Linking Assessment Data Directly to Entry Standards (LADDER PK-16)

LADDER PK-16 proposes a model for linking high school assessment data to college admissions and to subsequent class placement decisions at all seven universities that comprise the Oregon University System (OUS). This alignment of assessments represents the second stage in Oregon's process of building a PK-16 standards-based system.

The first stage was accomplished through a grant from The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, in 1994-97. The Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS) developed college-entry standards and aligned them with PK-12 standards for high school completion. One component of this project is the documentation of the standards development and alignment via web-based resources that are disseminated nationally to state higher education systems, departments of education, and related audiences.

LADDER PK-16, which is the second stage, aligns high school assessment data with college admission. Assessment Moderation Panels comprised of high school teachers and college faculty in English, math, and science, insure validity and comparability of high school ratings of student proficiency. Teams of higher education faculty and admissions officers then align these ratings as well as state and national assessment data on incoming applicants with class placement decisions.

The evaluation assesses the impact of LADDER PK-16 on student access, success in general education coursework, and retention beyond freshman year. Final products will include a policy and implementation framework disseminated nationally via web-based resources that will be useful for other states engaged in the alignment of PK-16 policy, standards, and assessments.