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College Readiness Vision and Theory of Action
Overview
Our mission is to prepare all scholars for college and career success through achieving their most rigorous
post­secondary outcomes. This type of success is highly correlated with health and happy lives in which scholars are
empowered to forge their futures and engage with their community. College­ready graduates know more than just the
prerequisite academic content that makes them competitive nationally and worldwide ­­ they also have the habits,
skills, knowledge and mindsets necessary to independently navigate college, their career, and their adult life. We
recognize that students access their post­secondary life with support and guidance from their families and
community, and in order to maximize these resources, we forge mutually­beneficial partnerships with families and
communities. We commit to a research­based design of our schools’ college and career readiness programming to
ensure post­secondary success when our scholars graduate.
Our Model
Our model focuses on four key strands: Foundational
Skills and Mindsets, Academic Habits, College +
Career Knowledge, and Financial Literacy .
Foundational Skills and Mindsets underlie the
development of specific skills, habits, and knowledge
required of successful, persistent college scholars and
active citizens, and achievement of outcomes in all
strands is dependent on these core personal skills and
mindsets.. For example, the ability to Expertly
Navigate the College System (see: College and
Career Knowledge) requires self­advocacy,
resourcefulness, and problem­solving skills, to name a
few.
Key Beliefs
We believe...
● it is our responsibility to ensure scholars are mastering the content necessary for college success; if a
scholar does not gain a skill or content, it is our job to ensure they get this before they graduate.
● developing skills and and strengths that persist to and through college requires an aligned, continuous
program of skill and content development over time and in a variety of contexts.
● the challenging nature of this work in preparing our scholars for maximum success is invigorating; we never
allow authentic, meaningful learning experiences in these skills to be reduced to short­cut or “cookie­cutter”
approaches.
● the support structures of family and community are integral to scholar success, and family/community
involvement is essential for long­term improvements to scholar post­secondary outcomes.
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Foundational Skills and Mindsets (FSMs): the mindsets and behaviors that guide students in
overcoming challenges, making key choices, and building on past successes in all arenas of their
post­secondary life (Examples: self­regulation, empathy, self­advocacy)
CA Graduates will... seek resources to overcome challenges, react positively when faced with adversity and solve
problems, own their college and career path, and advocate for their needs. Therefore, in CA’s College Readiness
program:
● Scholars develop and use their well­established college­going identity to maintain ownership over
their college and career path. A college­going identity is the foundation on which we develop and nourish
specific FSMs that lead to college, career, and lifelong success and happiness. We work to establish this
foundation from the start of scholars’ high school career so that our graduates believe they deserve to be
college students and will thus be empowered to control their path.
● Scholars drive their FSM development by actively learning and reflecting on areas in which to grow.
To ensure students feel a sense of ownership over their development, and lead the process of identifying
growth areas and spearheading plans to meet them, we foster a student­driven program wherever possible.
In addition to being largely student­driven, our program focuses on key mindsets and habits that lead to
self­advocacy and empowerment.
● Scholars will employ a targeted set of FSMs to work through problems and push themselves forward.
Our developmentally­appropriate program begins in 9th grade and provides a nuanced approach to core
FSMs in an increasingly rigorous platform as they advance in high school. Our scholars are then prepared to
successfully reach all major milestones.
● Scholars take actions that make the community that they are in better. A core part of our curriculum
introduces scholars to relevant issues in their communities and provides opportunities to engage with them in
a meaningful way. Our restorative practices ensure students understand how their actions affect the larger
community, and develop a strong sense of empathy and social awareness which drives our scholars to strive
to make positive impact in the world.
Academic Habits: what students do to prepare for courses, complete course work, and prepare for major
academic assessments (Examples: study skills, note­taking, organization)
CA Graduates will... utilize a comprehensive toolkit of study strategies to prepare for exams, make academic plans
and follow through on them, break down large projects in order to complete them in a timely manner, and create
systems for organization and adhere to them. Therefore, in CA’s College Readiness program:
● Scholars develop academic skills and habits that lead to success across all subjects and courses.
We teach these habits at each grade level and scaffolded to the college­ready bar, so that they become
ingrained over time. Our classrooms teach and then require these skills in order to be successful, thus
providing both instruction in and authentic practice of scaffolded college­level academic skills and habits.
These skills are repeatedly developed and expanded upon across academic content areas, ingraining the
habits in our scholars. Before graduating, our scholars will understand how to apply these habits to any
subject matter and classroom style, in order to operate independently as self­starting learners in a rigorous
college environment.
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College + Career Knowledge: the key content knowledge and skills that are specific to college and career
success (Examples: navigating bureaucracy, calculating a GPA, understanding of “add­drop periods”)
CA Graduates will ... choose colleges, programs, majors and career paths that match their strengths and passions
and take into account the relationship between their identity and that of the college community; register for courses
and/or apply for programs well before deadlines; land internships and find mentors on their own; and use their on­
and off­campus offices/resources. Therefore, in CA’s College Readiness program:
● Scholars’ college and career content knowledge is an asset on their post­secondary path. A complete
understanding of key terms and policies (such as add/drop periods, gpa protocols, and prerequisite
requirements) ensures our scholars fluidly progress through their post­secondary path. The instruction we
provide erases any knowledge gap between first­generation college students and students whose parents
have advanced degrees.
● Scholars have specific skills that benefit them on their individual post­secondary path. Leadership
skills, interview skills, strong resumes, and strong networking skills are important for all pathways; we build
skills that expand and broaden scholars’ post­secondary opportunities.
● Scholars experience college and the workforce while in high school. Our college and career readiness
curriculum is partnered with an experiential learning program, that includes, for example, job shadowing
days, summer pre­college programs, mentorships from partners in specific career fields and at specific
colleges, and internship opportunities. By gaining experience with college and career while on our campuses,
scholars gain critical knowledge and are able to work through issues while they are still with us.
● Scholars articulate a clear vision for their future and understand the path to get there. We provide
direct instruction about college majors, career pathways, and build awareness of high­wage, high­demand
jobs. Scholars are exposed to a variety of careers and pathways throughout their high school experience,
and then commit to a pathway that best fits their skills, passions, and sets them up for financial success.
● Scholars are prepared to expertly navigate the college system. Our students know that college has
potential roadblocks and barriers, and that these can prevent success. We build the resilience, critical
thinking skills, and problem­solving skills to deal with any barrier in their path so that our graduates easily
manage college policies and procedures, and utilize college offices and online portals/platforms, for example.
Financial Literacy: the key financial content knowledge and skills that are specific to college and career
success (Examples: budgeting, interpreting an award letter, “interest rates”)
CA Graduates will ... employ the key financial content knowledge, skills, and habits necessary for college and career
success; and operate with financial confidence while independently and conscientiously navigating financial aid,
budgeting, goal­setting and planning to ensure financial obstacles do not derail their post­secondary plans.
Therefore, in CA’s College Readiness program:
● Scholars build the skills to prevent or overcome any financial obstacle. Scholars first develop key
academic habits (e.g., goal­setting) and FSMs (e.g., self­regulation), and then build on these when they
practice applying these skills to their financial situation. Through our scaffolded program, we ensure their
financial literacy instruction is developmentally appropriate, spiraled to increase information retention, and
meaningful to their lives. Then, our graduates have the ability to conquer financial roadblocks and solve
financial problems.
● Scholars use and understand technical language when talking about their financial future. Our
students master complex key terms and ideas (such as Satisfactory Academic Progress, interest, and award
letters). Armed with this knowledge, students never waste time or hesitate because of knowledge gaps; they
can stay focused on their academics and college/career life.
● Scholars have finances they need to be successful. Our students use the knowledge and skills they
develop throughout high school (as described above) to make financially sound decisions about their
post­secondary career. Their financial post­secondary plan ­­ whether it includes scholarships, loans, career
income, etc ­­ is realistic and sets them up to flourish financially.
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Enabling Conditions
In order for our scholars the build the academic habits, foundational skills and mindsets, college and career
knowledge, and financial literacy necessary for college success, certain enabling conditions must be present at each
school setting and through the Collegiate Academies network. The following will be true about CA’s College
Readiness program:
● Content is aligned vertically through all grades and mapped backwards from college readiness.
● The program is integrated into all areas of the school.
● Time is dedicated during the school day to teach and cultivate the above college­related knowledge and
skills.
● Program content is embedded in every course to an appropriate degree.
● Time and resources are allocated to training and professional development for key staff.
● Program is assessed and monitored to ensure we see results.
● Program content is developed to serve a diverse population of learners and targets success on a variety of
post­secondary paths.
● Multiple opportunities are provided for scholars to demonstrate their empowerment and ownership and
promote scholar­driven programming.
● Scholars are held accountable for their work and reflections in a meaningful and authentic manner. A
comprehensive evaluation system enables scholars and parents to understand scholar readiness standings
and gives clear next steps to guarantee overall success by ensuring scholars have end goals rooted in both
their current performance and desired post­secondary outcomes.
Theory of Action
If the College Readiness Working Group will...
● Set the vision and design the college readiness program.
● Define the college­ready bar for the four strands.
● Make implementation recommendations and work with school leadership to realize them.
● Create resources and support for schools in executing these standards (curriculum, assessment, exemplar).
● Train school leadership and work in collaboration to monitor progress.
● Actively monitor the quality, provide feedback, and adjust program design as needed.
Then School Leadership will...
● Determine how best to execute the programming and implementation recommendations to meet the vision
and goals.
● Adopt and message the college readiness standards in a fundamental way that ensures that staff are able to
execute lessons and micro­moments with scholars on a daily basis.
● Oversee school­wide initiatives.
● Provide training to teachers and staff to implement college­readiness programming in a highly effective way.
● Work with CRWG to monitor progress and adjust programming as needed.
● Develop structures to involve families in the college readiness program.
And Teachers will...
● Know the foundational skills and mindsets that are most important for college success and constantly
reinforce them.
● Utilize the knowledge and tools to teach towards a college­ready bar, scaffolding from a real understanding
of their students’ current abilities.
● Execute lessons and micro­moments on a daily basis.
● Identify key areas for individual scholar development and develop plans to ensure every scholar meets his or
her goals in progressing towards the college­ready bar.
● Engage in making the college readiness program better by providing feedback and tweaking as needed.
These actions will combine so that all CA scholars graduate from CA with the content knowledge, habits,
skills, and mindsets to be successful in their most rigorous post­secondary outcome.
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References
Bouffard, Suzanne and Mandy Savitz­Romer. 2012. Ready, Willing and Able: A Developmental Approach to College
Access and Success . Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Publishing Group.
Conley, David. 2005. College Knowledge: What It Really Takes for Students to Succeed and What We Can Do to Get
Them Ready. San Francisco, CA: Jossey­Bass.
Conley, David. 2011. “Redefining College Readiness” Eugene, OR: Educational Policy Improvement Center.
Engle, Jennifer and Vincent Tinto. 2008. “Moving Beyond Access: College Access for Low­Income, First­Generation
Students.” The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.
(http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504448.pdf)
Farrington, Camille, Melissa Roderick, Elaine Allensworth, et al. 2012. “Teaching Adolescents To Become Learners:
The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance: A Critical Literature Review.” University of
Chicago Consortium on School Research.
(https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Noncognitive%20Report.pdf)
Simpson, Cynthia G. and Vicky Spencer. 2009. College Success for Students with Learning Disabilities . Waco, TX:
Prufrock Press Inc.
Thomas, Colleen, Christina Bartholomew, and LaRon Scott. 2009. Universal Design for Transition: A Roadmap for
Planning and Instruction . Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Washor, Elliot and Charles Mojkowski. 2013. Leaving to Learn: How Out­of­School Learning Increases Student
Engagement and Reduces Dropout Rates . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Yes Prep Public Schools. “College Initiatives Redefined: A Responsive Approach to College Counseling & Alumni
Support”
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