David T. Conley, Ph.D., is professor of Educational Policy and Leadership and founder and director of the Center for Educational Policy Research at the University of Oregon. He is also founder, CEO, and chief strategy officer at the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC). In addition, he serves as president of a consulting company devoted to strategic advising and licensing of intellectual property designed to foster new educational methods and models.

Create programs that prepare students for college, careers, and the new and challenging assessments of the Common Core State Standards
Written for all educators but with an emphasis on those at the secondary level, this important resource shows how to develop programs that truly prepare students for both the Common Core assessments and for college and career readiness. Based on multiple research studies conducted by Conley as well as experience he has gained from working with dozens of high schools that succeed with a wide range of students, the book provides specific strategies for teaching the CCSS in ways that improve readiness for college and careers for the full range of students.
* Draws from research-based models for creating programs for high school students that will ensure readiness for tests and for college and beyond
* Includes strategies and practices for teachers to help students develop postsecondary preparedness
* Is the third in a series of books on readiness written by David Conley, including College Knowledge and College and Career Ready
Teachers can use this valuable resource to understand the "big picture" behind the Common Core State Standards, how to teach to them in ways that prepare students for new, challenging assessments being implemented over the next few years and, more importantly, how to help all students be ready for learning beyond high school.

Preface xi
Acknowledgments xix
The Author xxi
Introduction 1
The Common Core State Standards, Student Ownership of Learning, and College and Career Readiness * The Role of Elementary and Secondary Schools * Overview of the Chapters * Using This Book to Support
Implementation of the Common Core State Standards
1 The New Challenge: All Students College and Career Ready 19
Why College and Career Readiness for All? * From Vocational Education to Career Technical Education * The Academic Core * Creating College Readiness and Career Readiness for All * The Rise of College Readiness Standards
2 College Readiness, Career Readiness: Same or Different? 37
Exploring Readiness More Deeply * Connecting Student Interests and Goals to College and Career Readiness * Levels of Readiness * My Definition of College and Career Ready
3 The Four Keys to College and Career Readiness 53
The Four Keys: An Overview * Key Cognitive Strategies in Depth * Key Content Knowledge in Depth
4 The Four Keys Continued: Learning Skills and Transition Skills 71
Key Learning Skills and Techniques in Depth * Key Transition Knowledge and Skills in Depth * The Complexity of College and Career Readiness
5 Toward Deeper Learning 99
Some Framing Characteristics of the Learning Process * Knowledge Complexity Progression * What Is Deeper Learning? * Four Models of Deeper Learning * Overview of Research Foundation for Deeper Learning
6 Deeper Learning at the Classroom Level 119
Characteristics of the Deeper Learning Classroom * Challenges of the Deeper Learning Classroom * A Closer Look at Scoring Student Work for Deeper Learning * Deeper Learning, the Common Core State Standards,
and College and Career Readiness
7 A Closer Look at the Common Core State Standards 139
Where Did the Common Core Come From? * An Overview of the Common Core State Standards * Structure and Organization of the English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards * The Heart of the Challenge of Teaching the Common Core State Standards * What the Common Core State Standards Don't Do * Appendix: Key Elements of the Common Core
8 The Common Core State Standards and College and Career Readiness 169
The Reaching the Goal Study * Implementing the Common Core State Standards to Improve College and Career Readiness * Who Owns the Responsibility to Teach the Common Core State Standards? * Understanding Key Areas Related to College and Career Readiness * A Key Role for Elementary School Teachers * The Challenge of the Common Core and College and Career Ready
9 The Consortia Assessments and College and Career Readiness 193
The Goals of the Consortia Assessments * Characteristics of Each Consortium's Assessment * Preparing for the Consortia Assessments * The Challenge Remaining
10 From an Assessment System to a System of Assessments 215
Performance Tasks: Key Element in a System of Assessments * How a System of Assessments Addresses a Wider Range of Standards * Moving toward Student Profiles
11 Where To from Here? 235
What Will "Ready" Mean? * A Blurring of the Line between High School and College * The Future of the Common Core State Standards and Consortia Assessments * The Overall Outlook
Conclusion: Changing Demographics, New Instructional Challenges 263
Appendix: A Nine-Part Readiness System 267
Index 287