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Education Program

K-16 Issues

Overview 

K-16 (Kindergarten-16) reform, the movement toward a seamless education system, breaks from the traditional practice of the K-12 and higher education systems operating separately. The goal of K-16 reform is to bring these two systems together to create aligned policy and practice in examination practices, graduation requirements, admissions policies and other areas.

As the standards movement advances throughout most states, the disconnect between K-12 and higher education policies has become more pronounced. For example, it has become clearer that the standards students must meet to graduate from high school do not necessarily coincide well with what higher education expects for admission and performance. Consequently, students might pass their high school exit examinations and then find themselves in remedial education courses upon entering a postsecondary institution.

The K-16 movement manifests itself in several legislative issues that overlap with K-12 and higher education, but that now are beginning to be examined in both systems together. Some of these issues include:

Legislation and Legislative Trends

Several states are undertaking K-16 reform, and they are doing so in various ways. Specific examples include:

• In 1991 and 1995, the Oregon State Legislature passed legislation requiring statewide academic content standards and student performance standards. Included in this legislation is a program that awards students with the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) if they meet or exceed these statewide standards. A student may also receive the Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) through a combination of academic student and high-quality career-related learning experiences. Although not specifically required in the legislation, the Oregon University System (OUS) responded to this educational reform by developing and adopting new admission requirements for students to be admitted to Oregon's public universities. The new system of admission is known as the Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS) and is intended to move the focus of the admission process from courses taken to knowledge and skills mastered.
• In 1995, in response to a charge by Governor Zell Miller, Georgia launched its P-16 Initiative. The result was a comprehensive and collaborative statewide effort aimed at raising expectations and ensuring student success from preschool through postsecondary education. Under this initiative, Georgia's P-16 Council coordinates the program's goals, including raising expectations and achievement of Georgia's students. The P-16 Council reports to the Governor and the four state education systems in the state. There are 15 local/regional P-16 councils that involve 29 University System of Georgia institutions, 147 school districts, 23 technical institutes, 23 private schools, 80 businesses, 41 public agencies and community representatives. As part of this program, the University System of Georgia, the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE), certain high schools, and representative employers have partnered in order to develop and pilot academic and performance standards and assessments of what it takes to succeed in colleges, universities, technical institutes, and the world of work.
• In December 1997, Missouri formed a partnership among business, education, and political leaders called the K-16 Coalition. Created by the State Board of Education, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, and the University of Missouri Board of Curators, the partnership has focused on discovering and implementing ways to align the education system across all levels and raise the performance levels of all Missouri students. Specifically, the coalition has been identifying ways to increase student performance in mathematics.
• Maryland has brought representatives from K-12 and higher education together to determine clear expectations of students who are graduating from high school. In forming the Maryland K-16 Partnership for Teaching and Learning, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the University of Maryland System are developing strategies for strengthening K-16 connections, including the alignment of standards, competencies, and assessments.

NCSL Activity

In 1998, NCSL, with the support of The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education, partnered with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) to explore the nature and purposes of state involvement in education reform particularly with respect to K-16 issues.

As part of this project, the four organizations organized a 15-state institute at Stanford University from September 30 to October 2, 1999. The proceedings of this institute are currently available. To order, please contact publications. (DeLuca, Diana and Demaree K. Michelau. Education Reform into the Millennium: The State Legislature's Role in Building a Consensus for Change. Denver: National Conference of State Legislatures, March 2000).

NCSL and its partners are following up with these 15 states by offering in-state technical assistance and working on a series of publications related to K-16 issues.

Other information on the web:

• Blair, Julie. "Mismatched Curricula Leave Freshmen Ill-Prepared, Study Finds." Education Week (December 15, 1999).
• The Education Trust
• The Georgia P-16 Initiative
• "Good Teaching Matters: How Well-Qualified Teachers can Close the Gap." Thinking K-16 Report (The Education Trust) 3, Issue 2 (Summer 1998).
• "High School to College: Linking K-12 Standards and University Admissions"
• Maryland K-16 Partnership Statement
• Maryland K-16 Partnership Fact Sheet
• The Missouri K-16 Coalition
• Proficiency-based Admissions Standards System
• State Higher Education Executive Officers
  

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