1. What’s the Gap? How to ensure that students are college and career ready Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. President, MetaMetrics msmith@Lexile.com

2. College and Career Readiness Standards

3. “If we can dramatically increase high school graduation rates, if we can dramatically increase the number of graduates who are college and career ready, that’s what this is about. Everything’s a means to that end. That’s the Holy Grail here. Are our students being prepared to be successful?” – Arne Duncan Education Week, December 9, 2009.

4. Each year, approximately 1.2 million students fail to graduate from high school, more than half of whom are from minority groups. Quick Fact Alliance for Excellent Education, February 2009 edition.

5. Average Income by Educational Attainment

6. Quick Facts Community CollegeFour-Year Institution 42%20% Percent of freshmen that enroll in at least one remedial course Alliance for Excellent Education, February 2009 edition.

7. Students who enroll in a remedial reading course are 41 percent more likely to drop out of college (NCES, 2004a) Students Obtaining Bachelor’s Degree in Eight Years Alliance for Excellent Education, February 2009 edition.

8. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECEB) Study

10. Forecasted Comprehension Rate (%) for Readers at Three Reading Ability Levels Reading Texts at Selected Percentiles of the Distributions Percentile of the Text Distribution Corresponding Lexile Standard (1015L) THECB Readiness (1170L) Commended (1490L) Texts for Four-Year Institutions Maximum1530L233872 75 th 1330L436086 50 th 1255L516790 25 th 1195L577392 Minimum1050L728496

11. Forecasted Comprehension Rate (%) for Readers at Three Reading Ability Levels Reading Texts at Selected Percentiles of the Distributions Percentile of the Text Distribution Corresponding Lexile Standard (1015L) THECB Readiness (1170L) Commended (1490L) Community College Texts Maximum1450L304678 75 th 1295L466388 50 th 1225L547091 25 th 1130L647894 Minimum840L879398

12. Forecasted Comprehension Rate (%) for Readers at Three Reading Ability Levels Reading Texts at Selected Percentiles of the Distributions Percentile of the Text Distribution Corresponding Lexile Standard (1015L) THECB Readiness (1170L) Commended (1490L) Community/Technical College Texts Maximum1360L395684 75 th 1250L516890 50 th 1190L587392 25 th 1110L668094 Minimum920L829097

13. Postsecondary Options Williamson, G. L. (2004). Student readiness for postsecondary options. MetaMetrics, Inc.

14. Bending the Gap Curve  Individual growth trajectories  Increasing the text complexity challenge for K-12 students  Utilization of Next-Generation Learning and Assessment Systems e.g. MyWritingWeb and MyReadingWeb  Utilization of resources to combat summer loss – “Find a Book” at www.Lexile.comwww.Lexile.com

15. Implications of the Lexile ® Frameworks for Monitoring and Promoting Growth Through Deliberate Practice “Nicholas Davis” (Male; African-American; Free/Reduced Lunch) Words Read: 117,340 Items Taken: 1,415 Words Written: 7,149 Convention Items: 1,563

16. “The college instructor blames the high school teacher, the high school teacher complains of the grade teacher, each grade teacher above the first grade finds fault with the poor work of the teacher in the grade below, and the first grade teacher in turn is chagrined at the shortcomings of the home training…May we not replace the constantly conflicting subjective standards with definitely defined objective standards?” Wilson, G.M., & Hoke, K.J. (1921). How to Measure. New York: The Macmillan Company.

17. Courtesy of: http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/ch/1992/ch920330.gifhttp://picayune.uclick.com/comics/ch/1992/ch920330.gif

19. Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. President, MetaMetrics msmith@Lexile.com Contact Info: