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Raise the Bar The commission is persuaded that the competencies required for success in college and in the workplace have converged. All students today must be equipped with rigorous academic preparation and high-performance job skills. The long tradition of sorting students into “college-bound” versus “non-college-bound” tracks is no longer relevant; indeed, it is harmful to a student’s future and to the state’s economy. The same core competencies must define a “high-expectations” set of learning objectives for all students, whatever their background, interests, experience, or life destination. In recent years, Michigan has focused attention on early childhood education and has put in place rigorous K–8 curriculum standards. State legislative, education, and government leadership has realized that Michigan must extend rigorous standards to the high school level and better connect high school learning to postsecondary aspiration and success. RECOMMENDATION Set High Expectations for High School Students through Rigorous Standards and Curriculum The commission recommends that the State Board of Education develop by the 2006–2007 school year rigorous high school standards that reflect the competencies necessary for postsecondary success and readiness for the world of work. The commission further recommends that school districts require all students to take courses that will allow them to achieve these new standards and, by extension, postsecondary success. Guidance from the State Board of Education/Michigan Department of Education should be provided in the form of a new high school curricular framework to guide the teaching for all students in grades 9–12. The commission anticipates that the subject matter required to reach the new standards can and will be delivered through a variety of contexts, teaching styles, and course selections. But the commission categorically rejects the idea that schools should offer to students a curriculum that does not prepare them for postsecondary success. Until this curricular framework is established, the commission recommends that districts adopt a curriculum (i.e., course of study) that reflects rigorous standards for all students, such as that of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, and the requirements for becoming a Michigan Scholar. Once established, the new Michigan high school standards and curricular framework should be adopted by school districts for all students. (Participation Work Group rec. 1) News
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