, No State Met
Accountability Criteria – But Four States
Receive Partial Credit
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20. Use of College- and Career-Ready Indicators
over Time
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