Kudos to the Alabama Department of Education and the Alabama Community College System for working together to increase student readiness among the state’s high school graduates.

Alabama is piloting the two SREB Readiness Courses to increase high school seniors’ preparedness for postsecondary studies, and the Alabama Community College System has endorsed the K-12 efforts.

During summer 2016, SREB trained more than 100 Alabama K-12 educators in the Ready for College courses, putting schools on track to implement Literacy Ready and Math Ready during the 2016-17 school year. ACCS has identified a set of community colleges to partner with local high schools that are implementing the courses and will ensure a smooth transition from high school to college for students taking the courses.

This is the kind of local collaboration that will really help families and communities. Families save money when students avoid remedial courses that don’t add credit hours. And when students succeed in entry-level courses, they are more likely to go on to complete their degrees, contributing to higher  education attainment rates and more prosperous communities.

John Squires directs SREB’s Readiness Course program