Table 5.9. State high school college-readiness policies, by state: 2015

Compiles and disseminates data on state education practice activities

State	State has college-readiness definition that includes cut scores on statewide mandatory high school assessments		State has mandatory high school English and mathematics assessments with state-adopted college-ready cut scores		State has college-readiness benchmark that guarantees placement into credit-bearing coursework in the state postsecondary system
United States¹	6	²	11	³	5	⁴

Alabama	No		No		No
Alaska	No		No		No
Arizona	No		No		No
Arkansas	Yes		Yes		No
California	No		No	⁵	No	⁶

Colorado	No		No		No
Connecticut	No		No		No
Delaware	No		No		No
District of Columbia	No		No		No
Florida	Yes		Yes		Yes	⁷

Georgia	No		No	⁸	No	⁹
Hawaii	No		No		No
Idaho	No		No	¹⁰	No	¹¹
Illinois	No		No		No
Indiana	No		Yes		No

Iowa	No		Yes		No
Kansas	No		No		No
Kentucky	Yes		Yes		Yes	¹²
Louisiana	Yes		Yes		Yes	¹³
Maine	No		No		No

Maryland	No		No	¹⁴	No	¹⁴
Massachusetts	No		No		No
Michigan	No		No		No
Minnesota	No		No		No
Mississippi	No		No		No

Missouri	No		No		No
Montana	No		No		No
Nebraska	No		No		No
Nevada	No		No		No
New Hampshire	No		No		No

New Jersey	No		No		No
New Mexico	No		No		No
New York	No		No		No
North Carolina	No		No		No
North Dakota	No		No		No

Ohio	No	¹⁵	No	¹⁶	No	¹⁵
Oklahoma	No		Yes		No
Oregon	No		No		No
Pennsylvania	No		No		No
Rhode Island	No		No		No

South Carolina	No		No	¹⁷	No
South Dakota	No	¹⁸	No	¹⁹	No	¹⁹
Tennessee	No		Yes		No
Texas	Yes		Yes		Yes	²⁰
Utah	No		No	²¹	No

Vermont	No		No		No
Virginia	Yes		Yes		No
Washington	No		No	²²	No	²³
West Virginia	No		Yes		Yes	²⁴
Wisconsin	No		No		No
Wyoming	No		No		No

¹ National total reflects the number of "Yes" responses for the column.
² A college readiness definition includes a cut score signaling college readiness established in established in statute, regulation, or a stand-alone state document, or a statewide college-readiness definition created by a state agency or governing body, task force, etc.
³ These assessments include ACT, SAT, PLAN, PSAT, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), and state-developed or –contracted standards-based or end-of-course assessments.
⁴ The data in this column distinguish between states with policies already in application versus policies scheduled to go into effect with students who are high school juniors in spring 2015 or beyond.
⁵ Through California's Early Assessment Program, students may elect to complete additional English Language Arts and mathematics items on grade 11 California Standards Test to gauge their college readiness.
⁶ Students who are deemed college ready on the voluntary Early Assessment Program may enroll directly in credit-bearing coursework.
⁷ In Florida, placement decisions are determined by Common Placement Test.
⁸ Georgia Milestones are being implemented in spring 2015.
⁹ Cut scores on Georgia Milestones will be used to exempt students from placement testing.
¹⁰ Districts in Idaho may deliver remediation to students scoring below a 4 on SBAC.
¹¹ Students scoring a 4 on the SBAC would be exempt from college remediation.
¹² Placement decisions are determined by ACT, SAT, and/or Kentucky Online Testing (KYOTE).
¹³ Placement decisions are determined by ACT scores.
¹⁴ PARCC cut scores will be used for the 2015–16 school year.
¹⁵ When ACT and SAT testing is fully implemented in 2018, Ohio will have cut scores that deem students remediation free and eligible to enroll in credit-bearing courses in any public postsecondary institution in the state.
¹⁶ ACT and SAT cut scores will be used starting with the high school class of 2018.
¹⁷ State statute encourages ACT and WorkKeys results to be used in course selection which might include remedial, dual enrollment, AP, or other options.
¹⁸ A statewide college and career readiness definition is under development.
¹⁹ South Dakota will measure the college readiness of students through the SBAC. Through the South Dakota Virtual School, South Dakota offers statewide remedial coursework for students with ACT scores below 20 in mathematics and below 19 in English. Students successfully completing the program may directly enter into college-level courses.
²⁰ Students who perform at a specified level on the end-of-course assessments or those who complete a college preparatory course in high school are exempt from placement testing requirements upon postsecondary entry.
²¹ Utah has developed college readiness assessments, but the state has not yet completed the development of required intervention or acceleration opportunities for students. Utah's school grading policy requires high schools to report the percentage of students who are considered college ready. A student is college ready if the student's score on the ACT is at or above the college readiness benchmark defined by the ACT.
²² Washington is administering the SBAC in spring 2015 and has identified readiness cut scores that will be used for placement effective in 2016, and for identification of students for Bridge to College developmental courses piloted in 2014–15.
²³ Beginning in 2016, students scoring a 3 or 4 on Smarter Balanced and enrolling in a postsecondary institutions directly after high school may place into college-level courses at all public institutions without remediation or additional placement testing. In addition, students earning a B or better in a Bridge English Language Arts or mathematics course are eligible to enter credit bearing coursework upon college entry.
²⁴ Placement decisions are determined by the COMPASS placement assessment.
NOTE: The information in this table was collected from state statutes, rules and regulations.
SOURCE: Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison: 12th Grade Transitions, retrieved January 17, 2017 from http://www.ecs.org/12th-grade-transitions/. Data Source.

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