19. Improving Student Readiness: Examining K-16 Alignment of Content and Performance Standards

Abstract

Student readiness continues to be an issue among the professoriate (Cramer, 2010; Greenberg, 2010; Kelley, 2010). Enrolment growth trends in Canadian universities suggest this concern may remain prevalent for some time (Overall, 2011). At the secondary level, government bodies have developed and implemented policies and standardized assessment instruments with the expressed means of improving accountability and student academic proficiency. Despite these efforts, there does not appear to be a perceived change in the readiness of students attending tertiary institutions. The purposes of this study were to determine the current state of alignment between high school and university learning outcomes and assessment standards, and outline policies/factors that would establish or strengthen this alignment.