At some public colleges and universities nearly 50% of incoming freshmen must take remedial courses in reading, writing, or math before they can qualify for college credit courses.  A new school-to-college study from the Department of Education and the Board of Education on the class of 2005 concludes that 37% of public high school graduates entering public higher education may not be ready for college level courses.
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is not a measurement of the academic skills and abilities that will be required of a student entering post secondary education.

Early assessment allows students to evaluate their college readiness while still in high school, allowing them to do more in high school to prepare for college-level coursework.   The Accuplacer is a college placement exam that provides information about student skill levels and abilities. Currently, all first-year students at Massachusetts public colleges are required to take the Accuplacer assessment prior to enrollment.  Many students are unable to meet reading and math requirements and must take developmental courses. Offering the assessment earlier—during the 11th grade—would provide students with improved knowledge of what it takes to succeed in college and enable them to make better decisions concerning how to prepare for college in their final years of high school.   Some students may find out that they already qualify for college credit courses – facilitating dual enrollment, motivating college planning, and even serving as a recruitment strategy for community colleges.  Dual enrollment provides students with the opportunity to take college-level courses for both high school and college credit and is offered nationally to increase college access.

15.a    The Department of Higher Education should implement a pilot program to offer the Accuplacer test to high school juniors

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