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Starcevich Joins in Support of Common Core Standards

By June 17, 2014January 4th, 2019No Comments

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (June 17, 2014)–Kirkwood Community College President Mick Starcevich has joined more than 200 college and university leaders from 33 states in a new coalition, Higher Ed for Higher Standards, to mobilize in support of the Common Core State Standards.

Postsecondary leaders view the Common Core standards, with their focus on career and college readiness, as critical for improving student success. The coalition can be found on the Web at: higheredforhigherstandards.org.

“A unified front is needed to fight this troubling trend,” said Starcevich. “That is why I joined with many of my colleagues from around the country in support of the Common Core State Standards. Our goal is to make sure that students are prepared for learning at the college level. Adhering to this set of learning standards will go a long way in doing just that.”

Among other policy positions, Higher Ed for Higher Standards believes the Common Core standards can help colleges and universities in their efforts to reduce remediation rates and improve student success.

Nationwide, approximately 50 percent of students entering two-year colleges and 20 percent of students entering four-year institutions are diverted into remedial coursework due to lack of academic preparedness. Of those, less than one in 10 graduate from community college within three years and little more than a third complete bachelor’s degrees in six years.

“There are increasing numbers of students who come through our doors who are not where they need to be,” said Starcevich. “These students need to take remedial classes just to get them to where they should have been after high school. When this happens, it takes longer to get a college degree and delays their entrance into the workforce. This is why the Common Core State Standards are so important and will better prepare the students of the future for what’s to come.”

The Higher Ed for Higher Standards coalition is based on three principles:

  1. Every state should insist on K-12 academic standards that adequately prepare students for college and careers so that every young person has the opportunity to pursue postsecondary education, or quality training and careers, after high school. The Common Core State Standards were developed by states to serve this goal and represent a significant improvement over most states’ previous standards.
  2. New assessments aligned to the Common Core standards are equally critical. States’ current high school tests do not adequately measure whether students have mastered the new, higher standards. More sophisticated assessment instruments are necessary to provide better feedback to teachers, parents and students, and offer more meaningful information to colleges on students’ postsecondary preparation.
  3. Higher education has a clear and compelling stake in this debate. Effective implementation of the Common Core standards and aligned assessments is an important step toward improving college readiness, reducing remediation rates and improving completion rates in two- and four-year institutions and job-training programs.

Looking ahead, Higher Ed for Higher Standards members across the states have committed to helping raise public awareness about the importance of the standards and making their voices heard with state policymakers, urging them to stay the course on career- and college-ready expectations.

Higher Ed for Higher Standards is a project of the Collaborative for Student Success, a grant-making initiative created with the pooled resources of a diverse group of regional and national education foundations committed to improving public education.