Ready for College?

Ready for College?

Being a high school graduate is not the same as being ready for college.  Over one-third of Massachusetts high school graduates in college needed to take some “remedial” classes to help them get basic skills.(source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).  This “college readiness gap” shows itself in several ways. Some students graduate from high school and pass tests like the MCAS with skills at a 9th or 10th grade level in key subject areas. But not all of the gaps are in academic skills like math and reading. (source: New York Times, The College Dropout Crisis). Even students that complete “college preparatory” classes are still often seen as unprepared in critical thinking skills that are needed for college-level course work.  It may be that your classes in high school didn’t teach you the skills you need to be successful in college. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get the help you need now.  Western Massachusetts has several “One-Stop Career Centers” who have classes, tools and one-on-one help to make sure that you are ready for college and have the skills that employers are looking for, too.