Collaborative Center for Literacy Development

The likelihood that students will make a successful transition to the college environment is often a function of their readiness--the degree to which previous educational and personal experiences have equipped them for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college. A key problem is that the current measures of college preparation are limited in their ability to communicate to students and to educators the true range of what students must do to be fully ready to succeed in college. This article outlines a broader, more comprehensive conception of college readiness, one built on four facets: key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, academic behaviors, and contextual skills and knowledge.