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Career Preparation

Teachers say critical thinking key to college and career readiness

Louis Freedberg

September 29, 2015.

California teachers say critical thinking skills, not scores on standardized tests, are the best way to assess whether students are prepared for success in college and the workplace, according to an online survey by EdSource in partnership with the California Teachers Association.

Teachers said they have received much more training on how to prepare students for college – and far less on preparing them for non-college options.

They also said college and career readiness has not been fully integrated into the professional development training they have received to implement the Common Core State Standards.

Preparing students to graduate from high school prepared for college and careers is now a principal goal of all major education reforms being implemented in California, including the Common Core standards and the Local Control Funding Formula, which was approved by the state Legislature in June 2013. This represents a major shift from the goal of the No Child Left Behind reforms of the past 15 years, which was to promote proficiency on standardized tests.

The survey of 1,000 teachers randomly selected from among a list of CTA’s more than 300,000 members was conducted last spring. Carried out by the polling firm GBA Strategies, it is the first of its kind to probe teacher attitudes regarding college and career readiness. The survey was partially underwritten by The James Irvine Foundation.

Defining what exactly “college and career readiness” means – and what it will take to ensure that students reach that goal by the time they graduate from high school – is currently a major concern of educators and policy makers around the state, and the teachers’ role in making that happen will be critical.

Teachers overwhelmingly supported the goal of preparing students for college and careers. When asked to rank the most important indicators of college and career readiness, 78 percent of teachers ranked developing critical thinking skills among the three most important indicators. Eight percent of teachers ranked proficiency on the Smarter Balanced test, which more than 3 million students took for the first time last spring, among the three most important indicators.

“I think most college professors would agree that students’ ability to think critically and analyze texts, and to integrate information is much more important than what they did on a test,” said David Plank, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education, or PACE, a joint policy and research institute of UC Berkeley, Stanford University and the University of Southern California. “The disagreement would come from admissions officers who find tests very efficient in deciding who is eligible for admission or not.”

David Conley, professor of education policy at the University of Oregon, and president of EdImagine, a strategic consulting firm that is working on college and career readiness issues with school districts in California and the California Department of Education, welcomed teachers’ emphasis on critical thinking skills, but he said that the high school curriculum has largely not reflected that emphasis. “The arrows are all pointing toward greater alignment of high school and college, but the challenge will be course redesign at the high school level in particular, and training (of teachers) in new instructional methods,” he said.

Just under one third (30 percent) of teachers said their districts have clearly defined standards for what constitutes college and career readiness. Thirty-five percent say that their districts have standards, but that they are not clearly defined. Eight percent say their districts have no standards at all.

Conley, who authored “ Getting Ready for College, Careers and the Common Core ,” said that it is essential that districts adopt a specific definition of college and career readiness that goes beyond just requiring students to meet the A-G course requirements for admission to UC and CSU. He said what will be needed “is a definition that you can put into operation through professional development (of teachers) and curriculum development. A vague definition doesn’t do you any good.”

At a time when teachers are being asked to take on a number of new reforms, nearly three-fourths of teachers say they are either “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied” with their jobs. Thirty-one percent of teachers support the Common Core standards, and nearly half support the standards with some reservations. Twelve percent say they are opposed to the standards altogether.

The survey also provides some guideposts for what additional resources teachers feel they need to adequately prepare students for college and careers. At the top of their list are programs that link the high school curriculum to the workplace with a specific career pathway along with more high school career-technical courses.

“High schools have historically done a better job preparing students to graduate ready for college,” said Jon Snyder, executive director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. “They have not done as good a job in our schools preparing students for careers.”

Snyder said it was important to “break down the false dichotomy between college and career.” “We used to say college or career, and you had these two tracks,” he said. “It is important to say  ‘both and,’ not ‘either or.'”

Key Findings Include:

Support for college and career readiness as a goal

• More than three-fourths of teachers say they believe that preparing students to be ready for college and the workplace by the time they graduate from high school is a very or somewhat realistic goal. Twenty-three percent feel it is not very realistic or not realistic at all.
• There are differences in teacher attitudes depending on the socioeconomic backgrounds of the students in the schools where they teach. About 58 percent of teachers in schools where fewer than 1 in 4 of their students are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals believe that college and career readiness is a “very realistic” goal. But 20 percent of teachers in schools where more than 3 in 4  students qualify for federally subsidized meals have similar attitudes.

Lack of clearly defined standards

• Thirty percent of teachers say their districts have clearly defined standards for what constitutes college and career readiness. Thirty-five percent say that their districts have standards, but that they are not clearly defined. Eight percent say their districts have no standards at all.

Little professional development or training for non-college options

• Although almost all teachers consider themselves knowledgeable about what should be done to prepare students for college and careers, 36 percent say they have received specific training to help them prepare students for college over the past two years.
• Eight percent say they have received training to prepare students for options other than college.
• At the high school level, 43 percent of teachers say they have received training to prepare students for college, and 14 percent say they have received training for other career options.
• Those teachers who have received training say that the professional development training they have received in preparing students for college and careers has been useful to them (69 percent).

College and career readiness training often not integrated with Common Core training

• Seventy-nine percent express support for the Common Core standards (31 percent support them unconditionally, while another 48 percent support them “with reservations”). Twelve percent are unequivocally opposed to them.
• At the same time, the majority of teachers (51 percent) say that the goal of college and career readiness has not been integrated into the workshops, in-service training or professional development related to the Common Core they had participated in. Ten percent said that college and career readiness was “very strongly integrated” into this professional development and training.

Resources teachers need

• Teachers ranked career academies, linked learning or other programs that tie the high school curriculum with a specific career pathway as the No. 1 resource their school or district needed most to prepare students for college and careers.
• Ranked second and third respectively are more high school career-technical courses and additional school counselors to help students make choices about colleges or alternatives to college.
• Teachers who were aware of programs outside of their school district to promote college and career readiness also placed a very high value on workplace internships – with nearly two-thirds listing internships as an effective way to prepare students for college and careers.

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Peg Maddocks 9 years ago 9 years ago

It's refreshing that a majority of teachers are clear and in agreement on what the most important skills are for students to be successful in the real world. Providing internships, mentors, authentic projects, and community resources enriches students' capacity to be ready and to launch themselves, whether they go to college or careers or both. Critical thinking in the classroom means letting kids be at the center with the responsibility and freedom to analyze problems, … Read More

It’s refreshing that a majority of teachers are clear and in agreement on what the most important skills are for students to be successful in the real world. Providing internships, mentors, authentic projects, and community resources enriches students’ capacity to be ready and to launch themselves, whether they go to college or careers or both. Critical thinking in the classroom means letting kids be at the center with the responsibility and freedom to analyze problems, collaborate on ideas, and communicate unique solutions. I hope the CCSS is eventually seen as one way to measure these abilities.

Jim 9 years ago 9 years ago

The idea that everybody has the cognitive level needed to complete college is simply nuts. Most people with IQ’s above 110 could probably get through college and perhaps it might be possible for individuals with IQ’s of say 105. But the idea that someone with an IQ of say 90 could do college level work is beyond crazy. About 25% of the US population has an IQ below 90.

Ellen Moir 9 years ago 9 years ago

Most teachers seem excited about the possibilities new standards represent, and hopeful they will receive the professional learning and support they need to make sure their students are successful. The challenge ahead is to build a profession of teachers who are trusted; who are constantly learning; who know they can take risks to reach every student; who persevere in solving complex issues; who are open to feedback that helps them grow professionally; and, ultimately, who … Read More

Most teachers seem excited about the possibilities new standards represent, and hopeful they will receive the professional learning and support they need to make sure their students are successful. The challenge ahead is to build a profession of teachers who are trusted; who are constantly learning; who know they can take risks to reach every student; who persevere in solving complex issues; who are open to feedback that helps them grow professionally; and, ultimately, who believe all students can learn and meet higher standards.

We can get there by giving teachers on-the-job coaching that meets their specific needs while helping them make a difference for students.

zane de arakal 9 years ago 9 years ago

Dropping the term Vocational Educational affected current curricular planning.

Gary Ravani 9 years ago 9 years ago

This survey's results align nicely with my experience over the course of several years in discussing CCSS with teachers from up and down the state. That puts about 8 in 10 in support, to varying degrees of the CCSS, and 2 in 10 adamantly against. As is typically the case in controversial issues the "against" folks are really, really adamant while the pro folks are much more moderate in their support. This also points out … Read More

This survey’s results align nicely with my experience over the course of several years in discussing CCSS with teachers from up and down the state. That puts about 8 in 10 in support, to varying degrees of the CCSS, and 2 in 10 adamantly against. As is typically the case in controversial issues the “against” folks are really, really adamant while the pro folks are much more moderate in their support.

This also points out that implementation of CCSS, as well as SBAC, is a complex, time driven, resources driven project. Time is scarce in the schools with US teachers having little time to collaborate compared to international peers, and teachers in CA are particularly burdened by high number of students in classrooms and a lack of resources. The latter issues are both inextricably linked to CA’s poor fiscal support for the schools.

CA is currently blessed with policy leadership, both at CDE and the SBE, who understand the level of difficulty schools will have in implementing CCSS and are attempting to mitigate the situation by building some flexibility into the time component of the process. For this they receive a lot of criticism from those who understand the difficulties facing the schools, but want to use the difficulties as levers to drive an anti-public school, anti-teacher agenda. Policy leadership often seem reluctant to address the resources component likely to avoid getting on the wrong side of the notoriously “frugal” governor.

Joy Dugan 9 years ago 9 years ago

The skills mentioned int he article are essential. I work as an educator in a vocational field, Consumer & Family Sciences, and developed and taught at the Middle School & High School level coursework exploring careers and career clusters. This type of course has been helpful to students as it brings more relevance to their coursework. It also assists them in choosing outside of class activities to gain experience.

Jason May 9 years ago 9 years ago

I don't see any indication that this survey ever defined what "critical thinking skills" means. So a bunch of teachers said that an undefined and unmeasurable factor might be more important than "hard" test scores? That's not surprising at all. Standardized test scores are clearly not the best way to assess much of anything. But I've heard no clear proposal for an alternative, and this survey doesn't offer anything new. Read More

I don’t see any indication that this survey ever defined what “critical thinking skills” means. So a bunch of teachers said that an undefined and unmeasurable factor might be more important than “hard” test scores? That’s not surprising at all.

Standardized test scores are clearly not the best way to assess much of anything. But I’ve heard no clear proposal for an alternative, and this survey doesn’t offer anything new.

There is a considerable body of professional literature on the skills in the category of “critical thinking.” It is far too extensive to be covered here. You will need to do some research and a lot of reading.

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College readiness means preparation to handle the higher expectations, faster pacing and deeper thinking skills needed in college courses. Research conducted by Dr. David Conley of the University of Oregon digs into the necessary content knowledge beyond course names and identifies “writing skills, algebraic concepts, key foundational content and ‘big ideas’ from core subjects” as essential knowledge needed for postsecondary success, along with key cognitive strategies: analytic reasoning, problem solving, inquisitiveness, precision, interpretation and evaluating claims.

Surveys consistently show that many students, and their parents, do not know what college admission requirements involve, what kind of financial aid is available, and that community and technical colleges often have academic placement requirements. Students and their families need ‘college knowledge’, which is formal and informal knowledge about the different types of colleges, the admissions process, academic and testing requirements, tuition, placement and levels of challenge. Financial knowledge is critical as well, including basic budgeting, the risks of debt, and the value of some debt such as a reasonable amount of student loans.

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• Stand and Deliver: The Role of Presentations in Project Based Learning : Explore how schools like Manor New Technology High School hone written and oral communication skills through PBL presentations to build college-and-career readiness. Read more about Manor New Technology High School in Edutopia’s Project-Based Learning: Success Start to Finish ." (P21, 2016)
• Experiencing Deeper Learning Through PBL : Watch a video profiling high school student Rahil, and learn more about how his experiences with project-based learning prepared him for college. (Edutopia, 2013)
• Can PBL Help Pave the Way to College Success? : Learn how one charter school network helps students become college-ready through an emphasis on project-based learning, student leadership, STEM education, and technology integration. (Edutopia, 2013)
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• Bridging the Gap Between Aspiration and Attainment in College Enrollment : Consider takeaways from an analysis by the Center for Public Education , including suggestions about how to bridge the gap between college enrollment aspiration and attainment. (Edutopia, 2014)
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• High School Support Through College : Learn about one school that extends support beyond high school to help students succeed in college. (Edutopia, 2016)
• Helpful Resources to Share With High School Graduates : Explore resources educators and parents can share with graduates to help them start planning ahead during the summer after graduation. (Edutopia, 2014)
• College Readiness Checklist for Parents : Use this college readiness checklist to make sure your high school grads are prepared for what's waiting for them on campus. (Edutopia, 2012)
• 9 Steps for Easing the Transition to College : Think through strategies to help teens with learning and attention issues prepare for the college transition. (Understood, 2014)
• College Board School Advisory Session Guides : Reference guides (especially the guide for grade 12) for session outlines that address topics about setting expectations for college and adjusting to college life; session outlines for grades 6 and up address other aspects of college readiness. (Big Future/College Board)

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College Prep: College Acceptance for Every Student

Learn how Urban Prep Charter Academy, Englewood Campus in Chicago, Illinois, ensures that all graduates are accepted to a four-year college or university. See how they conduct pride advisory classes to help students develop socially and emotionally and build college preparedness through all four years of high school. Then download information about their advisory curriculum and one of their college-readiness tools:

• College Planning Worksheet -- Use this worksheet to understand how students identify which colleges they'd like to attend.
• Pride Curriculum Map -- Learn more about the entire Pride Curriculum, which covers topics ranging from study skills to racism and financial literacy.
• Sophomore Pride Curriculum -- Take a look at the Pride Curriculum for sophomores, which covers topics such as identity development and responsible decision making.

Critical Thinking: A Path to College and Career

Review suggestions from educators at KIPP King Collegiate High School in San Lorenzo, California, on how to develop and assess critical-thinking skills to foster college readiness. Then check out how Kipp King addresses professional development on critical thinking , and explore some of the KIPP King school downloads to use them in your own school. Here are some highlights:

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What is College Readiness?

• Classroom Strategies
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You might be surprised to learn that more than half of first-year college students say they aren’t prepared for college, despite being academically eligible to attend.

College readiness can ensure this doesn't happen.

By definition, college readiness is the set of skills, behaviors, and knowledge a high school student should have before enrollment in their first year of college. Counselors and teachers play a key role in making sure this happens and can help students find academic success in college. If you’re already a teacher, or studying to become one , it’s important to know how you can effectively prepare your students for college.

Let’s break it down.

Why is College Readiness Important?

The transition from high school to college is a major one. In many cases, students move away from home and embark on a new life chapter—both academically and personally. It’s crucial for parents and teachers to understand why college readiness is important so that they can better prepare students for a successful college experience even before enrollment.

Multiple studies show that college readiness improves a student’s chance of actually completing their degree. But the impact is even bigger than that. According to a report by American College Testing (ACT), high school graduates need to be college- and career-ready in order to have a properly skilled workforce that meets the demands of the 21st century.

Below are some ways teachers can equip their students for that next academic step.

How Can Teachers Measure College Readiness?

True college readiness requires both academic and real-world skills. In fact, the ability to solve problems, work in a team, and be resourceful are viewed by some experts as equally important to mastering mathematics and reading. So, while many colleges use ACT/SAT scores or a student’s high school GPA to measure college readiness, there are other indicators or “soft skills” that teachers can look for.

Essential Soft Skills for College Readiness

• Time management
• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Goal setting
• Collaboration
• Problem-solving

How Can I Prepare Students for College?

Here are five tips you can use to better equip your students for college success.

Focus on Executive Function Skills

Executive function refers to the mental skills that we use every day to learn and manage our daily lives. They include things such as memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. These skills can develop at different rates in different students. One way you can help support students in developing these skills is to establish a mindfulness routine that includes regular self-check-ins, self-reflection, intention setting, and gratitude practice.

Make the Classroom More Rigorous

It might be a challenge at first, but updates to the curriculum to include more intensive coursework is key to ensure students are well equipped with the broader set of strategies they’ll need for college. You can do this by implementing a challenging curriculum and assign longer, more complex assignments that involve things such as research, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Another thing you can do to help prepare your students for college is to teach them the value of extracurricular activities or after-school jobs. These things demonstrate to college admission officers that a student is well rounded and capable of handling the responsibilities that come with college.

Consider Social Aspects of College

Teachers can better prepare their students for college by teaching the social-emotional skills that they need to thrive in a post-secondary setting. Assigning group projects that promote collaboration and encouraging students to become involved in school activities, volunteer opportunities, or cultural events can encourage students to flex their interpersonal skills.

Teach Practical Skills

The best way to teach practical skills is to create coursework that allows students to put them into practice. Educators should look for opportunities to incorporate real-world skills into their instruction. For example, if you’re a math teacher, you can teach students how various math concepts relate to financial literacy, budgeting, or even preparing food.

Encourage Additional Preparation Resources

Prep courses and Advanced Placement (AP) classes are two of the best ways to academically prepare students for college. Not only do they give students a preview of what’s to come, but in many cases, students can earn college credit and get a head start on their college career.

Preparing students for the financial responsibility of college is important, too. The Department of Education’s financial aid toolkit offers multiple free resources for teachers and their students.

Every day, high school teachers help guide their students to academic and career success. If this important, highly rewarding role appeals to you, WGU can get you on the path to becoming a teacher. Learn more or contact us today !

Ready to Start Your Journey?

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Thinking and Analysis

Critical thinking skills.

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. —Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Define critical thinking
• Describe the role that logic plays in critical thinking
• Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to problem-solve
• Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to evaluate information
• Identify strategies for developing yourself as a critical thinker

Critical Thinking

Thinking comes naturally. You don’t have to make it happen—it just does. But you can make it happen in different ways. For example, you can think positively or negatively. You can think with “heart” and you can think with rational judgment. You can also think strategically and analytically, and mathematically and scientifically. These are a few of multiple ways in which the mind can process thought.

What are some forms of thinking you use? When do you use them, and why?

As a college student, you are tasked with engaging and expanding your thinking skills. One of the most important of these skills is critical thinking. Critical thinking is important because it relates to nearly all tasks, situations, topics, careers, environments, challenges, and opportunities. It’s a “domain-general” thinking skill—not a thinking skill that’s reserved for a one subject alone or restricted to a particular subject area.

Great leaders have highly attuned critical thinking skills, and you can, too. In fact, you probably have a lot of these skills already. Of all your thinking skills, critical thinking may have the greatest value.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do. It means asking probing questions like, “How do we know?” or “Is this true in every case or just in this instance?” It involves being skeptical and challenging assumptions, rather than simply memorizing facts or blindly accepting what you hear or read.

Imagine, for example, that you’re reading a history textbook. You wonder who wrote it and why, because you detect certain biases in the writing. You find that the author has a limited scope of research focused only on a particular group within a population. In this case, your critical thinking reveals that there are “other sides to the story.”

Who are critical thinkers, and what characteristics do they have in common? Critical thinkers are usually curious and reflective people. They like to explore and probe new areas and seek knowledge, clarification, and new solutions. They ask pertinent questions, evaluate statements and arguments, and they distinguish between facts and opinion. They are also willing to examine their own beliefs, possessing a manner of humility that allows them to admit lack of knowledge or understanding when needed. They are open to changing their mind. Perhaps most of all, they actively enjoy learning, and seeking new knowledge is a lifelong pursuit.

This may well be you!

No matter where you are on the road to being a critical thinker, you can always more fully develop and finely tune your skills. Doing so will help you develop more balanced arguments, express yourself clearly, read critically, and glean important information efficiently. Critical thinking skills will help you in any profession or any circumstance of life, from science to art to business to teaching. With critical thinking, you become a clearer thinker and problem solver.

The following video, from Lawrence Bland, presents the major concepts and benefits of critical thinking.

Activity: Self-Assess Your Critical Thinking Strategies

• Assess your basic understanding of the skills involved in critical thinking.
• Visit the Quia Critical Thinking Quiz page and click on Start Now (you don’t need to enter your name). Select the best answer for each question, and then click on Submit Answers. A score of 70 percent or better on this quiz is considering passing.
• Based on the content of the questions, do you feel you use good critical thinking strategies in college? In what ways might you improve as a critical thinker?

Critical Thinking and Logic

Critical thinking is fundamentally a process of questioning information and data. You may question the information you read in a textbook, or you may question what a politician or a professor or a classmate says. You can also question a commonly-held belief or a new idea. With critical thinking, anything and everything is subject to question and examination for the purpose of logically constructing reasoned perspectives.

What Is Logic, and Why Is It Important in Critical Thinking?

The word logic comes from the Ancient Greek logike , referring to the science or art of reasoning. Using logic, a person evaluates arguments and reasoning and strives to distinguish between good and bad reasoning, or between truth and falsehood. Using logic, you can evaluate ideas or claims people make, make good decisions, and form sound beliefs about the world. [1]

Questions of Logic in Critical Thinking

Let’s use a simple example of applying logic to a critical-thinking situation. In this hypothetical scenario, a man has a PhD in political science, and he works as a professor at a local college. His wife works at the college, too. They have three young children in the local school system, and their family is well known in the community. The man is now running for political office. Are his credentials and experience sufficient for entering public office? Will he be effective in the political office? Some voters might believe that his personal life and current job, on the surface, suggest he will do well in the position, and they will vote for him. In truth, the characteristics described don’t guarantee that the man will do a good job. The information is somewhat irrelevant. What else might you want to know? How about whether the man had already held a political office and done a good job? In this case, we want to ask, How much information is adequate in order to make a decision based on logic instead of assumptions?

The following questions, presented in Figure 1, below, are ones you may apply to formulating a logical, reasoned perspective in the above scenario or any other situation:

• What’s happening? Gather the basic information and begin to think of questions.
• Why is it important? Ask yourself why it’s significant and whether or not you agree.
• What don’t I see? Is there anything important missing?
• How do I know? Ask yourself where the information came from and how it was constructed.
• Who is saying it? What’s the position of the speaker and what is influencing them?
• What else? What if? What other ideas exist and are there other possibilities?

Problem-Solving with Critical Thinking

For most people, a typical day is filled with critical thinking and problem-solving challenges. In fact, critical thinking and problem-solving go hand-in-hand. They both refer to using knowledge, facts, and data to solve problems effectively. But with problem-solving, you are specifically identifying, selecting, and defending your solution. Below are some examples of using critical thinking to problem-solve:

• Your roommate was upset and said some unkind words to you, which put a crimp in the relationship. You try to see through the angry behaviors to determine how you might best support the roommate and help bring the relationship back to a comfortable spot.
• Your campus club has been languishing on account of lack of participation and funds. The new club president, though, is a marketing major and has identified some strategies to interest students in joining and supporting the club. Implementation is forthcoming.
• Your final art class project challenges you to conceptualize form in new ways. On the last day of class when students present their projects, you describe the techniques you used to fulfill the assignment. You explain why and how you selected that approach.
• Your math teacher sees that the class is not quite grasping a concept. She uses clever questioning to dispel anxiety and guide you to new understanding of the concept.
• You have a job interview for a position that you feel you are only partially qualified for, although you really want the job and you are excited about the prospects. You analyze how you will explain your skills and experiences in a way to show that you are a good match for the prospective employer.
• You are doing well in college, and most of your college and living expenses are covered. But there are some gaps between what you want and what you feel you can afford. You analyze your income, savings, and budget to better calculate what you will need to stay in college and maintain your desired level of spending.

Problem-Solving Action Checklist

Problem-solving can be an efficient and rewarding process, especially if you are organized and mindful of critical steps and strategies. Remember, too, to assume the attributes of a good critical thinker. If you are curious, reflective, knowledge-seeking, open to change, probing, organized, and ethical, your challenge or problem will be less of a hurdle, and you’ll be in a good position to find intelligent solutions.

Evaluating Information with Critical Thinking

Evaluating information can be one of the most complex tasks you will be faced with in college. But if you utilize the following four strategies, you will be well on your way to success:

• Read for understanding by using text coding
• Examine arguments
• Clarify thinking
• Cultivate “habits of mind”

Read for Understanding Using Text Coding

When you read and take notes, use the text coding strategy . Text coding is a way of tracking your thinking while reading. It entails marking the text and recording what you are thinking either in the margins or perhaps on Post-it notes. As you make connections and ask questions in response to what you read,  you monitor your comprehension and enhance your long-term understanding of the material.

With text coding, mark important arguments and key facts. Indicate where you agree and disagree or have further questions. You don’t necessarily need to read every word, but make sure you understand the concepts or the intentions behind what is written. Feel free to develop your own shorthand style when reading or taking notes. The following are a few options to consider using while coding text.

See more text coding from PBWorks and Collaborative for Teaching and Learning .

Examine Arguments

When you examine arguments or claims that an author, speaker, or other source is making, your goal is to identify and examine the hard facts. You can use the spectrum of authority strategy for this purpose. The spectrum of authority strategy assists you in identifying the “hot” end of an argument—feelings, beliefs, cultural influences, and societal influences—and the “cold” end of an argument—scientific influences. The following video explains this strategy.

Clarify Thinking

When you use critical thinking to evaluate information, you need to clarify your thinking to yourself and likely to others. Doing this well is mainly a process of asking and answering probing questions, such as the logic questions discussed earlier. Design your questions to fit your needs, but be sure to cover adequate ground. What is the purpose? What question are we trying to answer? What point of view is being expressed? What assumptions are we or others making? What are the facts and data we know, and how do we know them? What are the concepts we’re working with? What are the conclusions, and do they make sense? What are the implications?

Cultivate “Habits of Mind”

“Habits of mind” are the personal commitments, values, and standards you have about the principle of good thinking. Consider your intellectual commitments, values, and standards. Do you approach problems with an open mind, a respect for truth, and an inquiring attitude? Some good habits to have when thinking critically are being receptive to having your opinions changed, having respect for others, being independent and not accepting something is true until you’ve had the time to examine the available evidence, being fair-minded, having respect for a reason, having an inquiring mind, not making assumptions, and always, especially, questioning your own conclusions—in other words, developing an intellectual work ethic. Try to work these qualities into your daily life.

Developing Yourself As a Critical Thinker

Critical thinking is a desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and hatred for every kind of imposture. —Francis Bacon, philosopher

Critical thinking is a fundamental skill for college students, but it should also be a lifelong pursuit. Below are additional strategies to develop yourself as a critical thinker in college and in everyday life:

• Reflect and practice : Always reflect on what you’ve learned. Is it true all the time? How did you arrive at your conclusions?
• Use wasted time : It’s certainly important to make time for relaxing, but if you find you are indulging in too much of a good thing, think about using your time more constructively. Determine when you do your best thinking and try to learn something new during that part of the day.
• Redefine the way you see things : It can be very uninteresting to always think the same way. Challenge yourself to see familiar things in new ways. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and consider things from a different angle or perspective.  If you’re trying to solve a problem, list all your concerns: what you need in order to solve it, who can help, what some possible barriers might be, etc. It’s often possible to reframe a problem as an opportunity. Try to find a solution where there seems to be none.
• Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life : Why do you think or feel the way you do? Analyze your influences. Think about who in your life influences you. Do you feel or react a certain way because of social convention, or because you believe it is what is expected of you? Try to break out of any molds that may be constricting you.
• Express yourself : Critical thinking also involves being able to express yourself clearly. Most important in expressing yourself clearly is stating one point at a time. You might be inclined to argue every thought, but you might have greater impact if you focus just on your main arguments. This will help others to follow your thinking clearly. For more abstract ideas, assume that your audience may not understand. Provide examples, analogies, or metaphors where you can.
• Enhance your wellness : It’s easier to think critically when you take care of your mental and physical health. Try taking 10-minute activity breaks to reach 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day . Try taking a break between classes and walk to the coffee shop that’s farthest away. Scheduling physical activity into your day can help lower stress and increase mental alertness. Also, do your most difficult work when you have the most energy . Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do your most difficult work during these times. And be sure to reach out for help . If you feel you need assistance with your mental or physical health, talk to a counselor or visit a doctor.

Activity: Reflect on Critical Thinking

• Apply critical thinking strategies to your life

Directions:

• Think about someone you consider to be a critical thinker (friend, professor, historical figure, etc). What qualities does he/she have?
• Review some of the critical thinking strategies discussed on this page. Pick one strategy that makes sense to you. How can you apply this critical thinking technique to your academic work?
• Habits of mind are attitudes and beliefs that influence how you approach the world (i.e., inquiring attitude, open mind, respect for truth, etc). What is one habit of mind you would like to actively develop over the next year? How will you develop a daily practice to cultivate this habit?
• Write your responses in journal form, and submit according to your instructor’s guidelines.

The following text is an excerpt from an essay by Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, “Thinking Critically and Creatively.” In these paragraphs, Dr. Baker underscores the importance of critical thinking—the imperative of critical thinking, really—to improving as students, teachers, and researchers. The follow-up portion of this essay appears in the Creative Thinking section of this course.

Thinking Critically and Creatively

Critical thinking skills are perhaps the most fundamental skills involved in making judgments and solving problems. You use them every day, and you can continue improving them.

The ability to think critically about a matter—to analyze a question, situation, or problem down to its most basic parts—is what helps us evaluate the accuracy and truthfulness of statements, claims, and information we read and hear. It is the sharp knife that, when honed, separates fact from fiction, honesty from lies, and the accurate from the misleading. We all use this skill to one degree or another almost every day. For example, we use critical thinking every day as we consider the latest consumer products and why one particular product is the best among its peers. Is it a quality product because a celebrity endorses it? Because a lot of other people may have used it? Because it is made by one company versus another? Or perhaps because it is made in one country or another? These are questions representative of critical thinking.

The academic setting demands more of us in terms of critical thinking than everyday life. It demands that we evaluate information and analyze myriad issues. It is the environment where our critical thinking skills can be the difference between success and failure. In this environment we must consider information in an analytical, critical manner. We must ask questions—What is the source of this information? Is this source an expert one and what makes it so? Are there multiple perspectives to consider on an issue? Do multiple sources agree or disagree on an issue? Does quality research substantiate information or opinion? Do I have any personal biases that may affect my consideration of this information?

It is only through purposeful, frequent, intentional questioning such as this that we can sharpen our critical thinking skills and improve as students, learners and researchers.

—Dr. Andrew Robert Baker,  Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom

Resources for Critical Thinking

• Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms
• Critical Thinking Self-Assessment
• Logical Fallacies Jeopardy Template
• Fallacies Files—Home
• Thinking Critically | Learning Commons
• Foundation for Critical Thinking
• To Analyze Thinking We Must Identify and Question Its Elemental Structures
• Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
• "logike." Wordnik. n.d. Web. 16 Feb 2016. ↵
• "Student Success-Thinking Critically In Class and Online."  Critical Thinking Gateway . St Petersburg College, n.d. Web. 16 Feb 2016. ↵
• Critical Thinking Skills. Authored by : Linda Bruce. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Image of three students. Authored by : PopTech. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/8tXtQp . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Critical Thinking. Provided by : Critical and Creative Thinking Program. Located at : http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/Critical+Thinking . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Thinking Critically. Authored by : UBC Learning Commons. Provided by : The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus. Located at : http://www.oercommons.org/courses/learning-toolkit-critical-thinking/view . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Critical Thinking 101: Spectrum of Authority. Authored by : UBC Leap. Located at : https://youtu.be/9G5xooMN2_c . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Image of students putting post-its on wall. Authored by : Hector Alejandro. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/7b2Ax2 . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Foundations of Academic Success. Authored by : Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by : Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at : http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Critical Thinking.wmv. Authored by : Lawrence Bland. Located at : https://youtu.be/WiSklIGUblo . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

Components in a Comprehensive Definition of College Readiness

College readiness is a multi-faceted concept that includes factors both internal and external to the school environment. The model presented here emerges from a review of the literature and includes the skills and knowledge that can be most directly influenced by schools.

On this page:

Key cognitive strategies, academic knowledge and skills, academic behaviors, contextual skills and awareness.

The definition of college readiness developed below relies on a framework of four interdependent skill areas (see Figure 1).

In practice, these various facets are not mutually exclusive or perfectly nested as portrayed in the model. They interact with one another extensively. For example, a lack of college knowledge often affects the decisions students make regarding the specific content knowledge they choose to study and master. Or a lack of attention to academic behaviors is one of the most frequent causes of problems for first-year students, whether they possess the necessary content knowledge and key cognitive strategies.

Figure 1: Facets of College Readiness

What the model argues for is a more comprehensive look at what it means to be college-ready, a perspective that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all of the facets contained in the model. This is the key point of this definition, that all facets of college readiness must be identified and eventually measured if more students are to be made college-ready.

The success of a well-prepared college student is built upon a foundation of key key cognitive strategies that enable students to learn content from a range of disciplines. Unfortunately, the development of key key cognitive strategies in high school is often overshadowed by an instructional focus on de-contextualized content and facts necessary to pass exit examinations or simply to keep students busy and classrooms quiet.

For the most part, state high-stakes standardized tests require students to recall or recognize fragmented and isolated bits of information. Those that do contain performance tasks are severely limited in the time the tasks can take and their breadth or depth. The tests rarely require students to apply their learning and almost never require students to exhibit proficiency in higher forms of cognition (Marzano, Pickering, & McTighe, 1993).

Several studies of college faculty members nationwide, regardless of the selectivity of the university, expressed near-universal agreement that most students arrive unprepared for the intellectual demands and expectations of postsecondary (Conley, 2003a). For example, one study found that faculty reported that the primary areas in which first-year students needed further development were critical thinking and problem solving (Lundell, Higbee, Hipp, & Copeland, 2004).

The term “key cognitive strategies” was selected for this model to describe the intelligent behaviors necessary for college readiness and to emphasize that these behaviors need to be developed over a period of time such that they become ways of thinking, habits in how intellectual activities are pursued. In other words, key cognitive strategies are patterns of intellectual behavior that lead to the development of cognitive strategies and capabilities necessary for college-level work. The term key cognitive strategies invokes a more disciplined approach to thinking than terms such as “dispositions” or “thinking skills.” The term indicates intentional and practiced behaviors that become a habitual way of working toward more thoughtful and intelligent action (Costa & Kallick, 2000).

The specific key cognitive strategies referenced in this paper are those shown to be closely related to college success. They include the following as the most important manifestations of this way of thinking:

• Intellectual openness The student possesses curiosity and a thirst for deeper understanding, questions the views of others when those views are not logically supported, accepts constructive criticism, and changes personal views if warranted by the evidence. Such openmindedness helps students understand the ways in which knowledge is constructed, broadens personal perspectives and helps students deal with the novelty and ambiguity often encountered in the study of new subjects and new materials.
• Inquisitiveness The student engages in active inquiry and dialogue about subject matter and research questions and seeks evidence to defend arguments, explanations, or lines of reasoning. The student does not simply accept as given any assertion that is presented or conclusion that is reached, but asks why things are so.

The student identifies and evaluates data, material, and sources for quality of content, validity, credibility, and relevance. The student compares and contrasts sources and findings and generates summaries and explanations of source materials.

The student constructs well-reasoned arguments or proofs to explain phenomena or issues; utilizes recognized forms of reasoning to construct an argument and defend a point of view or conclusion; accepts critiques of or challenges to assertions; and addresses critiques and challenges by providing a logical explanation or refutation, or by acknowledging the accuracy of the critique or challenge.

The student analyzes competing and conflicting descriptions of an event or issue to determine the strengths and flaws in each description and any commonalities among or distinctions between them; synthesizes the results of an analysis of competing or conflicting descriptions of an event or issue or phenomenon into a coherent explanation; states the interpretation that is most likely correct or is most reasonable, based on the available evidence; and presents orally or in writing an extended description, summary, and evaluation of varied perspectives and conflicting points of view on a topic or issue.

The student knows what type of precision is appropriate to the task and the subject area, is able to increase precision and accuracy through successive approximations generated from a task or process that is repeated, and uses precision appropriately to reach correct conclusions in the context of the task or subject area at hand.

The student develops and applies multiple strategies to solve routine problems, generate strategies to solve non-routine problems, and applies methods of problem solving to complex problems requiring method-based problem solving. These key cognitive strategies are broadly representative of the foundational elements that underlie various “ways of knowing.”

These are at the heart of the intellectual endeavor of the university. They are necessary to discern truth and meaning as well as to pursue them. They are at the heart of how postsecondary faculty members think, and how they think about their subject areas. Without the capability to think in these ways, the entering college student either struggles mightily until these habits begin to develop or misses out on the largest portion of what college has to offer, which is how to think about the world.

Successful academic preparation for college is grounded in two important dimensions — key cognitive strategies and content knowledge. Understanding and mastering key content knowledge is achieved through the exercise of broader cognitive skills embodied within the key cognitive strategies. With this relationship in mind, it is entirely proper and worthwhile to consider some of the general areas in which students need strong grounding in content that is foundational to the understanding of academic disciplines. The case for the importance of challenging content as the framework for developing thinking skills and key cognitive strategies has been made elsewhere and will not be repeated in depth here (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000).

In order to illustrate the academic knowledge and skills necessary for college success, a brief discussion of the key structures, concepts, and knowledge of core academic subjects is presented below. This presentation is not a substitute for a comprehensive listing of essential academic knowledge and skills. A more complete exposition is contained in “Understanding University Success,” produced by Standards for Success through a three-year study in which more than 400 faculty and staff members from 20 research universities participated in extensive meetings and reviews to identify what students must do to succeed in entry-level courses at their institutions (Conley, 2003a). These findings have been confirmed in subsequent studies.

This overview begins with two academic skill areas that have repeatedly been identified as being centrally important to college success: writing and research. This is followed by brief narrative descriptions of content from a number of core academic areas.

Overarching Academic Skills

Writing is the means by which students are evaluated at least to some degree in nearly every postsecondary course. Expository, descriptive, and persuasive writing are particularly important types of writing in college. Students are expected to write a lot in college and to do so in relatively short periods of time.

Students need to know how to pre-write, how to edit, and how to re-write a piece before it is submitted and, often, after it has been submitted once and feedback has been provided. College writing requires students to present arguments clearly, substantiate each point, and utilize the basics of a style manual when constructing a paper. College-level writing is largely free of grammatical, spelling, and usage errors.

College courses increasingly require students to be able to identify and utilize appropriate strategies and methodologies to explore and answer problems and to conduct research on a range of questions. To do so, students must be able to evaluate the appropriateness of a variety of source material and then synthesize and incorporate the material into a paper or report. They must also be able to access a variety of types of information from a range of locations, formats, and source environments.

Core academic subjects knowledge and skills

The knowledge and skills developed in entry-level English courses enable students to engage texts critically and create well written, organized, and supported work products in both oral and written formats. The foundations of English include reading comprehension and literature, writing and editing, information gathering, and analysis, critiques and connections.

To be ready to succeed in such courses, students need to build vocabulary and word analysis skills, including roots and derivations. These are the building blocks of advanced literacy. Similarly, students need to utilize techniques such as strategic reading that will help them read and understand a wide range of non-fiction and technical texts. Knowing how to slow down to understand key points, when to re-read a passage, and how to underline key terms and concepts strategically so that only the most important points are highlighted are examples of strategies that aid comprehension and retention of key content.

Most important for success in college math is a thorough understanding of the basic concepts, principles, and techniques of algebra. This is different than simply having been exposed to these ideas. Much of the subsequent mathematics they will encounter draw upon or utilize these principles. In addition, having learned these elements of mathematical thinking at a deep level, they understand what it means to understand mathematical concepts deeply and are more likely to do so in subsequent areas of mathematical study. College-ready students possess more than a formulaic understanding of mathematics. They have the ability to apply conceptual understandings in order to extract a problem from a context, use mathematics to solve the problem, and then interpret the solution back into the context. They know when and how to estimate to determine the reasonableness of answers and can use a calculator appropriately as a tool, not a crutch.

College science courses emphasize scientific thinking in all their facets. In addition to utilizing all the steps in the scientific method, students learn what it means to think like a scientist. This includes the communication conventions followed by scientists, the way that empirical evidence is used to draw conclusions, and how such conclusions are then subject to challenge and interpretation.

Students come to appreciate that scientific knowledge is both constant and changing at any given moment, and that the evolution of scientific knowledge does not mean that previous knowledge was necessarily “wrong.” Students grasp that scientists think in terms of models and systems as ways to comprehend complex phenomena. This helps them make sense out of the flow of ideas and concepts they encounter in entry-level college courses and the overall structure of the scientific discipline they are studying. In their science courses, students master core concepts, principles, laws, and vocabulary of the scientific discipline being studied. Laboratory settings are the environments where content knowledge and scientific key cognitive strategies converge to help students think scientifically and integrate learned content knowledge.

The social sciences entail a range of subject areas, each with its own content base and analytic techniques and conventions. The courses an entry-level college student most typically takes are in geography, political science, economics, psychology, sociology, history, and the humanities. The scientific methods that are common across the social studies emphasize the skills of interpreting sources, evaluating evidence and competing claims, and understanding themes and the overall flow of events within larger frameworks or organizing structures. Helping students to be aware that the social sciences consist of certain “big ideas” (theories and concepts) that are used to order and structure all of the detail that often overwhelms them can help build mental scaffolds that lead toward thinking like a social scientist.

The goal of second language study is to communicate effectively with and receive communication from speakers of another language in authentic cultural contexts through the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Learning another language involves much more than memorizing a system of grammatical rules. It requires the learner to understand the cultures from which the language arises and in which it resides, use the language to communicate accurately, and use the learner’s first language and culture as a model for comparison with the language and culture being learned. Second language proficiency can improve learning in other disciplines, such as English, history and art, and expand professional, personal, and social opportunities. Language learners need to understand the structure and conventions of a language, but not through word-for-word translation or memorization of de-contextualized grammatical rules. Instead, students of a language need to master meaning in more holistic ways and in context.

The arts refer to college subject areas including art history, dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Students ready for college-level work in the arts possess an understanding of and appreciation for the contributions made by the most innovative creators in the field. Students come to understand themselves as instruments of communication and expression who demonstrate mastery of basic oral and physical expression through sound, movement, and visual representations. They understand the role of the arts as an instrument of social and political expression. They formulate and present difficult questions through their personal artistic visions. They are able to justify their aesthetic decisions when creating or performing a piece of work and know how to make decisions regarding the proper venue for performing or exhibiting any creative product.

This facet of college readiness encompasses a range of behaviors that reflect greater student self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control of a series of processes and behaviors necessary for academic success. These are distinguished from key cognitive strategies by the fact that they tend to be more completely independent of a particular content area, whereas the key cognitive strategies are always developed within the ways of knowing a particular content area. The key academic behaviors consist largely of self-monitoring skills and study skills.

Self-monitoring is a form of metacognition, the ability to think about how one is thinking. Examples of metacognitive skills include: awareness of one’s current level of mastery and understanding of a subject, including key misunderstandings and blind spots; the ability to reflect on what worked and what needed improvement in any particular academic task; the tendency to persist when presented with a novel, difficult, or ambiguous task; the tendency to identify and systematically select among and employ a range of learning strategies; and the capability to transfer learning and strategies from familiar settings and situations to new ones (Bransford et al., 2000). Research on the thinking of effective learners has shown that these individuals tend to monitor actively, regulate, evaluate, and direct their own thinking (Ritchhart, 2002).

Another important area of college readiness is student mastery of the study skills necessary for college success. The underlying premise is simple: academic success requires the mastery of key skills necessary to comprehend material and complete academic tasks successfully, and the nature of college learning in particular requires that significant amounts of time be devoted to learning outside of class for success to be achieved in class.

Study skills encompass a range of active learning strategies that go far beyond reading the text and answering the homework questions. Typical study skill behaviors include time management, preparing for and taking examinations, using information resources, taking class notes, and communicating with teachers and advisors (Robbins, Lauver, Le, Davis, Langley, & Carlstrom, 2004).

An additional critical set of study skills is the ability to participate successfully in a study group and recognize the critical importance of study groups to success in specific subjects. Examples of specific time management techniques and habits include accurately estimating how much time it takes to complete all outstanding and anticipated tasks and allocating sufficient time to complete the tasks; using calendars and creating to-do lists to organize studying into productive chunks of time; locating and utilizing settings conducive to proper study; and prioritizing study time in relation to competing demands such as work and socializing.

The importance of this broad category has only recently been highlighted as an ever-wider range of students apply to college. Contextual factors encompass primarily the privileged information necessary to understand how college operates as a system and culture. It is this lack of understanding of the context of college that causes many students to become alienated, frustrated, and even humiliated during the freshman year and decide that college is not the place for them. Examples of key context skills and awareness include a systemic understanding of the postsecondary educational system combined with specific knowledge of the norms, values, and conventions of interactions in the college context, and the human relations skills necessary to cope within this system even if it is very different from the community the student has just left.

This does not necessarily mean that students need to disown their cultural backgrounds, heritage, and traditions, only that they need to understand the relationship between their cultural assumptions and those operating in college. Success in college is enhanced for students who possess interpersonal and social skills that enable them to interact with a diverse cross-section of academicians and peers. These skills include the ability to collaborate and work in a team; understand the norms of the “academic” culture and how one interacts with professors and others in that environment; interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures; communicate informally; and demonstrate leadership skills in a variety of settings.

Another important area of contextual awareness is known as “college knowledge.” This is information, formal and informal, stated and unstated, necessary for both gaining admission to and navigating within the postsecondary system. College knowledge includes an understanding of the following processes: college admissions including curricular, testing, and application requirements; college options and choices, including the tiered nature of postsecondary education; tuition costs and the financial aid system; placement requirements, testing, and standards; the culture of college; and the challenge level of college courses, including increasing expectations of higher education (Lundell et al., 2004).

Admissions requirements, and timelines in particular, are extremely complicated, and students often do not know or understand the importance of either until it is too late. Specific institutions have additional special requirements and exceptions that are not immediately evident. Financial aid options are largely unknown or substantially misunderstood by many students most in need of such support. The economically well-off are more likely to have this knowledge than working-class families or families whose children are the first generation to attend college (Conley, 2005; Robbins et al., 2004; Venezia et al., 2004).

The next section provides an operational definition of college readiness that the conceptual model helps to delineate. The section seeks to include specific statements across all of the dimensions of college readiness. These statements are presented in a form that allows them to be measured or gauged. The net result would be a profile of college readiness that would help students know the degree to which they were collegeready, and could eventually help high schools in particular to know how well their programs of study are preparing students to be ready for college success.

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Excerpted with permission from Redefining College Readiness . 

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Applying Critical and Creative Thinking Skills in College and Everyday Life

Sue Carson, former director of TH!NK and professor of plant and microbial biology, discusses the importance of critical and creative thinking skills in college and everyday life.

By Alison Krowiak, DASA Assessment

This article is part of a series on NC State’s Pack Proficiencies, which include the five skills NC State faculty think all NC State undergraduates should develop before they graduate: written communication, oral communication, quantitative literacy, critical thinking, and creative thinking. 

At NC State, critical and creative thinking are a key part of how we Think and Do the Extraordinary. Critical thinking is the active, persistent and careful consideration of a belief or form of knowledge. Every time students use evidence to form judgements, analyze the ideas or conditions that support conclusions, and evaluate their own thinking, they engage their critical thinking skills.

Creative thinking is just as important and involves the generation of new ideas within or across disciplines. It can draw upon or break the rules in an effort to bring together existing ideas into a new configuration. The ability to think of creative solutions is utilized in every major program at NC State and in every field our students enter upon graduation.

Like all the Pack Proficiencies, these essential skills are taught in General Education classes and reinforced throughout each major program. Sue Carson, professor of plant and microbial biology and former director of the TH!NK program, describes the value for every NC State student in developing their critical and creative thinking competencies. Interview excerpts are edited for brevity and clarity.

How are critical and creative thinking competencies defined?

When I think about critical and creative thinking, I think of them as very intertwined. It often starts with raising a new question or formulating a new problem, gathering and assessing information, coming up with multiple alternative ideas for how to approach the question or how to approach the problem. It involves considering alternatives of the problem, reaching conclusions and effectively communicating about them. Other important aspects of critical and creative thinking include intellectual risk-taking and self-reflection along each stage of the process.

Why should NC States develop proficiencies in critical and creative thinking?

In all of our disciplines, and in all of our careers, to be a leader you need to be a creative thinker. You have to be able to identify problems and questions, and be able to figure out solutions. Even in our everyday lives, critical and creative thinking is so important. Questions like, “Who are you going to vote for in the next election? What daycare are you going to choose for your children? What phone are you going to buy?” all require those skills.

How can students develop their critical and creative thinking skills?

I think that most people understand that critical thinking is a skill that can be developed through practice and feedback. But there’s a misconception that creativity is something that’s innate, and that’s just not true. Creativity is a cognitive process that you can develop through practice and feedback. Creativity is also not confined to the arts. Fields in science, engineering, social sciences, and more need to be creative. We all need to be creative in our lives every day, and it is a skill that we can develop.

How can students develop their critical thinking skills inside and outside the classroom?

When students are selecting their classes, they can choose courses that are more geared toward project-based work. I think that is a good way for students to get feedback on their critical and creative thinking. There are a lot of opportunities outside the class as well. Engaging in undergraduate research is one way. Another way would be service learning projects that allow students to make decisions and have ownership of that project. If the student is able to have ownership and make decisions and identify the questions and problems, it can help develop critical and creative thinking. There is a whole range of opportunities that allow you to do that at NC State.

To learn more about the Pack Proficiencies and how they are assessed, visit go.ncsu.edu/PackProficiencies .

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Assessing Collegiate Readiness

Measure the higher-order skills students need to succeed in secondary school, college, and careers with a performance-based collegiate readiness assessment.

Discover CAE’s K–12 and Higher Education collegiate readiness assessment tools . Then, let’s chat about how CAE can help you prepare students for college and/or career success. 

Are your students ready for their next steps.

Content knowledge is no longer sufficient for college and career success. There are many other skills and qualities that students need, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration, just to name a few. These higher-order skills have become increasingly important in today’s rapidly changing world. 

According to one participant of focus groups with managers of recent college graduates conducted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in 2022, “When they graduate, it is vital that they can critically think their way through a problem and do not need to be told what to do next. Doesn’t matter if I am selling widgets or providing a service—a problem is a problem. Most can be dissected in a critical thinking manner regardless of how familiar they are with the subject matter.”

Employers are making it clear what skills they want and need to adapt and thrive in the innovation economy, making it imperative that schools, districts, and higher education institutions prioritize assessing and building students’ higher-order skills. Regardless of whether students graduate from high school and enter the workforce, pursue higher education or technical training, or join the military, they will need strong higher-order skills in order to be successful.

What Is College and Career Readiness?

College readiness refers to a student’s ability to succeed in college-level coursework without the need for remedial education. It means that a student has developed the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to excel in college-level courses. This includes a strong foundation in core academic subjects such as math, reading, and writing. But it also includes the development of higher-order skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication.

Career readiness refers to the training and skills that a person needs to be successful in a particular career. It includes not only technical skills and industry knowledge, but also higher-order skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. Career readiness also involves the ability to adapt to changes in the job market and being a competitive and productive member of the workforce.

Both college and career readiness rely on academic knowledge and industry-related skills, but they also require higher-order skills, also referred to as future-ready, durable, and soft skills. Higher-order skills are a set of cognitive abilities that go beyond memorizing facts. Higher-order skills require individuals to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information to make sound judgments and solve complex problems.

Examples of higher-order skills include creativity, innovation, strategic thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in new and unfamiliar situations. These skills are becoming increasingly important in the modern workforce, where automation and artificial intelligence are replacing many routine and repetitive tasks.

Why Are Higher-Order Skills Important?

Higher-order skills are predictive of positive future outcomes for students.

• Students who perform better on CAE assessments tend to have higher cumulative GPAs than those who take traditional higher education entrance assessments (Zahner et al., 2016).
• Students who perform better on CAE’s Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) are more likely to have positive outcomes after higher education , as measured by employment, salary, and enrollment in graduate school (Zahner, James, & Lehrfeld, 2022).
• Managers and advisors are more likely to give higher evaluations to students who perform well on the CLA+ (Zahner, James, & Lehrfeld, 2022).

Higher-order skills are in high-demand by employers:

• A global survey conducted by McKinsey in 2020 found that 90% of executives and managers either already saw skills gaps in their organizations or expected those gaps to develop soon.
• A six-year international research study conducted by CAE and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that 60% of students who enroll in colleges and universities lack proficiency in higher-order skills. Additionally, the study revealed that 44% of students who graduate from these institutions still do not have the necessary skills.
• According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020 , critical thinking and problem-solving skills are considered the most crucial abilities that employers believe will gain more significance in the next five years. This has remained consistent since the first survey conducted in 2016. Additionally, these skills are also listed among the top 10 Skills of 2025, according to the same report.

How Collegiate Readiness Assessments Can Better Prepare Students for Post-Secondary Success

Ensuring that all students are prepared for college and career success is a complex task that requires a multifaceted approach. Of course, a crucial part of this endeavor is ensuring that students meet the academic requirements to graduate high school. However, another important element is equipping students with higher-order skills that complement academic knowledge.

Many states and districts are taking steps to prioritize higher-order skills by creating Portrait of a Graduate profiles that outline the traits, skills, and competencies that students will need the most to be successful in adult life. In order for Portrait of a Graduate goals to be met, educators need data to identify students’ strengths and areas for growth with skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication. Collegiate readiness assessments like CAE’s performance-based College and Career Readiness Assessment (CLA+) provide educators with actionable data to guide instruction to help students develop their higher-order skills.

Additionally, educators, including U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona , are advocating for the reimagining of assessments in K–12 with the goal of moving away from “fill-in-the-bubble” tests that measure memorization to performance- and competency-based assessments that require students to apply the knowledge they’re learning.

The Importance of Prioritizing Collegiate Readiness  

Every student develops higher-order thinking skills at a different rate, but generally, learning these skills is a gradual process that begins in early childhood and continues through adolescence and into adulthood. 

While awareness of the importance of these skills to post-secondary success is growing, many schools are still not explicitly teaching them. As a result, 60% of entering college students lack proficiency in higher-order skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication. 

This is a worrying trend, especially because many students today are choosing alternative paths such as trade schools, job or training programs, and non-college degree programs. As the post-secondary educational landscape evolves, it is no longer safe to assume that students will learn higher-order skills while in college. It is important to equip them with employability skills before they graduate from high school.

Preview a CLA+ Performance-Based Assessment

Get an inside look at CAE’s collegiate readiness assessments. Try the perf ormance-based assessment and see how our tools help students develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, and written communication skills.

Measure and Teach Higher-Order Skills with a Performance-Based Collegiate Readiness Assessment

Schools, districts, and higher education institutions can effectively measure students’ higher-order skills with quality collegiate readiness assessment tools, especially those that are performance-based assessments . Unlike standardized measurement tools such as multiple choice assessments, performance-based assessments measure how well a person can apply their knowledge and skills in real-life situations. 

Performance-based collegiate readiness assessments often require students to perform a task or complete a project that is similar to what they would encounter in their future job or career. They are designed to evaluate a student’s ability to use their knowledge and skills effectively, rather than just testing their ability to memorize information.

CAE’s Collegiate Readiness Assessment Tools

CAE offers performance-based collegiate readiness assessments: College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA+) for secondary education and Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) for higher education. Both versions authentically measure students’ college and career readiness skills, including  critical thinking, problem solving, and effective written communication . 

CAE also offers actionable data reports that can be utilized for both formative and summative purposes. These reports are helpful in evaluating a student’s progress in developing higher-order skills at the start and/or end of a specific class or academic year. Additionally, they can be used to measure growth over multiple years. 

Our instructional materials complement these assessments and reports by providing engaging activities and practice models that improve higher-order skills, thus preparing students for college and career success.

How CAE’s Performance-Based Collegiate Readiness Assessments Work

To assess students’ readiness for their next steps, our performance-based assessments situate students in real-world scenarios that require purposeful written responses. Students are asked to address issues, propose solutions to problems, and recommend courses of action appropriate to resolving conflicts. 

They are instructed to support their responses by utilizing information provided within the assessment, which may include reference materials such as technical reports, data tables, newspaper articles, office memoranda, and emails. There is no single “correct” answer, and scores reflect a range of plausible and effective response strategies – a process that, by design, mimics real-world, complex decision environments.

Students are challenged to:

• Analyze and understand data
• Evaluate the credibility of various documents
• Identify questionable or critical assumptions
• Deal with inadequate, ambiguous, and conflicting information
• Identify additional information that would help resolve issues
• Construct an organized and logically cohesive argument by providing elaboration on facts or ideas (e.g., explaining how evidence bears on the problem, providing examples, and emphasizing especially convincing evidence)
• Organize and synthesize information from several sources
• Draw on evidence from different sources in a written response.

Preview Sample Collegiate Readiness Assessments and Instructional Tools

Performance-based collegiate readiness assessments.

CAE’s CCRA+ and CLA+ performance-based assessments evaluate students’ proficiency with higher-order skills. The assessments present real-world scenarios and ask students to recommend solutions that require critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication. Take a look at these sample collegiate readiness assessments to get a better understanding of how they work.

Collegiate Readiness Reports

CAE’s collegiate readiness reports offer actionable insights into students’ strengths and areas for growth. This helps tailor instruction, programs, and support to further develop these important skills. Check out our sample student and institution reports.

Student reports provide each student with a summary of their results, detailing which soft skills they’re strongest in and which have room for growth. Students receive their current mastery level, skills and subskills scores along with a comparison of peers within their institution and across CAE’s U.S. norm sample. These data can be used as a roadmap to guide students and educators in charting a course to develop the skills needed to achieve their academic and career goals.

Institution reports provide an overview of a school, district, or higher education institution’s scores in aggregate form. They show how the scores compare to CAE’s validated, normed sample, and which soft skills should be prioritized for instruction. Educators and data teams can use these data to plan instruction and target interventions that will better prepare students for their futures.

Collegiate Readiness Instructional Tools

Preview our collegiate readiness classroom activities and instructional tools and see how they help students learn and build higher-order skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication.

Take a Virtual Tour

Take a virtual tour of CCRA+ and CLA+ to see first-hand how CAE’s collegiate readiness assessment tools work. Then, contact us and get started building students’ higher-order skills today!

What Is College Readiness? How Programs Equip Students

Published: 11/10/2023 - 10:00 AM

The transition from high school to college is bigger than you may expect. Those in high school who plan to attend college may want to better prepare themselves by participating in a college readiness program.

Beyond learning about college academics, students can get important advice about college life in general, helping them know what to expect when they enroll. These programs can be highly beneficial for all kinds of students.

Below, learn more about what college readiness programs are and how they can prepare you or your student for college.

What Is College Readiness? 

A college readiness program helps students learn about what to expect during their first year of college. Whether a student plans to attend a college or university in their hometown or go out of state, going to college is a massive step that many find overwhelming at first.

Through college prep programs, students gain a better idea of what higher education involves academically and socially, so they can be better prepared for the transition. In general, the idea of college readiness is all about taking the time to prepare high school students for higher education and providing them with the resources they need to succeed.

Skills You Can Learn in a College Readiness Program

A college readiness program offers numerous skills to help prepare you for your college experience. Beyond academics, you can grasp valuable skills to help ensure you have a successful start in college. These are some of the many skills students will pick up in the right college readiness program:

1. Critical Thinking 

Critical thinking is a skill that teaches you how to use all the available facts, resources and evidence at your disposal to create an informed judgment. As a student, developing your critical thinking skills will allow you to better comprehend and reflect on what you learn in lectures. Through critical thinking, you can take what you learn to the next level of understanding, giving you a significant advantage. In general, you can also better understand the world around you.

2. Time Management

Time management is a college student's most reliable organizational tool. By learning time management skills, you can better balance your classes, studies, and social life. Time management skills will make you a better student and a healthier person.

Time management is essential when transitioning from high school to college because you'll have more control over your own time in what can be a very independent environment. Figuring out how to make the most of this newfound freedom and manage your schedule properly is essential to being successful.

3. Communication

Communication skills taught in college readiness programs will help you:

• Ask the right questions in class
• Be a better teammate
• Make new friends
• Express yourself and your thoughts

As you meet new people and learn new things, the need for effective communication increases. By understanding the fundamentals of effective communication, you'll make the start of your college life much easier. Additionally, communication is a vital skill beyond your education, meaning you can also prepare yourself for success after you graduate.

4. Networking

Networking involves forming relationships with people who can help you achieve your goals. Whether it's a network of students in your major, a network of friends with similar interests or a network of people who can help you develop your skills and advance your career, learning the skill of networking is highly valuable.

5. Goal Setting

Being able to set achievable and realistic goals is crucial. By knowing how to set appropriate goals, you can grow your abilities as a student, overcome challenges and meet deadlines. Additionally, goal-setting skills can help you work toward goals after college, allowing you to pursue a career in a specific field or achieve other life goals.

6. Collaboration

Working effectively in a team is a skill that will always benefit you, as much of life is about collaboration. No matter what field you study and specialize in, you must know how to be a part of a team. Refining your collaboration skills can also help you grow socially.

7. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is a critical skill that will help you overcome obstacles you might encounter as a college student. Knowing how to problem solve will help you develop your confidence, work through complex assignments, and resolve issues with friends or classmates.

As your problem-solving skills develop, you'll get better at:

• Identifying problems
• Brainstorming
• Analyzing results
• Applying what you learn
• Retaining information
• Recalling what you've learned

The Benefits of a College Readiness Program

A college prep program can teach you valuable topics beyond the key skills listed above. While learning more about college academics is an essential part of college readiness programs, you can also better understand how high school and college differ when it comes to social experiences, like joining clubs and finding social groups, so you can adapt to campus life better.

Further, many college readiness programs help you explore potential career options, allowing you to fully consider what you might like to do in the workforce after college graduation. It can be difficult to understand what you want to pursue a career in when you're in high school, and college prep gives you a chance to fully understand the possibilities.

Overall, college prep programs supply high school students with a wealth of knowledge about what to expect in college academically, socially and emotionally. If you or your student want to feel more prepared for life after high school, enrolling in a college readiness program could be highly beneficial.

Get Ready for College With The Greater Philadelphia YMCA

At the Greater Philadelphia YMCA , we provide a college prep programs like the Y Achievers and Out of School Time (OST) to help high school students prepare themselves for the next chapter in their lives.

In our programs, high school students can develop crucial skills and learn from mentors while building friendships with fellow participants. As a result, they can feel as prepared as possible when it's time to head off to school.

Learn more about our teen leadership programs in the Greater Philadelphia area today!

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The K-12 guide to career and college readiness

Learn what career and college readiness (CCR) looks like for schools and districts, how its definition is evolving to encompass the varying needs and interests of today’s students, and how you can drive CCR in your community.

FREE TOOL Take the K-12 district assessment for career and college readiness to see how your district stacks up with current benchmarks.

Introduction

According to 2023 data collected by Pollfish on behalf of Paper™, roughly one-quarter of respondents felt the educational system prepares learners adequately for the “real world”—and nearly all respondents across six states said high schools should better prepare students for life beyond school walls.

This data might not be surprising: After all, the world that today’s high school students will enter upon graduation is very different from the one their educators inherited. Both academics and the workplace are undergoing rapid and profound change for a broad range of reasons, including:

Technological advances

An increasingly competitive economy

Disruptive global events

Shifting labor needs

In response, educators are changing their approach to career and college readiness. Traditionally, this process consisted of preparing students for standardized tests and facilitating career and college application processes. Recognizing that such efforts are no longer sufficient, however, schools are expanding their career and college readiness efforts to help students acquire the soft skills and awareness needed to flourish in a changing world.

Many schools are also moving beyond leading students through a static array of postgraduation pathways—departing from the “college-for-all” mentality of the previous decade. Instead, districts are building student-led, adult-supported processes that encourage continuous career exploration and aligned academic decision-making.

[READ: “ Career and college readiness insights from today’s education leaders ” ]

What is career and college readiness?

Simply put, career and college readiness refers to students’ ability to thrive after high school. Definitions of career and college readiness vary from state to state, but there is widespread consensus that, in a rapidly changing and uncertain world, approaches to career and college readiness must expand beyond traditional expectations.

→ Download now: 2022 K-12 career and college readiness benchmark report

According to the College and Career Readiness and Success Center at the American Institutes for Research, a modern approach to career and college readiness is “multifaceted,” encompassing not just academic readiness, but also the “knowledge, abilities, and dispositions that impact academic achievement.”

As a result, CCR often includes the following skills: 

Written and verbal communication

Critical thinking

Emotional intelligence

Financial literacy

Time management

Stress management

Evolving from a college-first focus

Although four-year degrees from colleges and universities have historically been framed as the preferred pathway for high school students to follow after graduation, many of today’s learners and their loved ones are demanding more options.

Data from the ECMC Group suggests that as of early 2022, 51% of Generation Z teenagers are interested in securing a bachelor’s degree—a number that dropped 20 percentage points from May 2020. And it seems their parents are on the same page: In a report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Gallup on building pathways from learning to work , 46% of parents said that in the absence of any obstacles or limitations, they’d prefer their child pursue an option other than obtaining a four-year degree.

To be sure, college is still a valid choice for many students; research on lifetime earnings from The Hamilton Project and The Brookings Institution suggests that at career peak, those with bachelor’s degrees have median annual earnings of nearly double that of individuals who have high school degrees or GEDs as their highest level of education. 

[READ: “ What is college and career readiness? Pointers for educators ” ]

It’s critical to be mindful of historic barriers marginalized students face in pursuing higher education, but alternative postgraduation options can still provide a legitimate pathway for all learners. This is especially true given predicted labor needs, high college tuition costs, and the increasing quality of local trade schools.

Likewise, it’s crucial for high school learners to discern whether their life plans or career goals require college—and for districts to provide more opportunities for students to explore careers so important job decisions don’t happen after learners take out costly student loans.

With these changing attitudes in mind (and with exposure to noncollege pathways lagging across U.S. districts, according to career and college readiness data from MajorClarity by Paper ), it’s up to schools to provide more exposure to postsecondary options.

From career and college readiness to life readiness

In recognition of the disconnect between traditional career and college readiness and the growing need to provide students with 21st-century skills, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, launched the Redefining Ready! initiative. 

As Dr. David Schuler, superintendent of Illinois’ Township High School District 214, writes, the Redefining Ready! initiative asks critical questions not just about career and college readiness but also about life readiness, including:

Will students leave high school with a growth mindset? 

Do they have the grit and perseverance to achieve their goals in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges? 

Do they have a sense of purpose that motivates them as they move to college or the workforce and beyond?

In line with the changing understanding of this concept, New York State’s definition of career and college readiness exemplifies the more holistic approach educators are taking. In addition to academic (success in college-level classes that secure credits toward degrees awarded by technical, community, or four-year colleges or universities), admissions (ability to meet postsecondary admissions requirements), career, and financial readiness, New York’s definition explicitly supports personal and social readiness, including “the ability to set educational goals, make and monitor progress toward them, and create relationships with peers and adults that support academic success.” 

By seeing career and college readiness as part of the broader path toward life readiness, schools have the opportunity to foster an interconnected set of essential skills students need to become successful and meet their goals beyond the narrow bounds of work and academics.

The wider benefits of career and college readiness

In addition to the obvious goal of preparing students for life after high school, the potential benefits of a successful career and college readiness approach are wide-ranging, research shows.

Improved academic outcomes

Paper’s proprietary data solidifies the link between robust career and college readiness and potential academic performance: More than 70% of survey participants say clarifying the links between high school courses and potential jobs would increase their motivation to succeed in a class.

Increased equity

A Learning Policy Institute study found that well-designed career and college readiness pathways can have a significantly positive impact on students from historically marginalized communities. “The four-year college-going rate for African Americans in these pathways was 12 percentage points higher than peers not participating in pathways,” the study finds. 

This benefit extends beyond historically marginalized groups as well: Students with low achievement scores in earlier grades “made significantly better academic progress when they participated in pathways in high school,” write the report’s authors.

A healthier economy

An article from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports labor shortages among both entry-level and more seasoned workers. In other words, some industries and sectors produce more employment opportunities than there are people willing and able to take advantage of those opportunities. By producing graduates who are college- and career-ready, not only will more individuals prosper, but so will the entire economy. 

Lowered opportunity costs

A well-designed future readiness program may also help lower the opportunity cost of postsecondary decision-making. 

When districts frame college as a natural extension of the K-12 experience, students may enroll in dedicated degree programs while using their time in higher education to learn about and uncover their true career aspirations—a potentially inefficient process. By instead allowing students access to career exploration in middle school and more dedicated career readiness initiatives in high school, students can line up their academics with their interests, thereby lowering the stakes of their postsecondary decisions. 

[READ: “ 5 questions with Dr. Maria Ortiz of Newark Public Schools ”]

Of course, career exploration is a long-lasting, iterative, and deeply individual process; learners will naturally discover new passions and outgrow old ones. But the more students engage in regular career exploration in K-12—from early career exposure to work-based learning opportunities—the wiser and more cost-effective their future planning will be.

The landscape of career and college readiness is evolving at breakneck speed. Created by a coalition of leading educational organizations, this career and college readiness benchmark initiative is an open-source project providing much-needed transparency and data to drive the future of postsecondary success.

Evidence-based strategies to support career and college readiness

Just as schools must broaden their definitions of career and college readiness, they must also expand initiatives to meet the now multifaceted objectives. In 21st-century schools, this is a holistic process that can encompass a wide range of strategies.

Embed career and college readiness practices early and often

Although career preparedness is still primarily tied to high school , more and more research indicates that career-connected learning experiences in the middle grades are linked to positive student attitudes toward occupational prospects. “It has become increasingly clear that college and career readiness efforts can and should include middle school to have a stronger impact,” states a recent study on career and college readiness initiatives for students with disabilities in the middle grades . 

This comes as no surprise, as middle school is often when students make decisions about courses and academic pathways that should be aligned with their life goals. Strengthening that connection is a critical part of building life-ready skills and lowering the stakes of postsecondary decision-making.

[READ: “ How Val Verde Unified School District helps students self-advocate for success with Paper ”]

In turn, developing future-ready skills and attitudes is not something that can or should be limited to targeted high school programs. Rather, schools should consider embedding opportunities to learn these skills across educational offerings, both within and beyond the classroom—and beginning at least in the middle grades. 

Of course, districts can take this one step further, embedding the basic building blocks needed for robust career and college readiness into the curriculum starting in the elementary years. From developing skills in reading, communication, and teamwork earlier on to learning how to create résumés, apply to college, or earn microcredentials later, there’s an age-appropriate task any K-12 student can take on that ties back to these efforts.

Focus on 21st-century skills

According to a widely cited glossary of education terms, 21st-century skills include not just knowledge and abilities, but also work habits and character traits. Although there is no single definition of 21st-century skills, most educators and employers agree that they include the following: 

Research skills and practices

Perseverance and self-direction 

Oral and written communication

Leadership, teamwork, and collaboration

[READ: “ What does 21st-century learning look like for our schools? ”]

Additionally, education leaders generally agree that 21st-century skills also include literacy in topics such as:

Information and communication technology

Civics, ethics, and social justice

Economics and finance

Global and cultural awareness

Science and reasoning

The environment and conservation

Health and wellness

Prioritize soft skills

As the aforementioned list of 21st-century skills makes clear, soft skills are considered critical to success academically and in the workforce. 

Studies consistently show that student-centered learning practices foster these skills, leading to both short-term improvement in testing and greater success in postsecondary study. There are a wide range of ways to support these skills, including: 

Project-based learning : This tactic has been shown to increase student ownership and agency, according to a 2018 report about evidence for student-centered learning . 

Flipped classrooms : These types of classrooms introduce content through independent work rather than during class time and can increase key career and college readiness skills, including student agency and collaboration. 

Blended learning : By integrating virtual and face-to-face learning environments, blended learning can encourage “self-efficacy and perseverance to solve problems at [students’] own pace,” explains educator and researcher Constance Bahn in an article about blended learning in student-centered classrooms . This approach can be particularly effective for students from historically disadvantaged populations. 

Inverted career fairs: In this reversed type of career fair exercise, students promote themselves by carrying out demonstrations of their skills. Local employers can stop by their booths to find students who might be a good match for an internship.

Modern career and college readiness initiatives

In addition to standardized test preparation and high school career and college counseling programs, schools are adopting more proactive career and college readiness initiatives. 

“We have been reconfiguring our schools to not just be nine through 12, but seven through 12, to give us a head start on preparing students for college pathways and career exploration,” says Dr. Lindsa McIntyre , secondary superintendent at Boston Public Schools. These efforts include focusing on funding pre-AP classwork for seventh, eighth, and ninth graders, support for International Baccalaureate (IB) prep, career and technical education, and dual enrollment with local colleges. 

Programs designed to directly support career and college readiness include: 

• Work-based learning and mentorship opportunities: “High-quality, work-based learning experiences are highly valuable both for students and employers,” according to a Students Can’t Wait report . Such experiences are linked to decreased dropout rates and greater success in the workforce, according to a Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education brief . 

[READ: “ 5 models for increasing work-based learning experiences ” ]

College-level coursework: College-level coursework in high school—AP classes, IB coursework, and dual enrollment in secondary and postsecondary classes—improves “the likelihood of students entering postsecondary education, continuing in college, and acquiring degrees,” claims a Jobs for the Future report .

Career and technical education (CTE): By combining academic work with occupational know-how, modern CTE programs provide students with structured pathways toward post-high school careers while also preparing them for postsecondary study if they choose. According to data on CTE participation from the U.S. Department of Education , CTE programs don’t just provide work skills relevant to their area of study. In fact, CTE-involved students actually graduate from high school more often than their non-CTE counterparts.

Future-ready learning that supports career and college readiness

As research indicates, future-focused schools can no longer treat career and college readiness as a standalone initiative. Instead, they need to embed opportunities for students to acquire future-ready skills in a wide range of activities—and extend these initiatives beyond the classroom and regular school hours.

[READ: “ College and career readiness activities for your students ”]

Such opportunities can encourage students to feel confident in their abilities, support their ongoing individual development, and nurture lifelong learning.

[READ: “ Paper™ tools to support your career and college readiness efforts ”]

Prioritizing tangible experiences over information

Students are hungry for real-world career experiences. But more often than not, they have more information about postsecondary options than chances to experience them. 

With this in mind, building experiences where students can interact directly with postsecondary pathways and careers is critical. Examples of this may include work-based learning, as mentioned earlier, as well as career simulations, interactive video content that runs learners through a typical day on the job, and opportunities to secure microcredentials. No matter the activity, these types of experiences should be built to offer students a good look at what it’s like to be involved in a certain career or to train for a specific role.

Career and college writing support

Written communications are key to securing employment or admission to college. Teachers and career and college planning advisers can support students by offering feedback and coaching to students as they write various documents, including:

College application essays

Cover letters

Business letters

[READ: “ 3 ways to prepare high school students for college writing standards ”]

Tying career goals to academic planning

Mandated or strongly encouraged by many U.S. states, individualized learning plans (ILPs) can be a foundational piece of any career readiness program. 

ILPs, which are sometimes referred to as personal opportunity plans, are a “student-centered and student-directed process and a set of documents that maximize students’ academic, personal, college and/or career development and fosters success in school and life,” according to an Engaging Schools report . 

These plans help students identify their career interests and learning styles and then connect them to aligned academic courses and postsecondary pathways. In short, ILPs not only help districts strengthen their postsecondary supports, but also increase student ownership in their academic journeys—closing the gap between students’ aspirations and the achievement of goals that are both challenging and realistic. 

Insight into the acquisition of future-ready learning

Educators and administrators should continuously seek access to actionable analytics surrounding where students need support. With such insights, educators can quickly: 

Identify student needs: Proactively discover areas requiring supplemental support, whether individually or collectively. 

Evaluate curriculum effectiveness: Understand which content areas are effective based on the kind of help most requested across sites.

Measure impacts : Track who is using the service and understand how usage relates to target outcomes.

[READ: “ How Paper’s ESS helped one district increase graduation rates ”]

Equitable access to tutoring and other educational services

Too often, students from historically marginalized communities receive social cues that engagement in continued education or training programs is not for them. The right school-sponsored tutoring programs counteract this messaging by providing all students with ample opportunities to engage with academic support that can both encourage them and meet them where they are. 

One common example of this kind of academic support is tutoring programs. In the past, however, tutoring has generally taken place in person and on school grounds, either during school hours or after school. While effective, these programs have proven hard to scale because of staffing, scheduling, and logistical challenges. And even when available, traditional tutoring fails to reach many students—such as socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack alternate transportation options or work either inside or outside the home. 

“Our students have sports and activities after school, and many also balance after-school jobs, volunteering, and family obligations,” says Dr. Joseph S. Piccirillo, superintendent at New Jersey’s Hopatcong Borough School District. “This has resulted in our students fitting in homework and studying throughout all hours of the day and night.”

In turn, districts must ensure that academic support programs are carefully tailored to meet the needs of all types of students—no matter their schedules or socioeconomic status.

Inquiry-based learning opportunities

“Education should prepare learners for lifelong learning through development of 21st-century skills such as digital literacy, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity,” concludes a University of Hawaii study .

The inquiry-based model of learning has been shown to be particularly effective in developing the soft skills required for lifelong learning, including: 

Metacognition : By asking questions rather than providing answers, Paper’s inquiry-based approach is effective in supporting metacognition—encouraging students to become aware of their own thoughts and the patterns in which they occur. As Vanderbilt University reports, studies show that metacognitive practices “increase students’ abilities to transfer or adapt their learning to new contexts and tasks.” This is a critical skill for students preparing to enter a world of rapid change. 

Self-advocacy: This reflects a student’s ability to assess and identify the help they require, find relevant resources, and communicate their needs. “Teaching self-advocacy involves helping students gain the tools to navigate their own lives,” states an article about special education and self-advocacy from Lamar University. For instance, Paper’s inquiry-based learning model is built to foster self-advocacy by asking students to identify and articulate their needs to tutors. 

[VIEW: “ At Val Verde USD, Paper’s ESS engages disadvantaged students, boosts graduation rates ” ]

Career and college readiness: Evolving to match an ever-fluctuating world

Given the challenges of today—permanent market shifts following COVID-19, the mass adoption of remote work, and technologies shaking up our world among them—a linear career path that relies on obtaining a four-year college degree is no longer the norm. Today’s students must focus on adaptability and envisioning multiple ways forward, which begets looking beyond college degrees as an extension of K-12.

Of course, giving students a chance to learn about, explore, and plan for these pathways is easier said than done, and it requires districts to come to a consensus about what makes a career and college readiness program robust. All in all, however, districts that take a more holistic approach to career and college readiness can simultaneously enhance long-term student success while meeting other core goals, from higher graduation rates to more equitable outcomes within their schools and across the wider communities they serve. 

Our career and college readiness self-assessment survey is a free auditing tool designed to help K-12 leaders evaluate their district’s performance against national CCR best practices.

Download the guide

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Thank you for your time, click to close this page, what is career readiness & why is it important for students.

August 29, 2024

In today's rapidly changing job market, transitioning from education to employment can be daunting for many students. As they prepare to enter the workforce, students face the challenge of securing a job and thriving in their chosen careers. This is where career readiness comes into play. Career readiness is more than just acquiring a diploma; it is about equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to succeed professionally. In this blog, we will explore what career readiness is & why it is essential for students. Offer practical tips for enhancing career readiness.  

What Is Career Readiness?  

Career readiness is the process of preparing individuals to transition from academic environments into the workforce successfully. It encompasses a wide range of competencies, including technical skills, soft skills, and practical experiences that collectively enable students to meet the demands of the workplace. While the specific skills required may vary depending on the industry or profession, specific core competencies are universally valued by employers.    

At its core, career readiness is about more than just possessing the technical knowledge to perform a job. It also involves developing communication skills, critical thinking abilities, emotional intelligence, and professionalism. Career readiness prepares students to navigate the complexities of the workplace, adapt to new challenges, and continuously grow in their careers.  

Why Is Career Readiness Important?  

Career readiness is vital for several reasons, particularly in the evolving job market and the increasing competition for employment. Here are some of the critical reasons why career readiness is essential for students:  

1. Smooth Transition from Education to Employmen t  

One of the primary benefits of career readiness is that it facilitates a smooth transition from the academic world to the professional environment. The shift from student to employee can be challenging, as it requires different skills and a new mindset. Career readiness helps students bridge this gap by providing the necessary tools and experiences to adapt to workplace demands.  

2. Increased Employability  

In today's competitive job market, more than a degree is needed to secure employment. Employers are increasingly looking for candidates with technical expertise and soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Career readiness enhances employability by equipping students with these in-demand skills, making them more attractive to potential employers.    

A critical aspect of employability is the ability to think critically, yet many graduates still need to improve. According to a 2016 survey of 63,924 managers and 14,167 recent graduates, critical thinking is the number one soft skill managers feel new graduates lack, with 60% expressing this concern.  

3. Enhanced Confidence  

Career readiness also plays a crucial role in boosting students' confidence as they enter the workforce. When students are well-prepared and clearly understand what to expect in their professional roles, they are more likely to approach job interviews and their first days on the job with confidence. This self-assurance can be a significant factor in their overall success.  

4. Long-Term Career Success  

Career readiness is not just about landing the first job; it is about setting the foundation for long-term career success. By developing skills and competencies early on, students are better positioned to grow and advance in their careers. They are also more likely to proactively seek opportunities for further development and learning, which is essential in a rapidly changing job market.  

5. Alignment with Industry Needs  

Career readiness programs are often designed in collaboration with industry professionals, ensuring that the skills and knowledge students acquire are aligned with current industry needs. This alignment makes graduates more relevant and better prepared to meet employers' expectations, leading to higher rates of job placement and career satisfaction.  

Tips for Career Readiness  

Becoming career-ready is a proactive process that requires students to take deliberate steps toward developing the skills and experiences necessary for success. Here are some practical tips for enhancing career readiness:  

1. Develop a Strong Resume and Cover Letter  

Your resume and cover letter are often your first impressions of potential employers. Ensure that your resume highlights not only your academic achievements but also your skills, experiences, and any relevant technical expertise. Tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific role you apply for, emphasizing the qualities that make you an ideal candidate.  

2. Network, Network, Network!  

Building a professional network is one of the most effective ways to learn about job opportunities and gain insights into your chosen industry. Networking can involve attending industry events, joining professional organizations, and connecting with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn. It can also open doors to internships, job offers, and valuable mentorship opportunities.  

3. Brush Up on Your Interviewing Skills   

Interviewing can be intimidating, especially if you are new to the job market. Prepare for interviews by researching the company and role you are applying for, practicing common interview questions, and honing your active listening and adaptability skills. Remember that an interview is a two-way conversation, and it is an opportunity for you to assess whether the company is the right fit for you.  

4. Gain Practical Experience  

Hands-on experience is invaluable when it comes to career readiness. Seek internships, volunteer opportunities, or part-time jobs that allow you to apply what you have learned in the real world. Practical experience enhances your resume, gives you a deeper understanding of your field, and helps you build professional relationships.  

5. Be Proactive About Your Career Development  

Take charge of your career development by setting clear goals and seeking opportunities for continuous learning. Whether taking additional courses, earning certifications, or attending workshops, being proactive about your development will keep you competitive in the job market.  

6. Be Open to Different Career Paths  

The job market is dynamic, and new opportunities are constantly emerging. Be open to exploring different industries and roles, especially in growing fields like healthcare and technology. Reskilling and upskilling can help you transition into these high-demand areas and expand your career options.  

7. Keep Your Skills Up to Date  

Continuous learning is essential in today's fast-paced job market. Stay current with industry trends and advancements by taking online courses, attending workshops, and pursuing certifications. This commitment to learning will keep your skills sharp and demonstrate to employers that you are dedicated to your professional growth.  

How CDI College Is Helping Students Prepare for Their Career  

CDI College understands the importance of career readiness and is committed to providing students with the education and support they need to succeed in their chosen fields. Here's how CDI College is helping students prepare for their careers:  

Career-Focused Programs  

CDI College offers a wide range of career-focused programs designed to align with industry needs. These programs are developed in collaboration with industry professionals to ensure that students acquire the skills and knowledge employer's demand. Whether you are interested in healthcare , technology , business , or another field, CDI College has a program that can help you achieve your career goals.  

Hands-On Learning  

At CDI College, hands-on learning is a critical component of the educational experience. Students can apply their knowledge in practical settings like labs, simulations, and practicum. This real-world experience is invaluable in preparing students for workplace challenges.  

Career Services Support  

CDI College provides comprehensive career services support to help students navigate the job search process. This includes resume writing workshops, interview preparation, and networking opportunities with industry professionals. Although job placements are not guaranteed, our established partnerships with local businesses and organizations create valuable pathways for students to secure internships, co-op placements, and job opportunities as they transition into their careers.    

Career readiness is essential for students as they transition from education to employment. By developing the skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to succeed in the workplace, students can enhance their employability, build confidence, and set the foundation for long-term career success. At CDI College, students have the tools and support to become career-ready and achieve their professional aspirations. Whether you are a recent graduate or looking to make a career change, prioritizing career readiness will lead you to a fulfilling and successful career.