August 20, 2009, Washington, D.C. – As staggering statistics continue to articulate American students’ lack of preparedness for college and careers, ACT, Inc. and America’s Choice convened the Superintendents’ Symposium Series today to introduce district superintendents from across the United States to practical solutions for increasing student college and career readiness. Both the not-for-profit organization ACT and America’s Choice are national leaders in college readiness and school improvement.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan kicked off the Symposium with a keynote address that unveiled the Department of Education’s definition of “innovation.” Against the backdrop of progressive, forward-thinking leadership epitomized by the Symposium’s host and attendees, Secretary Duncan briefed the superintendents and leaders from non-profit organizations on the $650 million “Investing in Innovation Fund,” or “i3 Fund,” formerly known as the “Invest in What Works and Innovation Fund.”

“I want the Department to become an engine of innovation, not a compliance monitor,” said Secretary Duncan. “We are looking to you – the districts and nonprofits – to unleash your creativity and build the next generation of education reform.”

James Shelton III, assistant deputy secretary for Innovation and Improvement, said that in its evaluation of proposals, the Department will look for programs that (1) expand proven and scalable models regionally and nationally to inspire public and decision makers; (2) build scaling capacity of key, high-impact programs and organizations; (3) demonstrate, validate, and codify promising evidence-supported models; (4) create platforms that facilitate innovation efforts and broad adoption of “what works;” and (5) create new breakthrough models.

The Symposium itself embodied a commitment to innovative ways of addressing local student challenges, specifically the persistent failure of American schools to prepare students for college and the workforce. Currently,

•    Fewer than 20 percent of 8th-grade students are on target for being college ready in all four core subject areas of English, math, reading, and science.
•    Only 70 percent of ACT-tested 2009 high school graduates took a core curriculum.
•    Only 23 percent of ACT-tested 2009 high school graduates were college ready in all four core subject areas of English, math, reading, and science.

To address these challenges, ACT and America’s Choice introduced superintendents at the Symposium to the groundbreaking Rigor & Readiness initiative.

“Your program adds to the movement now sweeping the country to help all students get college- and career-ready,” said Secretary Duncan in his discussion of Rigor & Readiness.

“It is a national economic imperative that we better prepare students for college and careers and decrease their need for remedial services in college,” said Cyndie Schmeiser, president and chief operating officer, Education Division, ACT.  “Our research says this is important and this can be done. Rigor & Readiness exemplifies ACT and America’s Choice’s commitment to ensuring all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to be successful, productive members of society.”

At the Symposium, Dr. Ken James, executive vice president and chief operating officer of America’s Choice, articulated how Rigor & Readiness aligns the national agenda on education reform to pressing local needs.

“Rigor & Readiness is uniquely aligned with the Department of Education’s four assurances under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA),” said Dr. James. “Rigor & Readiness strives to prepare students for college and careers through high-quality, research-based professional development; programs that increase the effectiveness of district and school staff; and assistance with data management and analysis that supports monitoring of student progress and results.”

Jon Erickson, ACT vice president of educational services, discussed the initiative’s major goals. “We are committed to ensuring that all students are college and career ready in achievement, psychosocial behavior, and career and educational planning,” said Erickson. “Rigor & Readiness will also create and advance school change, and build and support high-achieving, self-sustaining schools within scalable, replicable systems.”

Schmeiser and Judy Codding, president and chief operating officer of America’s Choice, also guided superintendents in a discussion on best practices in standards and assessments – nationally and internationally.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act poses a historic opportunity to states and districts to improve student achievement,” said Codding. “But to realize our goal of dramatically increasingly academic achievement for all students, we must employ a keen understanding of best practices nationally and internationally, and how they can be applied strategically to the American education system.”

A recording of Secretary Duncan’s presentation is available at http://video.webexlivestream.com/events/webx001/31912/.


Rigor & Readiness
ACT and America’s Choice have partnered to create Rigor & Readiness, a college and career readiness instructional system. This initiative offers a fully aligned, coherent approach that a district can adopt or adapt as its own. It is modeled on the systems of the highest performing countries to prepare all students for rigorous high school work that will ready them for college and careers—a first for the United States.

This comprehensive instructional system is intended for all high school students and includes rigorous core syllabi and model units in 12 high school courses, end-of-course assessments, formative assessment tools, intervention and acceleration programs, and professional development, all designed to help states and districts ensure that their students are ready for college and careers without the need for remediation.

To learn more about Rigor & Readiness, visit http://www.americaschoice.org/rigorandreadiness.