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The Uneven Promise of Readiness: Which College and Career Readiness Indicators Actually Predict Success after High School? Policy Brief No. 1

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Title: The Uneven Promise of Readiness: Which College and Career Readiness Indicators Actually Predict Success after High School? Policy Brief No. 1
Language: English
Authors: Jacob Kirksey, Jennifer Freeman, Wesley Edwards, Brian Holzman, Han Bum Lee, Texas Tech University (TTU), Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE)
Source: Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. 2026.
Availability: Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. Texas Tech University, College of Education, 3002 18th Street, Room 168, Lubbock, TX 79409. Tel: 806-834-2923; e-mail: circle.educ@ttu.edu; Web site: https://hdl.handle.net/2346/88837
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Texas 2036
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: College Readiness, Career Readiness, High School Students, Educational Indicators, Success, Dual Enrollment, Credentials, College Entrance Examinations, Rural Schools
Geographic Terms: Texas
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: SAT (College Admission Test), ACT Assessment
Abstract: Texas uses the College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) framework to assess whether high school students are prepared for life after graduation, and these measures are directly tied to school accountability and district funding. Although students can meet CCMR in many ways, the state the accountability system assigns equal weight to all CCMR indicators, implicitly treating them as equally predictive of students' postsecondary success. We examined statewide data for nearly 1 million Texas high school students across eight graduating cohorts from 2015-16 to 2022-23. By linking K-12 records to postsecondary enrollment, attainment, and workforce data, we show that some CCMR indicators link to meaningful postsecondary and workforce trajectories, while others provide a false signal of readiness that does not translate into postsecondary success.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679042
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: The Uneven Promise of Readiness: Which College and Career Readiness Indicators Actually Predict Success after High School? Policy Brief No. 1
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jacob+Kirksey%22">Jacob Kirksey</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennifer+Freeman%22">Jennifer Freeman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wesley+Edwards%22">Wesley Edwards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brian+Holzman%22">Brian Holzman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Han+Bum+Lee%22">Han Bum Lee</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Texas+Tech+University+%28TTU%29%2C+Center+for+Innovative+Research+in+Change%2C+Leadership%2C+and+Education+%28CIRCLE%29%22">Texas Tech University (TTU), Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE)</searchLink>
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  Data: Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. Texas Tech University, College of Education, 3002 18th Street, Room 168, Lubbock, TX 79409. Tel: 806-834-2923; e-mail: circle.educ@ttu.edu; Web site: https://hdl.handle.net/2346/88837
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Readiness%22">College Readiness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Readiness%22">Career Readiness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+School+Students%22">High School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Indicators%22">Educational Indicators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Success%22">Success</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dual+Enrollment%22">Dual Enrollment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Credentials%22">Credentials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Entrance+Examinations%22">College Entrance Examinations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+Schools%22">Rural Schools</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Texas%22">Texas</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Texas uses the College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) framework to assess whether high school students are prepared for life after graduation, and these measures are directly tied to school accountability and district funding. Although students can meet CCMR in many ways, the state the accountability system assigns equal weight to all CCMR indicators, implicitly treating them as equally predictive of students' postsecondary success. We examined statewide data for nearly 1 million Texas high school students across eight graduating cohorts from 2015-16 to 2022-23. By linking K-12 records to postsecondary enrollment, attainment, and workforce data, we show that some CCMR indicators link to meaningful postsecondary and workforce trajectories, while others provide a false signal of readiness that does not translate into postsecondary success.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: 2026
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  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED679042
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: College Readiness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Career Readiness
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      – SubjectFull: High School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Success
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      – SubjectFull: Dual Enrollment
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      – SubjectFull: Credentials
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      – SubjectFull: College Entrance Examinations
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      – SubjectFull: Rural Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Texas
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      – SubjectFull: SAT (College Admission Test)
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      – TitleFull: The Uneven Promise of Readiness: Which College and Career Readiness Indicators Actually Predict Success after High School? Policy Brief No. 1
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