NEWS STATEMENT

CONTACT: Sandy Boyd, Achieve, (202) 419-1542 or sboyd@achieve.org

ALLISON JONES TO JOIN ACHIEVE AS SENIOR FELLOW FOR

POSTSECONDARY ENGAGEMENT

CURRENT ASSISTANT VICE CHANCELLOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AT THE

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) SYSTEM WILL LEAD ACHIEVE’S EFFORTS
WITH HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY

WASHINGTON – October 19, 2010 – Achieve announced today that Allison Jones will be
joining Achieve on November 15, 2010 as the Senior Fellow for Postsecondary Engagement.
In that role, Mr. Jones will be responsible for advancing Achieve’s college-and career-ready
mission through work with the postsecondary community including leading the higher
education engagement strategy for the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC) assessment consortium.

Prior to joining Achieve, Mr. Jones was with the CSU for 25 years, 23 of which have been
with the Office of the Chancellor. Mr. Jones was responsible for leading the CSU’s Early
Assessment Program (EAP), the largest effort in the nation to use a college readiness test in
high school as an early placement test for college, enabling students to place into credit
bearing courses based on their high school performance. In addition to providing a clear
signal to students of their readiness for college level coursework, EAP also led to specialized
curricula and supports to help students get ready for college during their senior year of high
school. The program has recently been expanded to the California Community College
System and has become a national model for higher education and K-12 collaboration. A
similar system is envisioned in PARCC.

“We are thrilled to have Allison join Achieve,” said Michael Cohen, Achieve’s President. “His
knowledge of higher education and deep experience working with K-12 to implement college
readiness policies and programs will be a huge asset as we embark on an historic effort to
build common college-ready assessments across 26 states. “As we know from over a decade
of experience at Achieve, the promise of college and career readiness for all high school
graduates is only possible with true postsecondary involvement every step of the way. Allison
has been a national leader in this area.”

1775 Eye Street NW, Suite 410,Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone (202) 419-1540 Fax (202) 828-0911
www.achieve.org
As the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Student Academic Support, Mr. Jones
also coordinated support to CSU's 23 campuses in the areas of K-12 academic outreach,
outreach to underserved and underrepresented communities, admission, enrollment
management, financial aid, educational opportunity programs, career technical education,
student services, student health, transfer services, disabled student services, alcohol and
drug education and prevention programs, veterans services, services to foster youth, and
remediation. Mr. Jones also served as acting director of the CSU Office of Federal Relations
in Washington, D.C. while the search for a permanent director was conducted in the early
1990’s and began his career in education administration in 1970 at the University of
Redlands.

"I am honored to have been tapped to lead the higher education engagement strategy for the
Partnership for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and to mobilize postsecondary
institutions and leaders in the American Diploma Project to become more engaged in policies
that support college and career readiness,” said Allison Jones “Nearly 200 higher education
systems, colleges, and universities that educate 90% of the nation's students in twenty-six
states have signed on as PARCC partners. The K-12 PARCC assessments will clearly signal
what students need to know in English and mathematics when they graduate from high
school to be ready for college. This once-in-a-generation opportunity to align college
readiness with K-12 expectations will ensure that this nation's students graduate from college
ready to compete in the global economy-- and I am excited to be part of it."

To learn more about Achieve’s college- and career-ready agenda, visit www.achieve.org.

####

Created in 1996 by the nation’s governors and corporate leaders, Achieve is an independent, bipartisan,
nonprofit education reform organization based in Washington D.C. that helps states raise academic standards
and graduation requirements, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability. Achieve is leading the effort
to make college and career readiness a national priority so that the transition from high school graduation to
postsecondary education and careers is seamless. To make college and career readiness a priority, in 2005
Achieve launched the American Diploma Project Network. Starting with 13 original states, the Network has now
grown to include 35 states educating nearly 85 percent of all U.S. public school students. Through the ADP
Network, governors, state education officials, postsecondary leaders and business executives work together to
improve postsecondary preparation by aligning high school standards, assessments, graduation requirements
and accountability systems with the demands of college and careers. For more information about the work of
Achieve, visit www.achieve.org.

1775 Eye Street NW, Suite 410,Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone (202) 419-1540 Fax (202) 828-0911
www.achieve.org